Brooklyn All StarsJust Look At Me Now
4 Winds Records (2011)
By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog
Founded in the late 1950s, the Brooklyn All Stars are still traveling the gospel highway, spreading the old time religion that is the bread and butter of gospel quartets. Their 2011 album, Just Look At Me Now, offers new and old songs in the All Stars’ style.
Perhaps the most endearing aspect of this CD is the presence of longtime member Thomas Spann. His rich bass underpins the harmonies with the resonance reminiscent of the quartet’s Hardie Clifton era.
The album contains plenty of retrospective sounds. The “Brooklyn All Stars Medley” reprises some of the quartet’s best-known songs, including classic covers of James Cleveland’s “No Cross No Crown” and “I Stood on the Banks of Jordan.” “Family Prayer,” which gets a separate treatment, is another selection from the All Stars’ catalog. “So Close,” a cover of Alex Bradford’s smash hit, is characteristically bluesy, but what sells it is the interplay between lead singer Ben “Lil’ Sonny” MaClary and Spann, who encourages him like a deacon to a pastor. When Lil’ Sonny sings, “I can feel Jesus breathing on me,” Spann responds, “That’s mighty close!”
Other highlights include the poignant title track, a Spann-led contemplation about making it to the ripe age of 85. “You Can’t See for Looking at Me” is directed at the fault finders and gossipers all around us. “How can you see the moat in my eyes when you have a beam in yours?” the quartet queries.
As always, producer Ray Braswell gives quartets the crystal clear sound they deserve.
Just Look At Me Now is the Brooklyn All Stars doing what they do best, and have, for more than a half century: straightforward harmony, soulful arrangements, and common-sense theology.
Four of Five Stars
Picks: “So Close,” “The Brooklyn All Stars Medley.”
Written by : Bob Marovich
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.
Visit Today : 792
This Month : 19991