Reviewed by George Luke

One of the biggest ironies in the story of the rise of R&B gospel music in the UK is the fact that the one label that has really made an impact in the secular scene isn't even a 'Christian' label. With their specially licensed 12" singles, soul specialists Expansion Records managed to successfully break Helen Baylor, Dawkins & Dawkins and Terry Garmon into the mainstream, shattering a lot of those "the world won't listen to gospel music" myths in the process. Their compilation album, 'Friends In High Places', found a home in many a non-religious soul fan's record collection and the long-awaited sequel is now with us. Like its predecessor, its 14 tracks are on the mellow side, ranging from vintage Winans and Kingdom to more recent tunes from Kelli Williams and their most recent success story, Terry Garmon. The only British act featured is Sign Of The Times (it says so very prominently in the liner notes) with "Whatever it Takes", which is well worthy of a single release. Hats off to Richard Searling and Ralph Tee for putting such a great collection together - and can we have a few more Brits next time, please?

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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