Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The recent death of Vestal Goodman adds a certain poignancy to this compilation from the Goodmans (or The Happy Goodman Family as they were known in their heyday in the ‘60s and ‘70s) to the tens of thousands of fans in the Southern States of America. Their jaunty songs of faith and the delights of Heaven to come may sound a tad stylised to today’s sophisticated musical palates though the heartening simplicity of the vocal arrangements and material here and the jaunty country accompaniments are a pleasant change from the inspirational theatrics of many of Gaither’s Homecoming Friends albums. If you like your Southern gospel simple and country, you could well enjoy this album though only offering 10 songs is a bit measly for a Greatest Hits compilation and means there’s no room for such Goodman favourites as “Had It Not Been” and “Until You’ve Known The Love Of God”. But timeless songs like “Who Am I” and “I Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now” still have genuine old time gospel charm.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.