v/a: Good God! Born Again Funk
Label: Numero Group
Numero’s third compilation in its Good God series rounds up obscure gospel 45s from the ’70s, mostly from Chicago. Don’t take “funk” in the title too seriously, because while there are certainly some good get-down grooves here, a few tracks are more funky soul than straightforward funk. Nothing’s comparable to James Brown or Sly Stone, but there’s plenty of heavy bass and hypnotic vamping; “Pray a Little Longer”’s keyboards prompt thoughts of Stevie Wonder, and “Troubles of the World” is in a style that early Parliament drew on. Definitions aside, what matters is that this is one intense bunch of tracks, full of fervent singing whether from call-and-response vocal groups (Gospel Soul Revivals is especially unhinged) or testifying divas. (Steve)
