Reviewed by Tony Cummings

25 more tracks from the pioneers of jubilee singing. "The General Jumped At Dawn" celebrates the D-Day invasion while "Atom And Evil" expresses the hope that Stalin WAS stallin' when they regard the grim reality of the cold war. Such politically charged items are interspersed with renditions of old spirituals like "Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho" and "Wade In The Water". By this period the group were mixing up their Christian material with plenty of pop items. They do a rather nice Ink Spots impersonation on "I'm Just A Dreamer" though "Broodle-oo" is a silly song performed in a Bing Crosby-like croon. Possibly the most fascinating track of all is "Pray For The Light To Go Out" with its extraordinary line "I got plenty of time to rock and roll, but I ain't got time to save your soul" which must have raised a few eyebrows at the time. For years the Gates, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Norfolk Jazz And Jubilee Quartet were able to straddle both church and secular audiences. Unquestionably, these veteran harmonisers could evoke romance and humour alongside faith in Jesus while their knowing way with pumping vocal poly rhythms still sounds great to today's more sophisticated audiences.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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