I Hear the Word is a religious album
Kay Starr recorded for RCA in 1959 between stints with Capitol Records.
Starr never considered herself a "bluesy" singer, but on
I Hear the Word, she does a fine job on a dozen spirituals, all but one of which are derived from the African-American tradition. Her performances, backed by a strong beat and the
Jimmy Joyce Singers, swing with abundant energy and enthusiasm, particularly on "Jezebel," "Shadrack," and "Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone," while the mournful "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is stretched out to nearly four minutes in length. The organ on a few cuts is a churchly touch that doesn't especially add to the proceedings, but this fun and swinging collection is much less stately than the stiff and overly intellectual folk and spiritual albums that were often made in the '50s.