Great Gospel Hits: The Soul of Gospel Today

Various Artists

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Shanachie’s gospel hits compilation, released November 27, is like a mini-WOW Gospel, a survey of a dozen Top 40 gospel singles released over the past few years.  Some, but not all, of the assembled artists come from the Shanachie stable of singers and musicians.

Most fun is Vickie Winans and her nephew, Tim Bowman, Jr., singing and scatting, respectively, on the high-spirited and top-selling “How I Got Over.”  Ann Nesby of Sounds of Blackness does a fine job on Calvin Bridges’ “I Can Go to God in Prayer,” made famous thirty years ago by Albertina Walker and the Lighthouse Baptist Church Evangelical Choir.  On the trad-imbued “Work It Out,” Evelyn Turrentine-Agee demonstrates why she’s called the Queen of Quartet

Musically, the mix is evenly balanced between today’s amalgam of inspirational, P&W, and contemporary and traditional gospel sounds.  All of the songs have been issued previously, however, so don’t expect any new selections from the singers.

While the compilation focuses mainly on soloists, JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise make an appearance with their popular “Resting On His Promise,” and the harmonically-complex Take 6 perform their jazzy “One.”

Great Gospel Hits: The Soul of Gospel Today lives up to its title.  It’s something to put in your CD player when you want a temporary break from the current radio hits.

Picks: “How I Got Over.”