Bill & Gloria Gaither and Their Homecoming Friends - South African Homecoming

Reviewed by Stephen Luff

When I first saw the cover of this disc , I was puzzled. Has Mr Gaither and friends changed musical direction and produced a CD of African music or maybe they have moved their operation to Johannesburg? - and that is a very large operation given the amount of artists their vast collection of recordings feature! I was wrong on all counts. This polished live recording features many of the regulars including Jessy Dixon, Stephen Hill, The Isaacs and of course the Gaither Vocal Band (but no Russ Taff) presenting their style of Southern gospel with marginal African influence. There are some good tracks here: "Umbrella" (The Isaacs) presents outstanding vocal arrangements, "Fully Alive" (Lauren Tally & Joy Gardner) and "My Lord And I" (Gaither Vocal Band) feature some enjoyable musical arrangements vaguely African, however, the piano solo "Keep On The Firing Line" from the late Anthony Burger sounds like they brought Russ Conway along! Ladysmith Black Mambazo this is not! Still, it's always a joy to hear Jessy Dixon.