Gospel Blues - The Very Best Of

We Say...

Review by Charles Farrell

Saying that a collection of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s material is “The Very Best Of” is no joke. Tharpe was an innovator who set incredibly high standards. In addition to being a vocalist of the first rank — capable of effortlessly combining gospel, jazz, blues and early R&B elements — she was also a brilliant guitarist whose playing clearly anticipated rock and roll. As rough and ready as her material might be and as raucous as her approach could get, she was a superbly equipped performer, entirely comfortable working solo, with big bands, or in vocal quartets. She exuded a room-filling air of self-confidence too; Rosetta Tharpe always let you know she was in the house.

Gospel Blues — The Very Best Of opens with Sister Tharpe playing some beautiful bluesy guitar on “Rock Me,” after which a swinging big band kicks in as her voice soars over it. There’s no letdown on this album. “When I Come to the End of My Journey” digs in deep, with the combination of a very southern-sounding vocal group phrasing in perfect synchronicity as Rosetta pulls huge blue notes from her guitar strings. From there, Tharpe tears the roof off the building with a version of “Down By the Riverside” that lets her take all kinds of vocal risks (without a misstep no matter how daring she becomes) and then add a guitar solo that T-Bone Walker or Lonnie Johnson would be proud of. There’s also a lilting rendition of “Trouble in Mind” with Rosetta’s style reminiscent of Dinah Washington’s. “Gospel Blues — The Very Best Of” showcases Sister Rosetta Tharpe throughout a wide range of gospel music. It’s a stellar document of a great American original.