Continuing with our look at Mahalia Jackson today, we have a fine album from her Columbia years. We have discerned that this period wasn't her best or most consistent artistically. That said, there are some gems amongst the stones and in my opinion, I Believe is one of them.
The focus is truly on Jackson's voice, with piano accompaniment provided by long time foil Mildred Falls. Along with this there is a wonderful choir providing harmony, background and rich, warm vibes. In and out of this there is some orchestration which works surprisingly well.
One interesting thing is how short the album is - only a bit over 30 minutes. This means that all but one tune is over 3 minutes. Combined with Mahalia's interpretation, it has the feel of something closer to a pop record. Not sure if this was their intent but surely there were commercial considerations made. I find that overall, the greatest gospel singer in the world, is as assured and soulful as ever. It's the expressive and emotive sound of her voice which rescues these sides from simply being blahzay muzak.
This mono LP cleaned up really nicely. Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC... enjoy!!!
Columbia – CL1549
1960
A1 Trouble 3:03
A2 I Believe 3:05
A3 I'm Grateful 3:52
A4 I See God 3:20
A5 Holding My Saviour's Hand 3:15
B1 Somebody Bigger Than You And I 3:00
B2 I Asked The Lord 2:56
B3 I Hear Angels 4:44
B4 Always Look Up 3:12
2 comments:
https://mega.co.nz/#!QlQGgSAD!gcvGu-qhflaJH4cvIvexAzL1v-iPkVYjo0G49MtuwMc
Brilliant. Thank you.
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