Customer Reviews

Amazing Grace

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mahalia had just left Apollo when she made these songs. Apollo music was called at that particular time "race records," everything from Mahalia's gospel to Calypso and the list goes on. Naturally Columbia did not know quite what to do with her then. I classify this album as an experimental musical event. It was music alien to Miss Jackson, but after all, she had signed a contract and had a producer over her. In her autobiography she would moan about being forced to sing drivel. She complained about missing her old southern, soulful sound. I've always admired Mahalia for trying new things. She despised the old hit "Rusty Old Halo," but white people loved it then. She, like Nat King Cole, was a cross-over singer at a time when whites dominated entertainment and television. Mahalia used to sing in the fifties and sixties on New York and Hollywood variety hour shows. She complained then about being stuck between clowns and elephant acts. "How am I going to bring out the Message," she would cry. Well, she did. She did for all time. She approached different genres, sometimes with trepidation and anxiety, but she plowed ahead. She was not always satisfied, but she touched the hearts of people without realizing perhaps that she had done so. What a feat! Mahalia has fantastic performances out there: Lincoln Center, Europe, Newport, Percy Faith and so on. Then there are really nice ones with a different twist. I put this one in that latter category. Her voice is marvellous. . . the three star rating I attribute more to the repertoire and vocal backings, dated and pure fifties. You either like it or you don't, but remember that Mahalia was doing her job. I think she did a good job here. The civil rights issues of those times are reflected in some songs here. She was working through history in the form of music, striving to unite people and foster understanding. People nowadays would do well to make that transfer into society today.

Whether or not the background music is adequate is inconsequential to me. Mahalia Jackson has moved me to tears (Somebody Bigger Than You and I), and elation (There Is No Color Line Around The Rainbow). The songs she sings on this album are some of my all time favorite performances.

This is the third cd from the recent purchase, and again disappointing. I really think our problem is that we were expecting something of the richness of her recording of "The Power and the Glory", and these are all very different, so maybe we are being too harsh in our judgement of these 3, "Gospels, spiritals and songs" and "The Best of Mahalia Jackson", the last being the better of the three. I don't see these getting much playing and would be glad to sell them at a discount to anyone in Oz, if interested.

Before the Legazy's new reproduction came out CBS Special Products, not Columbia Records brought out this superb disc of Mahalia's early 50ies recordings that were not even reissued on LP, long out of print tracks, yes even unpublished songs like the version of Amazing Grace or Somebody Bigger Than You And I, Impatient Heart and Lead On.
A real 'PRE-LEGACY' from CBS SPECIAL PRODUCTS!

Some of the reviewers here reject this album because it's not 'toe-tappin' gospel music, but (pardon me for saying so), they are confused a bit about the genre. This is an album of hymns, not 'spirituals' or what we have come to think of as gospel songs. Comparing 'I Believe,' the most moving of all hymns, IMO, with 'Walk in Jerusalem' is like comparing a gentle road trip through Italy with racing in the Indy 500. Hymns are supposed to be moving, not toe-tapping. Songs like 'I Believe,' one song alone that makes this CD worth owning, are meant to be deep statments of faith. It moves me every time, and I'm an agnostic, and plan to remain so. Don't get me wrong. I love up-tempo songs like 'I'm on my Way.' I just wouldn't compare it with 'Amazing Grace.'

If you love the sonorous, emotionally-charged sound of Mahalia's voice at its best, check out this CD!

My thoughts are the total opposite of the previous reviewer. This CD is not a waste of money. In fact, it's a CD that should be added to your music collection. This is one of the Mahalia albums that isn't "traditional" Gospel. The previous reviewer said that the background accompaniment was dominant, but that's untrue. Most of the music is soft and mellow-like. "Amazing Grace" shows the power of Mahalia's voice. "The Bible Tells Me So," "I Complained," and "For My Good Fortune" show that Mahalia had a very versatile voice.

I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYBODY SAYS, THIS CD IS WORTH HAVING!!!!!

Sorry, this is not the mahalia jackson I remember...no enthusiasm. You don't get the urge to clap or sing-along like you do at a black baptist revival meetin'. I'm still looking for that experience; welcome a suggestion.

ORDERED THIS ITEM ON NOVEMBER 30, 2011. MONEY WAS DEDUCTED FROM MY DEBIT CARD BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE PRODUCT AS OF THIS DATE (12-19-11)

Tracks:
CD 1:

01 Amazing Grace
02 His Eye is One the Sparrow
03 Just As I Am Without One Plea
04 (I'm Goin' To) Wait Until My Change
05 I'm Getting Nearer My Home
06 In My Home over There
07 I Gave Up Everything to Follow Him
08 Go Tell It on the Mountain
09 Prayer Changes Things
10 Since the Fire Started (Burning My
11 Walk with Me
12 Tired
13 Get Away Jordan
14 God's Gonna Seperate the Wheat from
15 I Can Put My Trust in Jesus
16 I Want to Rest
17 It's No Secret What God Can Do
18 There's Not a Friend Like Jesus


CD 2:

01 Bless This House
02 The Lord's Prayer
03 Jesus is with Me
04 Dig a Little Deeper in God's Love)
05 God Shall Wipe All the Tears Away
06 I Bowed on My Knees
07 I Have a Friend (Above All Others)
08 If You See My Saviour
09 Last Mile on the Way
10 I'm Going to Tell God
11 Shall I Meet You over Yonder
12 I Will Move on Up a Little Higher P
13 Even Me
14 I Walked into the Garden
15 He Knows My Heart
16 These Are They
17 What Could I Do
18 Keep Me Everyday

Amazing Grace was an excellent CD. I bought it as a gift for my mother, and she throughly enjoyed it.