Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Gospel Train (Verve Vault Series)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Gospel Train captures a pivotal 1956 moment from an artist whose blend of gospel fire, blues phrasing and electric guitar helped shape the language of early rock and roll. Issued as her first album for Mercury Records, it was also her first release on the then-new 12-inch LP format, placing this set right at the meeting point of changing technology and Tharpe's already far-reaching musical influence.

What makes Gospel Train last is the way it brings church-rooted material into a polished studio setting without sanding away its force. Backed by the Harmonizing Four and a professional studio band, Tharpe moves through spirituals and standards with rhythmic drive, a commanding voice and guitar playing that still sounds direct and propulsive. Songs such as Jericho, Up Above My Head There's Music in the Air and 99 1/2 Won't Do show how naturally she fused sacred repertoire with the energy of blues and the feel of emerging rock and roll.

This album also helps explain why Tharpe's audience reached beyond strictly sacred music. Contemporary accounts describe it as a defining release, and its popularity led to a four-month UK tour. More than a period piece, Gospel Train is a vivid studio document of an artist broadening the reach of gospel while laying foundations that later generations of rock, R&B and blues musicians would build on.

Features

• LP, 33RPM, 180g, Stereo, Verve Vault Series
• Cut from the original analog tape by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound
• Pressed at Optimal in Germany

Reviews

• Super collection of the gal's best Mercury sides; circa 1956. - AllMusic.com