Hallelujah – Dr. Moses McNeil and Company

Dr. Moses McNeil and Company
Hallelujah
FIR Gospel Records 2004
Mjmcneil7772@yahoo.com

If I was blindfolded and asked to listen to Hallelujah by Dr. Moses McNeil and Company, I would swear I was hearing a late 1970s vinyl recording on TK’s Gospel Roots label. The mix of metallic electronica, ‘70s sweet soul melodies and even a dash of disco on Hallelujah makes the album righteously retro.

Hallelujah serves as both a gospel album and a showcase for McNeil’s sacred song compositions. The rhythm on the title track chugs appropriately alongside the song’s locomotive metaphor as McNeil declares, conductor-like, for everyone to get on board for the Lord. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” uses the basic premise of the Christmas spiritual, but the rest of the lyrics and the melody are completely new.

The most effective track on Hallelujah, and the one that stays with you after the CD is over, is “In My Father’s House.” It is a penultimate retro-soul piece – think the Spinners or the Delfonics grooving to a hypnotic Philadelphia International groove – that will resonate with collectors of ’70s soul gospel sounds. In fact, McNeil’s singing throughout the album has a decidedly TSOP vibe.

The least endearing cut is the eight-plus minute “One Moment in Time,” which in its cacophony of percussion and indecipherable stream of lyrics comes across as more rehearsal than final performance. Hallelujah would be a better project if it and the introductory track were replaced by more songs like “In My Father’s House.”

Two of Five Stars