One of the great a cappella quartets of Gospel music's Golden Age, The Chosen Gospel Singers has been among the most mysterious. 11 singles by the Chosen were released from 1952 to 1963, four on Specialty Records and seven on Nashboro. Several, including "One-Two-Three" and "Prayer for the Doomed," became hits, making the Chosen one of the busiest touring groups of the period. Every recording was of high quality, but from release to release, new members would appear, and then disappear. It is not even widely known that Lou Rawls was a member, as his official bio doesn't mention the Chosen, implying that he began his career with the more famous Pilgrim Travelers. But Rawls' one-of-a-kind baritone is featured on 8 of the 22 selections in this collection, the first ever to compile every song the group recorded for Specialty between 1952 and 1955. There are 22 wonderful cuts here, most of which we are hearing for the first time. "Before This Time Another Year," "Don't You Know The Man," the passionate "Leaning On The Lord," "It's Getting Late in the Evening," "No Room in the Hotel," "I'm Going Back with Him," the hand-clapping gem "Ananais," "Don't You Know The Man," "The Lifeboat is Coming," "Don't Worry About Me," "On The Main Line" and "Stay With Me Jesus." Every cut here is foot-tapping, joyous revelation, the authentic good old wailing, crying, Gospel stuff. Don't miss this one! |