The Gospel True Tones of Lexington, MS – No Friend Like Jesus

The Gospel True Tones of Lexington, MS
No Friend Like Jesus
Sharp Records 2009
www.sharprecordsusa.com

No Friend Like Jesus by the Gospel True Tones of Lexington, Mississippi, is another recent release from Sharp Records, an independent label out of Atlanta that, among other things, serves the gospel quartet community: singers, musicians, fans and radio angels. And if you know anything about quartet enthusiasts, they – like country music fans – are devoted body and soul to the music they love.

On No Friend Like Jesus, the parched, smoky and soulful vocals of lead singer Odessa “Bubba” Young lead the Gospel True Tones through seven tracks that encourage and teach while ladling out ample helpings of spicy, down-home singing and propulsive musicianship.

The opening track, “Can’t Beat God’s Giving,” steamrolls ahead with a strong lead by Young and tight harmonies by the group. “Witness” sounds like the quartet’s preferred “B” selection, with a driving tempo, sing-along lyrics, and percussive second guitar work by Chris Keys. An extended instrumental vamp at the conclusion sounds like the quartet exited the stage after a sweat-soaked performance.

“Moving On” contains strains of Sixties soul, like a modern day manifestation of the Gospel Classics’ “More Love, That’s What We Need” in its headshaking assessment of a “dog-eat-dog” world where “people are movin’ too fast/Tell me how long will this last?”

We northerners cannot completely appreciate how pervasive and popular the quartet sound is in the south and southeast. It is as much the soundtrack of the working-class as is country music: down to earth and honest, without any airs or contrivances. Unlike some country music, however, gospel quartet tends not to espouse a particular socio-political philosophy but revels instead in simple, mother-wit rules for surviving the life described in “Moving On.” Imprints such as Sharp give some of the many local and regional quartets a chance to record their music on something other than a vanity pressing.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Can’t Beat God’s Giving,” “Witness.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.