Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Aficionados of music from Gospel's Golden Age have cause to be eternally grateful to record labels such as Acrobat, who have taken it upon themselves to preserve and remaster loads of antique material, much of it from scratchy old 78s, and make it available for people such as myself to further their musical education. I had never heard of Brother Cecil Shaw before, but thanks to the copious sleevenotes accompanying this 18 track slab of history, I learn that, at 6 ft 3 in and 16 stone, he was often mistaken for the legendary boxer Joe Louis. Also, his music was admired by such worthies as The Staple Singers, Ray Charles and Joe (Mighty Clouds Of Joy) Ligon. These tracks were cut by Cecil and his various ensembles between 1951 and 1955, and despite the lo-fi sound quality, it's easy to see why he was considered to be so influential in the development of the black "shout quartet" style. Truly timeless.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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