Gospel Music - Various Artists
Hyena - 9346
Released - 2000
available on Hyena records
Upon occasion forces come into perfect coherence, it happens rarely but, when they perfectly coincide the blinders fall away and a picture beyond words appears. Joel Dorn, a producer and founder of Hyena Records and Lee Friedlander, a renowned photographer, two long time friends who have an abiding love of gospel music put together this compilation. It is not intended as a best of or any such appellation just a collection of Gospel music that they might have heard on the radio back when it was being played on the radio. There can always be dispute about whether this is the strongest song that this person or group did and so forth, and there will always be disagreement, however this is one of the best collections of Gospel music to come out in a long time. There is a lack of complete liner notes here as to when and where the songs were recorded, but that evidently wasn’t part of what they wanted to do. I would have liked a couple more of Lee’s photographs and his can be breath taking, however that was not to be, the focus is on the music. We are the richer for the attention to this detail. This is a collection that is both abounding
and deep, and goes to the depths of the emotional riches of the intention of Gospel music, which is to provide an amazing emotional experience. Some of the performers are well known beyond the Gospel field; The Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson and The Soul Stirrers with Sam Cooke; and some are not as widely known, however equally capable of moving the soul; Troy Ramey & The Soul Searchers, The Trumpeteers, and The Consolers. There is not a weak cut here and the best news is that they may do this again and provide other volumes for our listening pleasure. This is truly one of the finest collections of any kind to come along in a long time. You are urged to go out and get this disc so that you do not miss the pleasure it will bring.