A really cool collection – one that's maybe best summed up by the word "ecstatic" in the title – as the package presents a blend of work from artists who easily skirt both the spiritual and secular side of soulful music, united together with a very joyous, uplifting vibe in their sound! This isn't classic gospel from the years when you might hear a guitar or organ behind a small group of harmonizing vocals – and instead, much of this work was created at a time when soul music had already been going strong for years – and while gospel might have initially helped in the formation of soul, it's clear that things are also moving the other direction in these tracks – as many of these artists borrow from the power of righteous soul styles, and use it to inflect their joyous message with a great new energy! Titles include "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Keith Barrow, "Is There Anybody Here" by The Alvin Darling Ensemble, "Trouble's Brewin" by The Meditation Singers, "Satisfied" by Andre Crouch & The Disciples, "Let Your Feet Down Easy" by Dorothy Norwood, "If You Believe Your God Is Dead" by Swan Silvertones, "The Upper Way" by The Violinaires, "Elijah" by Roscoe Robinson, "Till I've Got This Feelin Of Love" by Dyson's Faces, and "Nothing Can Stop Me Now" by Destiny. (Funky Compilations, Gospel) CD

A really cool collection – one that's maybe best summed up by the word "ecstatic" in the title – as the package presents a blend of work from artists who easily skirt both the spiritual and secular side of soulful music, united together with a very joyous, uplifting vibe in their sound! This isn't classic gospel from the years when you might hear a guitar or organ behind a small group of harmonizing vocals – and instead, much of this work was created at a time when soul music had already been going strong for years – and while gospel might have initially helped in the formation of soul, it's clear that things are also moving the other direction in these tracks – as many of these artists borrow from the power of righteous soul styles, and use it to inflect their joyous message with a great new energy! Titles include "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" by Keith Barrow, "Is There Anybody Here" by The Alvin Darling Ensemble, "Trouble's Brewin" by The Meditation Singers, "Satisfied" by Andre Crouch & The Disciples, "Let Your Feet Down Easy" by Dorothy Norwood, "If You Believe Your God Is Dead" by Swan Silvertones, "The Upper Way" by The Violinaires, "Elijah" by Roscoe Robinson, "Till I've Got This Feelin Of Love" by Dyson's Faces, and "Nothing Can Stop Me Now" by Destiny. (Funky Compilations, Gospel) LP, Vinyl record album

Another masterpiece from the Soul Jazz collective – a collection of tunes that bridges the secular and spiritual worlds, and brings together a mixture of gospel and soul tracks from the 60s and 70s! It's no secret that soul music has drawn quite a bit of inspiration from gospel (as well as more than its share of stars!) – but rarely has that inspiration been so clearly traced than in this wonderful set! The tunes include gospel numbers that have a classic soul sound, and classic soul tunes that really lean towards the gospel side of the spectrum – and most of the artists on the set are familiar ones, but heard here in a style that links them all nicely together. Titles include "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" by Clarence Smith, "Let's Get Together" by Bobby Bland, "Grandma's Hands" by Marion Gaines Singers, "Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday" by The Sweet Inspirations, "Pastures Of Plenty" by Odetta, "Love Lifted Me" by Jesse Dixon, "I Don't Know Where We're Headed" by Sons Of Truth, "Eleanor Rigby" by Kim Weston, "In Between Tears" by Irma Thomas, "Lort Is It" by Gospel Artistics, "Tripping On Your Love" by Staple Singers, and "Mama" by Esther Marrow. (Funky Compilations, Gospel) CD

Soul and gospel, gospel and soul – a beautiful marriage in music that's summed up perfectly in this sweet little set! It's no secret that gospel music had plenty of influence on soul back in the early days – but as the genre went on, soul ended up throwing a mighty sound back at gospel too – so that by the late 60s, both musics were pretty well tied together in styles, themes, and spirit! This collection digs even deeper than the already-great first volume from Soul Jazz – and brings together a wide range of work that illustrates the powerful effect that soul had on gospel back in the late 60s and 1970s – righteous lessons learned from the secular side of the spectrum, folded back to make the spiritual even hipper than before! As always with Soul Jazz, plenty of care went into the set – and the music is provided with an extremely thoughtful track list that goes way past the obvious – as well as a good set of notes to back up the choices. Plus, the tunes here are often quite funky – almost making the package a "gospel funk" collection! 20 tracks in all – including "We Should All Thank The Lord" by The Lovers Of God, "I'll Keep A Light In My Window" by NYCC, "Why Am I Treated So Bad" by Sweet Inspirations, "Let Him Come In" by Howard Lemon Singers, "Keep Trying" by Mildred Clark, "Dead End Street" by Clara Ward, "Since I've Been Born Again" by Martha Bass, "You'd Better Get A Move On" by Louise McCord, "Do Your Thing" by Marion Gaines Singers, "Praise His Name" by The Stovall Singers, "Let Them Talk" by Meditation Singers, "When Will It End" by The Sensational Cymbals, and "After The Rain" by Pastor TL Barrett. (Funky Compilations, Gospel) CD