Reviewed by Stephen Luff

With the sad news of Jane Russell's death, this compilation, originally released in 2008, is deserving of mention. The Hollywood Christian Group was made up of a number of stars of the silver screen including Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and four ladies, Beryl Davis, Connie Haines, Della Russell and Jane Russell. They were later joined by Rhonda Fleming. The ladies made up this singing group originally formed for a charity event. Astonishingly, for a group of singing actresses performing old gospel songs and spirituals, Feel The Spirit met with phenomenal success. The first track on this compilation is the million seller "Do Lord", a lively number whose style is a product of its time (1954) and reminds me of the musical format led by the highly successful artist of the time, Les Paul. During their musical career Feel The Spirit recorded for two labels, Coral and, around three years later, Capitol. The latter label provided better production and more accessible commercial recordings, including a second version of "Do Lord" and some cringe worthy moments such as the lyrics, "You can wish on a star/And your wish can come true/You can do anything/You believe you can do" from "The Magic Of Believing". This said, there are some enjoyable versions of traditional songs such as "Jacob's Ladder" and "I've Got The Joy" and without a doubt these actresses could certainly sing! The recording quality is surprisingly clear and acceptable to 21st century ears, although the Coral recordings generally struggle with the higher frequencies. In summary, this is a great example of a group of believers trying to reach out to their generation, using the platform they had. A fascinating dig into the archives well worth investigating.

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