Customer Reviews

Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is not much to add to the existing, excellent reviews. It's hard to believe that this music is 50 years old--it still sounds fresh and vital, with the young Sam Cooke shining on this wonderful music. He really had a unique voice, and his sad, early death robbed the world of a huge talent.
This music has lost none of it's magic, and no serious collector of gospel, R and B, Soul should be without such a marvellous CD.

When R. H. Harris left the Soul Stirrers, many people expressed surprise that someone as young as Sam Cooke was asked to take his place. They changed their minds quickly, Sam had the voice, the charisma and the determination to make him a star. Gospel lost a great star when he turned to popular music, but he has left a wonderful legacy for all music lovers. His Gospel roots show his very best work, a voice both sweet and powerful. His call-and-response with Paul Foster brings two masters together in perfect complement of each other.

This record is a must for fans of Sam Cooke and fans of singing in general. There are 25 songs on the CD, 20 of which are Gospel. All the songs are good but my three favourites would be "How Far am I from Canaan, Be with me Jesus, and Jesus wash away my Troubles (this one brings home just how good a singer Sam Cooke was)". I would also recommend the two CD set "Sam Cooke's Sar Records Story" which has a full CD devoted to Gospel recordings made on Sam's label, finishing with the most beautiful version of "That's Heaven To Me" sung by Sam Cooke himself.

This is the raw, gritty Sam Cooke of the church. These are his early Gospel sides, backed by the fantastic Soul Stirrers. You get to see the real fusion of Gospel and R&B that created Soul music. Sam moves from mimicking the group's former lead singer, to creating a sound of his own, to taking off for the wealth and fame of popular music. I got to know the Gospel side of Sam via the first two tracks on the compilation, "A Man And His Music." On "Touch The Hem Of His Garment," I was in awe of that voice. And it's such a great songwriting achievement! "That's Heaven To Me" is probably the prettiest Gospel song I ever heard, and again, it's beautiful songwriting. That's just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many great performances here, with many of them Cooke compositions. And early solo works by Sam as a secular singer are here ("Lovable," "That's All I Need To Know"), including a #1 R&B smash, "I'll Come Running Back To You." If you want to know where Sam Cooke was coming from, here it is. It is just about a consensus, that as great as Sam Cooke was singing Soul music, he was even better at Gospel. This is Sam singing his roots. The sound is truly divine. We are fortunate to be able to touch the hem of Sam's garment, and hear him sing Gospel.

To me, this is the most beautiful singing in American music, right up there with Sarah Vaughan. Unlike many R&B artists today, Sam Cooke didn't use vocal embellishments just to show off--he really knew how to intensify the feeling of a song. What he does with each "Oh Lord" in "Touch the Hem of His Garment" sends chills down your spine.

I think this CD is excellent. It has that old time gospel feel to it. Being brought up with gospel music, it takes me back to my childhood days listening to my folks singing the gospel every time we had a family gathering; they would also sing a capella. Although I like every song, I think they could have done without the guitar player fumbling around on "Come And Go To That Land" and "I'm So Happy In The Service Of The Lord". It had a country twang to it which did not go with the song or singers.

If you love Sam Cooke and the old time gospel, buy this CD, you will not be disappointed. Sam Cooke's voice is truly one of a kind and the other singers are superb as well.

Sam Cooke's talent as a singer and writer amazes me. Until I discovered his spiritual work, I was not aware he was a writer. His How Far I am From Canaan is the best gospel I've heard. The arrangement is awesome. I never tire of this wonderful CD. I've learned to appreciae Sam Cooke much more. If you buy one spiritual CD by Sam Cooke, this should be it.

Recorded from 1951 to 1956, Sam Cooke's work with the Soul Stirrers is both musically and spiritually rewarding. The technical quality of this Specialty label reissue is excellent. From the opener "Peace in the Valley," Cooke sets a heartfelt groove. On "It Won't Be Very Long," his impassioned vocals raise the spirits and the soul. Cooke wrote "Just Another Day" that builds joyfully, "When I get on home in my Lord's kingdom, I'm gonna sit down, roll around on the throne, and He'll be there with arms spread wide open; I'm gonna hear him say, 'My servant, welcome home.'" "He'll Make A Way" from 1954 begins to let us hear the Sam Cooke whose vocals would become legendary after switching to secular music. "Wonderful" is another excellent track where Cooke's voice soars like a dove on the wing as the Soul Stirrers give him a vocal backbeat. "Touch the Hem of His Garment," another Cooke-penned tune, rocks gently with Cooke's trademark vocals fully formed. "Mean Old World" is another delightful track complete with handclaps that sets your toe to tapping. "I'll Come Running Back to You" is not gospel, but has Cooke's classic romantic groove. This set is a great treat that both sounds great technically as well as brings back Cooke's earliest musical roots. Enjoy!

If you need Gospel Music, this is the only gospel cd that you'll ever need..

Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers is the Greatest Gospel group of ALL-TIME!

Go to your local music store and buy this cd..once you buy it..you wouldn't have to buy another gospel cd ever again because this is the Greatest cd of ALL-TIME!

You've even had people that came after them re-create some of their songs because they were absolutely awesome. I am a black, 22 year old man and I'm telling you...when I'm not listening to Tupac or the Geto Boys...I'm listening to this cd. This cd has not left my radio since I bought it..trust me...this is a 10 star Classic cd...

You don't get a deserved reputation for singing with passion, fire, and energy as Sam Cooke did without having some proving ground, some mode of training for developing talent that, once discovered, catapulted him to the forefront of the emerging American R&B music scene. No matter what kind of song Sam would sing later, whether "Chain Gang," "You Send Me," or "Cupid," the raw, unbridled strength of his vocals had their beginnings first in church, and then recording and touring with the Soul Stirrers, one of the top gospel groups of the time.

Sam Cooke joined when he was only 19 years old, but he quickly became the co-lead singer, following the group's long-standing format of having two co-lead vocalists. But after a while, Sam's voice so overshadowed the others that the group eventually became known as Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers.

This collection of some of the Soul Stirrers' greatest hits with Cooke as a vocalist features some of his best recorded gospel performances. Songs like "Be With me Jesus," "I'm so Glad Trouble Don't Last Always," "That's Heaven To Me," and the classic, timeless "Touch The Hem of His Garment" brim over with the richness and power that was Sam Cooke's voice. Another great talent lost too soon, but also another talent that we were fortunate to have for at least a little while.

If you love Sam Cooke or traditional gospel music, this CD is a must for your collection.