Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Previously issued as three separate albums, the second half of this six disc reissue from Sonorous Entertainment hones in on two of the biggest gospel quatets from last century with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and the Swan Silvertones taking the spotlight on two thirds of this release whilst Silvertones founder Rev Claude Jeter's solo output gets an airing on the remaining disc. As with the first three volumes, the tracks on offer have been remastered from the original Hob Records recordings from the '60s and, thanks to a lesser reliance on rough and ready live recordings, each section succeeds in representing the sizeable talents of all involved in a favourable light. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama showcase why they are still regarded as the premier gospel vocal group of all time via their version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which makes it sound as if Paul and Art borrowed the song from them instead of the other way round whilst Jeter and his Silvertones both individually and collectively offer up re-recorded versions of their previous hit "Mary Don't You Weep" which incidentally influenced Paul Simon in the writing of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Thanks to the fact that these are later recordings, all three acts are augmented by fuller sounding backing bands and, on many of the tracks, there is a leaning away from old style gospel to the upcoming soul sound of the day which further proves the point that old masters such as the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and Rev Claude Jeter and his Swan Silvertones were able to not only move with the times but lead the pack when it came to gospel music.

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