Smithsonian Folkways: Classic African American Gospel [PA]

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: There should be more compilations like CLASSIC AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL by Smithsonian Folkways. Instead of focusing soley on an individual period, this collection compiles classic gospel performances from many different decades to give the listener a holistic picture of the African American gospel experience. From the rustic folk and blues of Elizabeth Cotten and the Reverend Gary Davis to contemporary renderings in modern churches, CLASSIC AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL spans 50 years in 75 minutes and is a great single-disc introduction to one of America's most vibrant musical genres. Includes a 32-page booklet with detailed descriptions of each track and a historic overview of gospel from the Great Awakening forward. This marvelous set from Smithsonian Folkways includes samples of the various trace sources that eventually crystallized into what became known as gospel in the 19th century, including an assortment of spirituals, choir performances, shout bands, vocal quartets, and guitar preachers, emerging as both a history lesson and as an expressive and even at times explosive listening experience. There's so much to be amazed at here, like Horace Sprott's moving version of "Jesus Going to Make My Dying Bed," the spry, infectious rendition of "You Got to Move" by the Two Gospel Keys (Emma Daniels and Mother Sally Jones), Dock Reed's dark, expressive, and unaccompanied vocal on "Low Down Death Right Easy" and Mary Pickney's perfectly poised voice on the "moaning" spiritual "Been in the Storm So Long." Somehow both varied and unified at once, this collection is essentially a sampler for the vast gospel offerings in the Smithsonian Folkways archives, and each selection leads off to another album the label offers, a clear benefit in this case. Although the term gospel is often applied to all religious music, gospel proper emerged early in the 19th century as a clear attempt to fuse spirituals and church music with the rhythms, arrangements, and approach of pop music in order to reach a larger audience while still retaining the intimacy and power of its musical roots. Gospel, of course, then begat modern soul, and by extension, the whole world of urban dance music, so the roots presented here are in part responsible for a much larger tree than just modern gospel. It's a fascinating world to explore, and this Smithsonian Folkways sampler is the perfect place to start. ~ Steve Leggett

Dirty Linen (p.84) - "[T]he collection does a good job of representing the genre's history....[With] the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Sonny Terry, Lead Belly, and many more less well-known but still explosive and expressive performers."

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