Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The Godfather Of Funk always had gospel connections, he and his Famous Flames started off as a gospel quartet and right to the end the R&B superstar kept the notorious Rev Al Sharpton as part of his retinue of helpers/hangers on. And though few would claim Brown was a Christian, in a biblical understanding of the word, James would talk up God in many an interview while musically the screaming histrionics of the classic '50s quartets was clearly the foundation of his vocal style. Not that you hear that here. This fascinating compilation puts the emphasis on Brown the record producer and shows the Godfather was no slouch there either. The tracks here with members of his review James Crawford, Yvonne Fair and especially Bobby Byrd are still passionate pieces of raw R&B. Apart from Byrd's offerings (who became a reverend before his death in 2007) and the Five Royales (who started off as a gospel group and still had the church sound even if the "Faith" they sing about here is in their girlfriend) the main interest for gospel collectors is "That's The Spirit" by Rev Willingham. The Rev Ruben Willingham was the baritone singer with gospel veterans The Swanee Quartet and the 1966 Federal release which sourced this track was originally credited Rev Willingham And his Swanees. Either way, he does a great job rasping an extemporised lyric based loosely on the book of Genesis over a brassy, bluesy accompaniment. Fascinating.

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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