Reviewed by Tony Cummings

On one level this is a reasonable compilation. The veteran group have in Joe Ligon one of the most exciting voices in gospel able to bring rasping soul power to church stompers and slow burners and each of the six albums which source this set recorded as they were between 1980 and 1989 play to many of the group's strengths. The difficulty is that no long term fan of the Clouds could possibly agree with the 'Ultimate' billing, as any aficionado will know it was the tracks the group recorded in the '50s and '60s which best show Ligon and co at the height of their powers while no doubt there are still a few nostalgists who fondly remember the Clouds' '70s entry into R&B/disco. None of that music is featured here and instead you've got tracks from some of their '80s albums on Word and even there the selection is inconsistent. For instance, although there are four tracks taken from the group's 'Cloudburst' album (listed as 'Cloudbursts' on the badly proofed CD sleeve) there is no room for the group's brilliant rendition of "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired" with that magnificent falsetto vocal from Paul Beasley. So in truth, one is left with a compilation which could and should have been so much better.

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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