Thank You For One More Day: The 70th Anniversary Of The Dixie Hummingbirds
This disc celebrates the70thanniversary of the highly influential quartet Dixie Hummingbirds. At their height, from the 1940s through the early 1960s, few quartets could touch the group, due to their ecstatic, agile showmanship, melismatic vocalisings, powerful electric guitarist, and a repertoire encompassing slow spirituals, tightly wound jubilee-style songs, and ecstatic, shouting, rave-ups.Thank You for One More Dayoffers up a smattering of each style. Their melodic hit "Love Me Like a Rock" is included, as are novelty-tinged crowd-pleasers such as "Let's Go Out to the Program" (featuring nifty impersonations of other gospel greats) and "Christian Automobile." Most notable are the stirring, message-heavy songs like the rousing "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel," the plaintive "In the Morning," and the earth-rattlingly powerful Vietnam-era "Mother's Prayer." In all,Thank You for One More Dayis a suitable introduction to one of gospel's true innovators, who've been credited for laying the groundwork for soul music.--Mike McGonigal