Queen Esther Marrow Starring with the Harlem Gospel Singers & Band: Let the Good Times Roll

More than 50 years ago, Ray Charles was accused of blasphemy when he moved his music out of the church and onto the Chitlin' Circuit, creating modern soul music in the process. But times change, and with this gig, Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers bring it all back home in a rousing concert commingling the spiritual with the worldly. Mixing mediums is nothing new for the 69-year-old Marrow, a terrific singer whose recorded repertoire includes pop songs like “Walking in Memphis” and “Change the World.” Marrow began her career with Duke Ellington and later performed with Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Thelonious Monk, Bob Dylan, and Ray Charles. Recorded in Frankfurt, Germany in January 2009, this is a slickly choreographed, glossy show—the fact that the singers and musicians are performing for an audience instead of interacting with a congregation keeps the heat down—but there's still plenty to stir the soul. The opening numbers include joyous, rockin' gospel tunes like “Angels Watching Over Me,” “Just as Soon as I Get There,” and “Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat.” After a medley of spirituals (led off with “Great Camp Meeting”), the troupe embarks on a lengthy (and decidedly secular) “tribute to the legacy of the blues,” featuring classics like “St. Louis Blues,” “Blues in the Night,” “Going Down Slow” (with Marrow blowing some tasty harmonica), Charles' “Unchain My Heart,” and “Stormy Weather,” all featuring some serious wailing by Marrow and other talented vocalists. Presented in LPCM stereo, this is recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)