This glimpse into the power and joyous release of a black revivalist church is the kind of "testifying" for which
Ray Charles and
Sam Cooke were years earlier chastised for introducing to popular music. Recorded live in her Philadelphia church 20 years before her death, this sensational gospel shouter uses tremendous range and emotional commitment to hold her own against a small combo and a 41-member choir. Until the end of the album, the preaching does not interfere with the music. You don't have to be black or even Christian to appreciate the rollicking
Jessy Dixon-penned "These Old Burdens" or the showstopping "Jesus Jesus," clocking in at almost ten minutes long and written by
Marion Williams herself. ~ Mark Allan