VA – Sorrow Come Pass Me Around: A Survey of Rural Black Religious Music (1975, Reissue 2013) Lossless

A collection of spiritual and gospel songs performed in informal non-church settings between 1965-1973. Most are guitar-accompanied and performed by active or former blues artists. Most records of black religious music contain some form of gospel singing or congregational singing recorded at a church service. This album, though, tries to present a broader range of performance styles and contexts with the hope of showing the important role that religious music plays in the Southern black communities and in the daily lives of individuals. David Evans, from the liner notes ...A reissue of a collection of field recordings made between 1966 and 1976 by Dave Evans, John Fahey and AI Wilson that highlights the variety of styles at play in Southern rural areas. There are fife and drum bands, gospel folk stylists, informal vocal groups, artists such as Babe Stoval and Robert 'Nighthawk' Johnson, and, most remarkably, a version of "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" using a lard bucket, diddley bow, pot and Clorox bottle for instrumentation. All the major themes of black religious folksong are explored here, and the album is a virtual primer of rural gospel. - Wire Magazine