Reviewed by Paul Poulton

What instrument Washington Phillips actually played is open to some conjecture. One eye witness said that as a boy he was invited onto Washington's porch with other local children while the gospel singer sang and played a box-like instrument he had made from the insides of a piano. The name given to the instrument is dulceola, which could be a cross between a zither and a dulcimer. Its sound is something like a high-pitched piano with shortened notes and a natural chorus effect. It's not certain that this is the instrument being played on the recordings, but whatever the instrument, Washington shows himself to be the master of it, using it to hold the listener's interest. There are hints of blues phrasing in his vocal delivery, but by and large he favours major tonality. He had a cutting edge message for the 1920s and 1930s, his composition "Denomination Blues" is a classic song with a sting in each verse and you can understand why it was later covered by everyone from Ry Cooder to the 77s. "You Can't Stop A Tattler" fits very nicely into today's world, it contains some good advice. Whoever it was at Columbia Records who decided to take a mobile recording unit out on the road to record local singers has done posterity a big favour, these songs are of genuine interest. The recordings are pretty clean, all things considered, and sound better than some other reissues of the original 78s. When Washington sings about his mother and father, I'm transported to the early 1900s, I can see them because the picture he paints is real. Washington's 16 songs finish with "The Church Needs Good Deacons", yeah, amen to that. Filling up this CD are tracks from A C Forehand & Blind Mamie Forehand where the accompaniment is a trusty guitar, always popular among black people of the day. "Honey In The Rock" was written by the white F A Graves, but AC, a left-handed guitarist, manages to bend those notes while Mamie injects feeling into the singing. This historical recording finishes with two tracks from Luther Magby who has a gravely voice and moves his songs along with percussion and his pumping harmonium; these are reputed to be the most compelling gospel records ever waxed. That's not too far out. All in all, a gem of a reissue and serious students will want to discover the delights of Washington Phillips.

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