Marian Anderson - Spirituals

Saturday 1st May 2004
Marian Anderson - Spirituals
Marian Anderson - Spirituals

STYLE: Gospel
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9413-9119
LABEL: Flapper PASTCD7073
FORMAT: CD Album
RRP: £11.99

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Marian's trained contralto may not be everybody's favourite vehicle for hearing those mournfully wistful spirituals like "Deep River", "City Called Heaven", "Were You There" while the Uncle Tom quality inherent in spellings like "O Wasn't Dat A Wide, Wide Ribber" might make some African American music enthusiasts wince. But for me this compilation is a fascinating and at times quite beautiful album. These 19 recordings, made between 1930 and 1939, fully capture the pure, transcendent beauty of Marian's voice while these songs - long neglected but now apparently attracting fresh support from the black community - are often spine-tinglingly lovely. The 'Spirituals' title is slightly misleading as there are two classical romantic ballads tacked on the end.

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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Sample Track Listing:
1. Deep River [Listen]
2. City Called Heaven [Listen]
3. Lord, I Can't Stay Away [Listen]
4. Were You There [Listen]
5. Tramping [Listen]
6. My Soul's Been Anchored [Listen]
7. Heav'n, Heav'n [Listen]
8. Sometimes I Feel [Listen]
9. Go Down Moses [Listen]
10. O Wasn't Dat A Wide, Wide Ribber [Listen]
11. My Old Kentucky Home [Listen]
12. Hard Trials Into Dere's No Hidin' Place [Listen]
13. Let Us Break Bread Together [Listen]
14. Carry Me Back To Old Virginny [Listen]
15. Oh, What A Beautiful City! [Listen]
16. I Know De Lord's Laid [Listen]
17. I Don't Feel In No Ways Tir'd [Listen]
18. Caro Mio Ben [Listen]
19. Plaisir D'Amour [Listen]

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.

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