Atlantic's great early soul singer delivers some fairly traditional tunes in her own gutsy R&B style. Precious Memories features LaVern singing 12 gospel tunes like "Didn't It Rain", "Too Close", "Without A God", "Touch Me, Lord Jesus", and "Journey To The Sky". LaVern's fine, but the real treat is the backing by Alex Bradford and his singers, one of the most soulful gospel groups of the late 50s! (Soul, Gospel) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record – even if you're not into gospel! The Hummingbirds are an amazing vocal group – and their work on this first album ranks right up there with the best 50s doo-woppers, and the spare guitar backing reminds us of some of the best Atlantic work by The Clovers. And sure, the tracks are about god and religion – but the band grooves hard in a nearly-acapella mode that's simply incredible! Titles include "The Final Edition", "Christian's Automobile", "God Is Now Speaking", "Devil Can't Harm A Praying Man", and "We'll Meet Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime work by one of the greatest crossover gospel groups of the 60s – the wonderful Art Reynolds Singers, one of the hippest things to ever hit Capitol Records! The album's based around spiritual tunes, but is recorded with a rolling groove that's got a lot of Atlantic soul in the mix – and which also really gets at the rhythmic delivery of the group, something that's always made the Art Reynolds Singers much more appealing to soul fans than other ensembles of the time. Titles include "How Did You Feel", "He's A Standby God", "Where Is Your Faith In God", "Jesus Is Just Alright", and "I Won't Be Back". LP, Vinyl record album