2010 Gospel

The 12-track gospel-tinged record features a number of traditional songs long held sacred by Wright alongside originals by guest performers Angelique Kidjo, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Joan as Policewoman and social activist and songwriter Dr. Bernice Reagon, among others. Produced by Brian Bacchus, Fellowship is the follow-up to Wright's 2008 record The Orchard, which "CBS News Sunday Morning" declared "one of the best albums of the year" while the Los Angeles Times called it "a creative breakthrough for Wright, whose smoldering, sensual voice now has a vision to go with it"...

Gospel Time, Ruth Brown's first and only gospel album, was recorded in 1963 in Nashville under Shelby Singleton's direction, using country musicians. Ray Stevens of "Ahab the Arab" fame plays organ. Vocal backgrounds are by the Milestone Singers. The most impressive cuts are "Closer Walk With Thee," with soulful guitar licks from Jerry Kennedy and Harold Bradley; "Peace in the Valley," with nice piano triplets by Harold "Pig" Robbins; the beautiful "Walk With Me"; and a fabulous version of "Milky White Way." Brown even tries her hand at preaching in a rocking version of "Morning Train." This is a surprisingly fine album.

Three classic artist albums. Nice and simple, no frills just great music! Includes Främling (1983), Steg För Steg (1984) and My Tribute (1993).

Soul Jazz Records’ Holy Church of the Ecstatic Soul: Gospel, Funk and Soul at the Crossroads 1971-83 draws upon the extensive links between black American gospel music and soul music, showing how the sensibilities of gospel artists such as Shirley Caeser, Dorothy Norwood, Andrae Crouch and others crossed over into secular soul music during this period.

Everyone gets the blues, says Skip McDonald, who should know. The legendary guitarist gets them - like, really gets them - more than most. The blues are a fact of life, he adds in a Dayton, Ohio twang undiminished by two decades of UK living. It doesn't matter where you are. The blues have no boundaries. An old school bluesman in the tradition of everyone from Howling Wolf and Leadbelly to Blind Willie Johnson, McDonald channels the past into the future through his internationally regarded project, Little Axe. A project that is more than just a band: it's a collective of different people who, at certain periods, come together to create great work.