Reviewed by Alan Smith

George Shea puts his heart and soul into this compendium of old ’uns. A veteran of the USA gospel scene, you must like pat Yankee musical formats of loping Disneyesque orchestra and archetypal clean cut let-us-echo-the-line-you-just-sang choir. Just 10 tracks – which seems a bit thin from a guy who’s recorded hundreds of the greatest gospel songs ever written; “Blessed Assurance”, “Rock Of Ages”, “Battle Hymn Of The Republic” (help!), “I Shall Not Be Moved” and so on, all in a lovely rich mellow bass/baritone. The fidelity is not good, however, the transition from analogue onto CD not having journeyed well; it has the worst of both worlds – a shallow analogue muffle mixed with the early brittleness of digital. Probably be okay for that contrast on long car journeys, though, where the formulaic arrangements, track after track, can have a soothing if not soporific effect.

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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