GOSPEL TRAIN is specially packaged in a miniature vinyl LP sleeve and features artwork from the original release.
Personnel: Sister Rosetta Tharpe (vocals, guitar); Ernest Richardson (guitar); Ernie Hayes (piano); Harry “Doc” Bagby (organ); George Duvivier, Lloyd Trotman (bass); Panama Francis (drums); The Harmonizing Four (background vocals).
Recorded at Mercury Sound Studios, New York, New York in July 1956. Originally released on Mercury (20201).
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
GOSPEL TRAIN consists of sessions cut relatively late in Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s career. Though Tharpe’s tenure at Mercury coincided with a controversy among her fan base (many considered Tharpe’s forays into blues and pop material a betrayal of her gospel roots), recordings like 1956’s GOSPEL TRAIN confirm where the singer/guitarist’s true allegiances lay. Whether recounting biblical stories (“Two Little Fishes, Five Loaves of Bread”) or testifying to the power of the spirit (“Up Above My Head There’s Music in the Air”), Tharpe’s combination of traditional gospel and blues (with, by this point, dashes of jazz and R&B influences) is impossible to resist.
Though Tharpe is usually remembered as a solo performer (her early recordings feature only her voice and guitar), she is equally compelling when backed by a full band. The sound on GOSPEL TRAIN is full and rollicking: guitar, piano, organ, bass, and drums help punctuate surging, downtempo blues (“Beams of Heaven”) and uptempo rave-ups (“Fly Away”) alike. Gorgeous, tight-knit backing vocals from the Harmonizing Four perfectly complement Tharpe’s dazzling, infectiously enthusiastic singing. Overall, this set is among her best late-period offerings.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop
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