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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Testify! - The Gospel Box (Rhino)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Rhino, the king of the box sets, does it again. Testify - The Gospel Box is packaged in a box that looks like a bible, complete with a bookmark made of white ribbon. Open the "book" and you find three CDs and a highly informative 68-page booklet. So before you've even opened the door to your CD tray, you're diggin' this thing!
The track selection is right on, amen! Beginning with the Southern Sons Quartette's hilariously uplifting World War Two anthem, "Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition," we're taken on a chornological tour of the evolution of gospel music, taking in performances by some you may have never heard of, as well as many who later made a name in secular music. Where most collections lean heavily on the Arethas and Mahalias, Testify touches on those and moves on, introducing us to spiritually charged performers like The Harmonizing Four, Take 6, and Rev. Maceo Woods. While these names are well known to the gospel music connessuer, to the casual listener they're a mystery worth solving.
A whole lot of people never give this genre a listen because they don't care much for the whole concept of organized religion, and many of them wouldn't like it if they did give it a try. As a card-carrying agnostic, however, I feel somewhat qualified to suggest this to anyone who is moved by such secular masterpieces as Aretha Franklin's "Chain Of Fools" or Ray Charles' "America The Beautiful." No, those songs aren't here, but the spirit that supercharged those vocal performances came straight from the church choir, and I can guarantee you plenty of the same size goosebumps if you spend a few hours with Testify. Kudos to Rhino for doing what they usually do, which is give us the whole package.
Track List:
Disc 1 [TT 54:34]: Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition (The Southern Sons Quartette) * Stalin Wasn't Stallin' (The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet) * Milky White Way (The Trumpeteers) * Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around (The Fairfield Four) * That's Enough (Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes) * Just A Closer Walk With Thee (Sallie Martin Singers) * Our Father (Original Five Blind Boys) * Too Close To Heaven (The Bradford Specials) * Let's Go Out To The Programs (Dixie Hummingbirds) * Amazing Grace (Rev. Maceo Woods) * Alone And Motherless (The Original Five Blind Boys Of Alabama) * Somewhere To Lay My Head (The Highway Q.C.'S) * Uncloudy Day (The Staple Singers) * All Things Are Possible (The Harmonizing Four) * Didn't It Rain (Mahalia Jackson) * The Love Of God (Voices Of The Tabernacle, Featuring Rev. James Cleveland) * Precious Lord (Lavern Baker With Prof. Alex Bradford & The Bradford Singers) * Mary Don't You Weep (The Swan Silvertones) * One More River To Cross (The Meditation Singers With Earnestine Rundless) * Good Enough For Me (Rev. James Cleveland & The Gospel Chimes)
Disc 2 [Tt 78:37]: Mighty High (Mighty Clouds Of Joy) * Oh Happy Day (The Edwin Hawkins Singers) * Lord, Don't Move The Mountain (Inez Andrews) * Mary, Don't You Weep (Aretha Franklin With James Cleveland & The Southern California Community Choir) * I'll Trade A Lifetime (The O'neal Twins) * I Go To The Rock (Danniebelle Hall) * Goin' Up Yonder (Walter Hawkins & The Love Center Choir) * No Charge (Shirley Caesar) * Peace In The Valley (The Gate City Singers) * Take My Hand, Precious Lord (Marion Williams With Prof. Thomas A. Dorsey) * How I Got Over (Clara Ward & The Ward Singers) * Walk Around Heaven All Day (The Caravans) * Strange Man (Dorothy Love Coates) * Changed (Walter Hawkins & The Love Center Choir) * My Tribute (Andraé Crouch)
Disc 3 [Tt 75:54]: Show Up! (The New Life Community Choir Featuring John P. Kee) * Stand (Ron Winans Presents Family & Friends IV) * Spread Love (Take 6) * Tomorrow (The Winans) * Rough Side Of The Mountain (Rev. F.C. Barnes & The Red Budd Combined Choir) * Be Encouraged (William Becton & Friends) * A Message For The Saints (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers) * I Believe (Sounds Of Blackness) * Deep River/Campground (Cissy Houston) * How I Depend On You (The Williams Brothers) * Holy Is The Lamb (Oleta Adams) * Order My Steps (GMWA Women Of Worship Featuring Mimi Redd) * The Battle Is The Lord's (olanda Adams) * Dear God (Boyz Ii Men) * I Love The Lord (Whitney Houston With The Georgia Mass Choir)
(C) 1999 - DJ Johnson