Rating:
Genre:
Gospel
Release Date: 10/27/2009
The Blind Boys of Alabama, who originally formed back in 1939, have had an amazing seven-decade career, one that has seen them release their own brand of
gospel on every possible medium the history of recording has to offer, from 78s and LPs to eight-track tapes, cassettes, and CDs, and the consistency of their sound and approach through all of this makes them a venerable national treasure. This two-disc anthology collects some of the group's key tracks recorded for
Stan Lewis' Shreveport, LA-based
Jewel Records during the 1980s, including the
gospel funky
"Morning Train" and the call-and-response-derived
"I Want to Go," among others, and it's vintage
Blind Boys, only the twist of a lyric away from being straight secular
soul. The final two cuts at the end of the second disc are solo sides recorded for
Jewel by founder and lead singer
Clarence Fountain.
~Steve Leggett, All Music Guide