The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi

These are not recordings featuring the original Blind Boys of Mississippi from the 1950s (when they were led by the great Archie Brownlee and his amazing throat-searing vocals), in spite of what the title states, but don't let that stop you from checking this collection out, because it's a great set of hard soul gospel tunes. Sounding a bit like sanctified Stax, these tracks, recorded in the '70s for Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel Records, burn with righteous fervor, featuring the Blind Boys in front of a band that stops just short of playing full secular funk. "Save a Seat for Me" is revived from the group's '50s creative peak with Don Robey's Peacock Records when Brownlee was still the focal point (Brownlee died in 1960, and was replaced by Roscoe Robinson), while "I Never Heard a Man" is a revisit to the group's Vee-Jay single from 1956. This isn't necessarily the best introduction to the Blind Boys, though, since it is impossible to truly replace a singer like Brownlee, and while this configuration of the gospel group did an admirable job during the Jewel years, especially on songs like "The Tide of Life," which is arguably the group's finest post-Brownlee recording, you'll need the Peacock recordings to really hear these guys at their sanctified best. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide