Reviewed by Paul Poulton

Her soprano voice has enough gentleness to sooth Saul and enough grit to keep your drive clear in the dead of winter. Andrae Crouch referred to her as "one of his favourite singers in the world" and the girls in Trin-i-tee 5:7 referred to her as one of the "queens" of gospel music and featured her on their song "Spiritual Love". Tramaine Hawkins has endured over a generation as one of the most recognisable voices in gospel music. She is the granddaughter of a US national religious figure, Bishop E E Cleveland and sang on the legendary hit "Oh Happy Day" (though not, as so popularly supposed, the lead - that was supplied by one Dorothy Morrison). Not prolific in recording albums, it's really nice to see Tramaine's getting back into the groove with a new album for GospoCentric. In the meantime, here's a Best Of set. Carlos Santana plays blistering blues guitar on "Lift Me Up" while throughout her vocals exude gutsy, soulful power. One thing, releasing a Best Of compilation with only nine tracks is decidedly skimpy. However, if you're into gospel music and haven't yet filled your collection with one of the great divas of the genre, you may want this.

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