Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This fascinating compilation fills in one of the most surprising gaps in gospel re-issues as this seminal group of harmonisers based in New Jersey were a hugely important group who until now had never made it onto CD. The 29 recordings here show them to be a fascinating bridge between the disciplined harmony sound of old school jubilee singing and the modern "hard" style of the '50s quartets. These recordings made for the group's own Coleman Records plus sides they recorded for Decca, Manor and even a CBS radio transcription demonstrate the group's winning ways with cool, doomy ballads and syncopated finger-snappers. Dubbed as these are from old and rare 78s, some of the tracks here suffer from quite a lot of surface noise but the genius of Russell, Lander, Everette, Danny, Wallace and Melvin Coleman still shines through. With an excellent sleevenote and rare photos from Opal Louis Nations, this is a classy re-issue for connoisseurs still keen to journey the gospel highway.

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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