Pastor TL Barrett And The Youth For Christ Choir - Like A Ship (Without A Sail)
STYLE: Gospel RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 105234-17758 LABEL: Light In The Attic FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
The unexpected appearance of this album from 1971 on CD in 2010 shows that even when the African American audience for which albums like this were originally targeted have moved on to newer styles there still remains a small enclave of white record collectors and adventurous music buffs willing to give old school gospel a listen. Chicago Pastor T L Barrett formed this youth choir (nothing to do with the Youth For Christ organisation) from young members of Mount Zion Baptist Church. The original independent vinyl pressing of 'Like A Ship (Without A Sail)' never made it out of the mid-west but now a new niche audience has discovered its fiery power. The album is considerably better than most church-financed gospel efforts and producer Gene Barge, by bringing in such top rate musicians as bassist Richard Evans and Phil "You Can't Sit Down" Upchurch, is able to add some raw funk power to the rich dynamics of the voices. Standouts are "Ever Since", brimming over with call-and-response urgency, and the title track, which showcases the good Reverend in fine voice. Not quite in the same class as the Edwin Hawkins Singers' "Oh Happy Day", but then few choir records are and it's certainly good to see an album brim full of spiritual proclamation spreading the word amongst atheistic soul fans (for example, reviewer Dave Segal wrote about the album, "Pastor T L Barrett and the Youth For Christ Choir work some serious miracles on 'Like A Ship (Without A Sail)'. I now loathe religion a tiny bit less."
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