Nothing But The Hits by Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Choir

Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Since Hezekiah Walker and the LFT Choir hit the scene in the early 1990s, they’ve earned a reputation as one of the top gospel choirs in the USA. Since their first major label release ‘Live From Atlanta’ to their latest ‘Family Affair II: Live At Radio City’, they’ve garnered a lot of fans. Admittedly, there’s not a great deal of difference between their first and their last albums, so the majority of the music on this CD is a rather more consistent listening experience than might have been the case if Hezza and the gang had made any stylistic quantum leaps. Having said that, there are two dance remixes included, which for me stick out like the proverbial sore thumb; axing these from the track list wouldn’t take away from the overall feel of the music and would still have given over an hour of playing time. Also, the editing and segues between tracks, not to mention an MC’s introduction of the choir at the start of track 10, are irritants and make the thing sound a tad slapdash, but I quibble. If you like your gospel hot, with plenty of punchy vocal stabs from a tight choir, a pumping band that makes all the right noises and the usual swoopy vocals and rabble rousing direction, this may be just your vessel of Darjeeling. Unfortunately, for me, the production glitches and those ghastly dance remixes are a couple of minuses.