The Como Mamas - Move Upstairs

Published Tuesday 13th February 2018
The Como Mamas - Move Upstairs
The Como Mamas - Move Upstairs

STYLE: Gospel
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 167664-26232
LABEL: Daptone
FORMAT: CD Animation

Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

A relatively new signing to soul label Daptone Records, the Como Mamas hail from the small Mississippi town of Como and consist of lifelong gospel singers Ester Mae Smith, Angela Taylor and Della Daniels. Moving on from their 2013 acappella 'Get An Understanding' release, the Mamas are backed here by a simple but effective combo of guitar, bass and drums (with the occasional bit of organ thrown in for good measure) and all involved succeed in creating an authentic slice of down home gospel blues that simply sounds timeless. Smouldering cuts like "Out Of The Wilderness" and "I Can't Thank Him Enough" are delivered with raw and honest passion whilst more upbeat numbers such as the title track and "He's Mine" help press home the gospel message without fuss or frenzy. Standards such as "I Know I've Been Changed" and "99 And A Half Won't Do" are included and only an unaccompanied version of the old spiritual "Glory Glory Hallelujah" fails to make the grade on account of one of the ladies struggling from what sounds like a bad throat at the time of recording. Nonetheless, this quality release from the Como Mamas is yet another worthy addition to the Daptone back catalogue not to mention the world of gospel blues music as a whole.

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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