Gospels, Spirituals & Hymns [BOX SET]

Mahalia Jackson

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 18, 1998)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000009RB9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,303 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
If the bazillion packagings and repackagings of Mahalia Jackson's music confound you and you don't know where to start, this expertly compiled, carefully annotated double-disc box set is for you. Jackson wasn't just gospel music's first international superstar--she was among its earliest adherents and inventors. Working with the great composer and former blues singer Thomas A. Dorsey in the late 1930s, Jackson gave a distinctly blues-trained, jazzy sass and grace to Dorsey's material and the other hymns and spirituals she sang. More than any other performer, she helped to define gospel music itself as a transcendent, rootsy, melismatic, and heady spiritual sound. Culled from her sides for Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s, some of the arrangements in the set are not ideal and may sound quite a bit dated, but that voice shines and soars and dives straight to the center of your heart. Whether backed by a simple organ or piano or with full studio accompaniment, Jackson's booming, instantly recognizable contralto is indescribable, exciting, and forever a wonder to behold. And if you think that's an exaggeration, you don't own this record. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!! After All These Years..., January 18, 2004

By	K. J. Bryant "peachycream" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...she is still considered the "Queen of Gospel". She has been dead for about 30 years and NO gospel artist can compare to her. Not even the late Rev. James Cleveland can get this much respect. When you hear Mahalia sing, it's like GOD singing. That's how powerful her voice was. Even when I have my doubts on life, I depend on Mahalia to pick me up (and she does). This collection is the best collection out there (IMO) on Ms. Jackson. I recommend this to all. I wished I was alive to have heard her sing live, but at least I have this collection.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What's not to love about a Mahalia Jackson CD?.., April 22, 2005

By	Superwoman "AJ" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I bought this CD and Volume II back in 2002. My mother loved Mahalia Jackson, so I grew up listening to her in vinyl round the clock it seemed. I actually thought I couldn't stand to hear another Mahalia Jackson song as long as I lived. But as an adult, I found myself humming some of the songs my mother had played over and over, and one day I realized I missed Mahalia's voice. When I bought these collections of hers, I actually went searching specifically for Mahalia Jackson music. Imagine my mother's surprise when I told her I had Mahalia Jackson blasting in my house the way she'd done when I was growing up! :-) There are still more Mahalia Jackson songs that I'm looking for that, in all the songs on these collections, weren't included. That's my only disappointment with these. But the quality of the recordings -- classic Mahalia!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would have loved to been in the audience..., August 28, 2005

By	KZR (Georgetown, TX) - See all my reviews

About a year ago, I was looking to expand my Gospel collection. I remembered hearing Ms. Jackson's version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" when I was young -- and I remembered that I liked that song, liked it a LOT.
Thinking back to my younger days, I took a chance and invested in this CD, and Volume II, at the same time. WOW!! Suffice it to say that those two Mahalia CDs now receive more playing time than any of my other CDs.
One drawback; however, I learned not to play these on my stereo when it was time to go to sleep -- I just couldn't keep still -- my feet kept moving to the music -- the music is just too powerful, too stimulating -- had to limit it to daytime use only.
I would have loved to have been in the live audience to hear Ms. Jackson sing while she drew breath upon this earth.
Does it get any better than this ... I think NOT.
I hope I run into Mahalia and Elvis when I make it to heaven, and I hope that I get to hear them belt out those gospel tunes with their heavenly voices -- definitely something to look forward to! Wow, again!