Tony Comer and Crosswinds - Take Me Higher

Wow. Been far too long since I've posted here. It's been a turbulent year for me so far. Been a turbulent last 3 years really. I've been heavy involved with my family and taking care of my Moms and Pops. They've been trading back and forth amongst each other with life threatening illnesses. Most of my year thus far has been caring for my Mother in and out of the Intensive Care Unit. So, in relation, this tune has a lot of meaning and special feeling for me. Miraculously my Mom was finally released a week ago, and I'm overjoyed. Yes, things have been better and, Yes, I've gone back to the Gospel music fountain once again. Something a bit of a theme for me, admitting that Gospel music is the one music that pierces through to my heart when times have been hard. It has been a style of music that has been a never ending source of both enlightenment and entertainment.


This is one of two Tony Comer Lp's that I'm familiar with. They are both really excellent albums and worth seeking out. They are both heavy 'commercial' attempts for bridging Gospel with Soul and attempting a stab at a mainstream ear. Hard for me not to notice the parallels with this LP and Earth Wind and Fire sound, as they both seem to be championing big, full, feel-good soul. Huge arrangements and large and lovely majestic messages. This is truly something unique of the late 70's early 80's soul. I think we'll have to follow up with more from Tony Comer and the Crosswinds camp, again mostly because the other LP is also so excellent. And, additionally a juicy 12 inch called 'Don't Give Up" both boasts an uplifting message and a hard head-nod beat in a modern soul feel.
Hallelujah I'm Back!


Tony Comer and Crosswinds - Take Me Higher

Bill Moss And The Celestials - Keep On Using Me Jesus

 

Good morning and happy Sunday to ya. In the tradition of our Sunday posts we're gonna ride the soul train to gospel town again. So, let's call it 'Sanctified Sunday' and get down to business.

Bill Moss is an artist that bounced back and forth from commercial efforts to gospel recordings throughout his career. Some of his early 45's were some of my first coveted rare groove records. He was founder of the Capsoul label which provided me with many of my favorites. 'Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother', 'Number One', and my personal favorite from that label 'Hot Grits' by Elijah & The Ebonites are heavy percussive funk treats.

Bill was married to Essie Moss and they started The Celestials, very much in the direction of the Staple Singers. This song, 'Keep On Using Me Jesus' is very much in a Staples vein. Bill is also related to one of the most well known soul/gospel groups The Clark Sisters. Mr. Moss died at the age of 76 from emphysema but before he passed he was inducted in the Gospel Music Hall Of Fame in 2004.


Cheers, Bill we love you here at Soundboutique and your funky break embedded song is perfect for this day. Hoping I'm ushering out this cold or flu or whatever the heck it is, and this song has got me singing my own version...Keep On Healing Me Jesus!

Bill Moss And The Celestials - Keep On Using Me Jesus

Joy - The Time Is Right

Joy was a gospel group from southern California, San Diego to be exact. They recorded this pearl of an album and that was it. This is about the strongest tune on the LP, but they showed tremendous potential. This tune is pure magic, straight up good gospel groove with a very simple premise of positivity and action. The lyrics boast 'It's time we treat each other like true sisters and brothers' and i couldn't agree more. We need more songs like this in our world today. Again they proclaim 'It's time we forget denominations and come to the realization that god just wants us to show our love' and 'It's time to be strong and take a stand, reach out your hand and help someone when they fall'. Just how silly new music these days can be, and how vulgar and negative it can be, it truly makes you appreciate songs like this. Very Stevie Wonder-ish sounding vocals, brilliant simple production, and a smart little bass and drum 'breakdown' from this perfect title cut from this album. In the gospel scene, bands like this in the late 70's and early 80's turned towards making more straight soul records and moved away from more traditional sounds. Packing up the Hammond, and subbing in the Rhodes. Putting down the Tambourine and replaced it with slapping the bass. Basically it's a pop/soul record and I'm thankful for this trend during that time.

This sat firm at the top of my want list for over three years and last year finally came to me in the mail. Do you understand how hard it was searching for the key words 'Gospel' and 'Joy' on the interweb! It took me forever to track this one down, and it was a frustrating journey. But, now it's here like a ray of sunshine. I had every intention of posting this when I got it, but sometimes things slip through the cracks and after a few plays out in the clubs it was filed away. So good to be giving it it's proper due and sharing here on SB. I hope that somehow the band finds this post and sheds a little light on how this album came about and what the San Diego Gopsel scene was like in the early 80's.

This is actually our first 'actual' request for a song. A fellow artist and enthusiast just recently told me 'more Gospel please!' and I'm very happy to oblige. It's you, our readers and followers of this blog that make all the difference in the world to this music and the artists, and give me purpose to searching high and low for good music . The fact that I'm getting feedback and 'requests' for gospel here...is fabulous. So, here ya go...A special dedication to my homie Alika Cooper and hoping this track pleases her growing Soundboutique mix tape collection, and provides additional music for her while she's painting.




Check out her amazing work here...
www.alikacooper.com/











Joy - The Time Is Right

The Harold Smith Majestics - Lord, Help Me To Hold Out

It's Sunday folks and I'm gonna drag your ass to church! Time for some more good old gospel. Today we have the mighty Majestics and their fabulous choir. Another fine presentation from James Cleveland. This song was a 'hit' for Mr. Cleveland and the Majestics, although that's hard to say that when gospel music is so separated from the mainstream. Those in the gospel recording biz know that they've been searching for their 'own' voice and challenged with reaching wider audiences. And, being subject to easy dismissal.
As many of us that have been digging through piles of soul, funk and blues from the 1950's until the mid 1980's for a long time, we're starting to feel like every stone has been turned and all the good stuff is already exposed. This is NOT true of course, but it does justify opening newer and alternate doors. Gospel is an epic oasis of great soul music. It's a mostly untapped chapter in soul and American rhythm and blues. It's been sitting patiently right along side commercial and pop offerings for as long as any us can remember. For me, it's been a great source of amazing stuff and I'm heading more and more in that direction.
This tune was in fact one of the very first gospel tunes that really opened me up. I sat in a empty three bedroom house, all alone, and grieving over the loss of a girlfriend. There I was shedding tears and realizing that the records surrounding me floor to ceiling couldn't exactly give me a hug. So, I learned a hard lesson at that young age, never place your obsessions for music, collecting or making music higher than your actual 'personal' connections with people. So it was for me. That's how it was. Record shows very early in the AM, on the phone talking about trading, hunting records down, trading at people's houses and then DJ'ing until 2am. Nothing wrong with all this mind you, but for me, I needed to apply the e-brake.  But, in my moment of grieving, records did come to my aid. In particular I turned to the healing powers of Al Green. We all know he made 'make-up' music, but he was also the perfect author for 'break-up' music. Then, I flipped through a pile that I had picked up for free some where, just because they looked like they might be good. Harold Smith, The Violinaires, James Cleveland, Highway GC's, Rance Allen, and The Clark Sisters were all in this pile. All of them had the right components, similar to the funk records I was picking up, so why not?
I remember that 'Lord, Help Me To Hold' sunk deep into my chest with a potato sack full of truly moving soul. It's funky, that's a plus. Slow moving, heavy, thunderous soul music. When the singer (still not sure if it's James Cleveland or Harold Smith) comes in, it's in a commanding voice, sturdy and solid like a battle tank. This is exactly how I like my gospel...thick throated, a handful of soul claps and little tickle of B-3.

The Harold Smith Majestics - Lord, Help Me To Hold Out