OH GRAVEYARD, YOU CAN'T HOLD ME ALWAYS

another amazing compilation from Mississippi records that, like everything they put out, was quickly snatched up and is now out of print. the 3rd installment in their "series" of gospel blues collections, this one favors post-war sounds of the 60's and 70's, with warm analog recordings and mostly minimal arrangements on electric guitars. the first track "eternal life" by the Mosby Family Singers is a total scorcher, with deep sultry lead vocals, gorgeous harmonizing and piano-drenched rhythm that comes off almost like a laconic version of Nina Simone's "sinnerman". the solo voice of Laura Rivers' "thats alright" is powerful and earnest, with a mysterious voice barely audible in the background and the perfect amount of room ambience to create a haunted home recording vibe. other tracks are electrified gospel sermons, calling to mind the grittiness of rev. Charlie Jackson on tracks like White Family's "help me jesus" and Joe Townsend's "going over the hill". the album finishes out with an anonymous and seriously pretty fucked up rendition of "we shall overcome" as sang by what sounds like a few giggly children who just sucked down some helium. another classic comp from Mississippi that hasn't left my regular rotation for months.



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I AM BORN TO PREACH THE GOSPEL

as a totally godless person, i find my fascination with gospel music a little peculiar. for months now i've been fixated all manners of old time gospel recordings, digging deep on these archival comps of forgotten sounds. in the same way that you can look at a beautiful gothic church and marvel at the achievement made by its designer, these recordings triumph in the craft of song writing. even though both are made with religion as the driving force behind them, most anyone religious or not can take in the beauty of the end result. and just as any kind of music is informed by the artist's passions in life, the result of these songwriter's faith combined with the barest essentials of american music's tools present such astonishingly honest music, completely stripped and with nowhere to hide, that i can't help but listen and be moved by their sincerity.


standing apart from most of everything i've heard in the genre, though, is washington phillips. performing solo, self-accompanied on a bizarre, little known zither-like tiny piano instrument called a dolceola, phillips' sound is so lush and distinct that it immediately caught my interest. the gorgeous sound of the dolceola combined with phillips' earnest sermons is completely sublime sound. recorded between 1927 and 1929, "I AM BORN TO PREACH THE GOSPEL" collects all of phillips' recorded output. it may sound too stark or subdued upon first listen, but give it a few listens and i'm sure it will grow on you.







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