Carlton Pearson - Live At Azusa

Monday 1st December 1997
Carlton Pearson - Live At Azusa

VHS

STYLE: Gospel
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 17353-
LABEL: Warner Alliance 4311
FORMAT: VHS video Music video

Reviewed by Kwaku

This singing preacher holds his church in a massive hall, like London's aircraft hanger-like Wembley Arena. Naturally they'd need a huge choir, which is what the Azusa Mass Choir is. Refreshingly for America, the choir, like the audience, has a smattering of non-blacks. Thankfully the singing preacher, whose voice occasionally echoes of the famous singing preacher Al Green, also makes room for impressive guest singers to take the proceedings to a musical high. The power-propelled vocals of Karen Clarke goes to town (or should that be church?) on "Take It By Force", and Daryl Coley gives a cool, sweet-voiced performance with the mellow, declarative "In The Arms Of Jesus". Pearson keeps his preaching and chat focused and brief, going back to the old, traditional style with the "Old Songs" medley and an hour later Debra Jones opens with "He Lifted Me" before the other guests join in to bring things to a rapturous conclusion. It's a video that has repeated replayability.

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