Joseph Spence And The Pinder Family - The Spring Of Sixty-Five

Wednesday 1st June 1994
Joseph Spence And The Pinder Family - The Spring Of Sixty-Five

STYLE: Roots/Acoustic
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 19901-
LABEL: Rounder 2114
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Tony May

Spence is an original. An astonishing guitarist (if you've heard Leon Redbone's technique it's along those lines), his music's an intense mixture of influences found in his native Bahamas. There's blues, traditional African based gospel, calypso, etc all pummelled into something uniquely his - a startling vocal style that's percussive and employs the Bahamian vocal style known as rhyming. No-one I know could probably even imagine some of the tricks Spence pulls on this set, which was recorded in '65, half each in New York and the Bahamas. For this programme of 13 traditional gospel songs, Joseph joins with the Pinder Family, a vocal trio from the same roots and background. Songs like "Out On The Rolling Sea", "Troublesome Water" and the better-known "I Bid You Goodnight", "Coming In On A Wing And A Prayer" and "Living On The Hallelujah Side" are served up as never before. Glorious unforgettable music.

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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