The Staple Singers - Swing Low Sweet Chariot / Uncloudy Day

I absolutely love the Staple Singers blend of gospel, RnB and Delta blues, especially on these early cuts where the arrangements are sparse and they mostly rely on their excellent vocals with simple backing from Pops' reverbed/tremelo'd guitar. They crossed over to the pop charts in the 70's with some energetic tracks backed by full bands, but here they are intimate'n' straightforward and you feel like you could be praisin' with them in some one room church.

This CD collects their first two albums - for some reason it opens with 1961's Swing Low Sweet Chariot, followed by the 1959 debut, Uncloudy Day - along with six bonus cuts recorded during the same time period (including "This May Be The Last Time", the song that the Stones stole for their early hit). The vocals are shared, although Mavis's fantastic voice is the star but Pops takes the lead now and again, and Purvis and Cleotha's contributions complete the sonic blanket that wraps you in their warm message of love. Some tunes are slow'n'sultry (which may be a bit sacrilegious but accurate), some are bluesy, some are haunting, some get you jumpin' out of your pew and dancin' in the aisles and all are terrific.

This is a wonderful set for lovers of vocal-based gospel/RnB/blues - highly recommended!