v/a: Fire in My Bones: Raw + Rare + Other-Worldly African-American Gospel (1944-2007)

Label: Tompkins Square

The only well-known artist on this three-CD set is Snooks Eaglin (who recasts “Down by the Riverside”); casual gospel or “roots” fans may also have heard of Precious Bryant, Abner Jay, Bishop Perry Tillis, and Isaiah Owens. So over the course of the 80 tracks heard on this revelatory set, you’ll be introduced to a ton of hard-rockin’ folks you’ve probably never heard of who will kick your sinner ass with gritty guitar and unrestrained singing. How unrestrained? If there were a showdown between Aretha Franklin and Lulu Collins, on the basis of the latter’s “Help Me” I’d expect her to wipe the floor with her more famous counterpart. The selections are resolutely lo-fi and anti-slick, no impediments to musical enjoyment. (Steve)