Reviewed by Tony Cummings

When faced with the vast ocean of African American gospel music recorded over the last 100 years (well 108 years if you want to be picky) embarking on building a CD collection is a daunting task indeed. Once you've discovered that gospel didn't begin with Kirk Franklin and CeCe Winans and want to investigate the long and thrilling history of the music, where to begin can be a problem. May I suggest you try this budget priced four CD box set which offers 100 vintage tracks recorded between 1927 and 1950. Although the selection here leaves out the early gospel choirs and the gospel bluesmen, it is a pretty good showcase with a good selection of the styles of the period from the cool, precise jubilee harmonies of Mitchell's Christian Singers and the Heavenly Gospel Singers; pioneers of the quartet sound like the Famous Blue Jay Singers and the Soul Stirrers; the early gospel crossover acts like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Golden Gate Quartet and the first gospel superstar Mahalia Jackson. Sometimes the compilation is a little eccentric (how come six tracks each by the Blind Boys Of Alabama and six by the Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi?) But with a fat info-filled booklet which includes some rare photos, and such a generous selection of tracks, it's easy to overlook the occasional substandard performance or the fact that the sound quality (excellent for all the pre-war 78s, strangely dips for the Famous Blue Jay Singers post-war recordings). My personal favourite is "King Jesus Know I'm Coming" by Joshua White & His Carolinians, though "This Train" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and "Peace In The Valley" by the Soul Stirrers and "Rough And Rough And Rocky Road" by the Stars Of Harmony take some beating. So, if you're looking for a starting point to access vintage gospel, this box set, is good news indeed.

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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