Jubilee Gospel Team, Deep River Plantation Singers - Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order 1928-1931
STYLE: Gospel RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 21347-12083 LABEL: Document DOCD5519 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £9.99
Reviewed by Mike Rimmer
The aptly named Document Records are engaged in the huge task of releasing on CD every scrap of pre-war gospel music that they can find. The results are always fascinating. This CD features 17 recordings by The Jubilee Gospel Team originally recorded in 1928 for QRS Records. The resulting songs are not great for sound quality and quickly the musical limitations of the group come to the fore since a lot of this material is very similar. It's mainly two voices interacting in call and response and though the names of group members are now lost in the dust of time, one gentlemen with a gruff voice seems to be a prototype for Kirk Franklin since on some songs all he does is interject "Amen", "Glory!", "Hallelujah", "Praise God", etc in much the same way Mr Franklin does nearly 80 years later! The rest of the CD features five selections from The Deep River Plantation Singers. Again, not much is known about them but the recording features standard spiritual fare like "Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho" and "Train's A-Comin'" with steady piano backing and strangely refined singing! All in all, this is more interesting from an historical perspective than a musical one.
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