How Sweet It Was: The Sights and Sounds of Gospel's Golden Age

Compiled by producer Anthony Heilbut, this two-disc set offers 27 performances on DVD plus 26 on the accompanying CD. In honoring the genre's golden age, Heilbut draws on television programs from the 1960s, such as TV Gospel Time, with acts ranging from solo performers such as J. Robert Bradley (“God's Amazing Grace”), to acoustic duos like the Consolers (Sullivan and Iola Pugh with “The Grace of God”), to several outfits in tandem with full choirs. Sister Rosetta Tharpe performs “Up Above My Head I Hear Music in the Air” (with fiery electric guitar accompaniment) and “In the Garden,” with Delois Barrett Campbell and Professor Alfred Miller. Other highlights include Ira Tucker and the Dixie Hummingbirds with the swinging “If You See My Savior,” the Sensational Nightingales belting the barn-burning “Somewhere to Lay My Head,” and the post–Sam Cooke edition of the Soul Stirrers serving up the rollicking “I'm a Soldier.” Complementing the performances, Heilbut's 32-page booklet of liner notes (with period photos) offers illuminating background information on each act. About the Meditation Singers, for instance, he notes that R&B star Laura Lee got her start with the Detroit combo before later striking off on her own with secular hits like “Stand Up and Fight (For Your Love Rights).” The CD features a completely different set of songs, including nine unreleased tracks and two numbers by the legendary Mahalia Jackson (who doesn't appear on the DVD). Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)