Thursday, July 14 2011
Blind Boys of Alabama: Take the High Road
Few surprises, but there's no moment of this album that doesn't sound good.
Wednesday, March 30 2011
Mary Mary: Something Big
Mary Mary make state-of-the-art inspirational R&B, have conflicted feelings about losers.
Thursday, March 10 2011
Charlie Parr: When the Devil Goes Blind
Fine picking, vocals that make a mockery of microphone style, and lyrics about trains, tracks, and times past, all filtered through the immediacy of the present and performed under the influence of enthusiasm.
Wednesday, July 28 2010
A Blues for Walter: Remembering a Gospel Legend
A towering figure in gospel music history, the late Bishop Walter Hawkins not only built an impressive discography that helped shape the contemporary gospel sound, but he also created a body of work that remains central to the black religious experience.
Tuesday, August 11 2009
Michael Olatuja: Speak
The guitar licks a smooth path through 50 minutes of gospel and soul, with Yoruba touches dropped in along the way.
Monday, August 20 2007
Margie Joseph Reclaims Her Soul: The Interview
Atlantic Records matched one of the most soulful female vocalists of the '70s with one of the all-time greatest producers. Three decades later, why is Margie Joseph not singing all the way to the bank?
Wednesday, April 25 2007
Sounding the Call for Equality: An Interview with Mavis Staples
Staples: "What has really changed? I'm 67 years old, and I was here the first time around and it's still not fixed. We can't let Dr. King shed his blood and die for us trying to get justice and live in a world like this."
