The latest part of the ongoing series chronicling, in no particular order, the greatest 1001 recordings made by Christian artists

805. SUSAN McKEOWN - BE BRAVE, LOVE, BE STRONG, 2002. From the album 'Prophecy', Sheila-na-Gig.
Down the years the acclaimed Irish folk singer Susan McKeown has made some beautiful recordings both of traditional songs and her own plaintive compositions. This narrative gem recounts in the first verse how the death of Susan's much loved, devoted Catholic mother brought disillusionment so that she "turned my back when I lost her." But then comes the stirring second verse. "This is a song for you my friend/You gave me back my faith again/When you spoke you broke some spell/I know when this was begun/The river of rage and fury must run/But deep down remember the darkness ends." Haunting.
Tony Cummings

806. REVEREND CHARLIE JACKSON - WRAPPED UP & TANGLED UP IN JESUS, 1997. From the album 'Way Over Yonder', St George.
John Lee Hooker built an illustrious career demonstrating that you could stay on one chord and still hold an audience. In this recording made in 1993 the Louisiana guitarist, singer and preacher produces a one-chord modal groove which goes on for six minutes, 49 seconds yet never lets up. The surprise addition of veteran Chicago doowoppers The El Doradoes adds a nice counterbalance to the churning blues rhythm.
Tony Cummings

807. MICHAEL TAIT, BLANCA CALLAHAN, LECRAE - BRING US HOME, 2011. From the various artists album 'Music Inspired By The Story', Word.
An album based on the hugely ambitious project of bringing all the disparate books of the Bible together in one cohesive reading programme for churches was always going to be problematic but that's what The Story campaign set out to do. And the spinoff double album of songs inspired by Bible tales even in the hands of two experienced songwriters like Nichole Nordeman and Bernie Herms and featuring a cavalcade of CCM stars (Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Mac Powell, Amy Grant, Brandon Heather, Peter Furler and many more) was something of a curate's egg. But nestling there on Disc One is this radio-friendly delight telling the tale of the Old Testament's man-of-action Joshua. It's a powerful narrative song with something of a Middle Eastern vibe to it. Recorded shortly before he joined the Newsboys, Tait contributes a vocal full of grit and passion while adding soulful interjections is the Group 1 Crew lady Blanca Callahan. The cherry on the cake is Lecrae with one of his finely judged raps.
Tony Cummings

Philip Bailey

808. PHILIP BAILEY - HE DON'T LIE, 1984. From the album 'The Wonders Of His Love', Myrrh.
There was a moment in the '80s when the creamy near falsetto voice of Philip Bailey, having once been a key component to those captivating soul and disco hits for Earth, Wind & Fire, was much heard on Christian radio. In truth, Phil's four solo gospel albums were inconsistent making one appreciate anew that the production and songwriting genius of Maurice White was the key factor in EW&F's million sellers. But songwriter Skip Scarborough and producer George Duke here come up with the perfect vehicle for Phil's sweetly soulful voice. Over a slinky mid tempo groove propelled by Paulinho Da Costa's percussion, Phil croons the assurance of God's utter trustworthiness - "He don't lie/If my God said it he will do it/He don't lie/He'll make a way out of no way/He don't lie."
Tony Cummings

809. ALL SONS & DAUGHTERS - ALL THE POOR AND POWERLESS, 2012. From the album 'Season One', Integrity.
The coming together of a grizzled rock survivor David Leonard and Tennessee worship leader Leslie Jordan with an angelically delicate voice has resulted in the most hauntingly effective duets since the halcyon days of Out Of The Grey. All Sons & Daughters' three EPs, brought together on the 'Season One' album, are crammed full of wistfully lovely songs that made the reviewer enthuse that "these minor key triumphs can suddenly soar." This song is ASAD's finest achievement so far. The blend of Leslie and David's voices is perfect and as "All The Poor And Powerless" builds from its simple voice and piano intro into its sweeping chorus the duo are joined by a small choir which takes it to a stunning climax. "Go and scream it from the mountains/Go and tell it to the masses/That he is God." Breathtaking.
Tony Cummings

810. JOANN ROSARIO - SERVE YOU ONLY, 2002. From the album 'More, More, More', Verity.
Latin funk has always been an enticing fusion of two musical cultures and this collaboration between one of America's most underrated singer/songwriters Joann and gospel music superstar Fred Hammond skilfully balances Joann's sultry Hispanic-tinged vocals with a percussive groove largely put together by Tommie Walker. There's a remix on the 'More, More, More' album which is ever funkier but to get the full effect you need the standard version with some beautifully judged Spanish acoustic guitar licks from Joey Woolfalk.
Tony Cummings

811. BROOKLYN ALL STARS - I STOOD ON THE BANKS OF THE JORDAN, 1969. From the album 'Sing Unto The Lord', Nashboro.
The fact that three different people have posted this timeless piece of gospel quartet music onto YouTube gives some indication of its quality and impact. The single "I Stood On The Banks Of The Jordan" for Nashboro Records reportedly sold a million but such was the wheeling, dealing and dishonesty of the '50s and '60s gospel record labels there is no way an accurate sales figure can today be confirmed. What is clear though is that the All Stars had in Hardie Clifton a falsetto tenor lead of superlative expressive power.
Tony Cummings

812. WE AS HUMAN - WE FALL APART, 2013. From the album 'We As Human', Atlantic.
The band from Sandpoint, Idaho, discovered by Skillet's John Cooper, have enjoyed no little success and this album's opener "Strike Back" was nominated by 2013's Dove Awards as Best Rock Song Of The Year. But it's this ballad, with some sombre piano chords and an effective acoustic guitar behind frontman Justin Cordle's gutsy vocals which stays with the listener long after their more radio friendly cuts have been forgotten. The enigmatic lyrics portray a stoic resistance to the tragedies of life ("the world's on fire but we're all smiling") with a memorable verse, "It's the battle within the good and the sin/With both sides standing strong."
Tony Cummings

Clarence Smith

813. CLARENCE SMITH - SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE A MOTHERLESS CHILD, 1973. From the album 'Whatever Happened To Love', Gospel Truth.
Funk, that thrilling celebration of one chord, downbeat driven dance syncopation was one of the few styles of 20th century music that DIDN'T originate in the church. In fact funk's origins can be traced back to sub-Saharan African music though of course it was in the '60s that James Brown and his rhythmically inspired sidemen first explored the exciting possibilities of sitting on the interlocking groove of bass guitar, in-the-pocket drumming, chattering rhythm guitar and pumping horn section. As this track shows, the Church made a sterling effort to integrate funk into gospel as early as 1973. This is probably the finest early example of gospel funk. Clarence Smith was part of Stax Records' ill-fated push into the album era but his album sold only a fraction of that of Truth/Gospel Truth's main crossover act the Rance Allen Group. Smith's album deserved better and on this track, with a bass-driven groove put together by Isaac Hares' rhythm section The Movement and some riffing from The South Memphis Horns, he takes the old, old spiritual to a whole new place. Masterly.
Tony Cummings

814. REND COLLECTIVE - MORE THAN CONQUERORS, 2014. From the album 'The Art Of Celebration', Integrity Music.
Strumming his guitar like a busker gone berserk, Chris Llewellyn and his compatriots attack this song with a joyful swagger that few other worshippers have managed to communicate. This song's lyrics could hardly be bolder, "We are more than conquerors through Christ/You have overcome this world this life/We will not bow to sin or to shame/We are defiant in your name." This folky Irish collective radiate such joyful defiance that only the most jaded believer will remain unmoved.
Tony Cummings

815. DOROTHY LOVE COATES & HER SINGERS - THE STRANGE MAN, 1977. From the various artists album 'The Gospel Sound', Columbia.
Dorothy was a gospel force of nature and stood supreme as a "hard" singer who could outdo the gospel quartet's male exponents. As Horace Clarence Boyer wrote in his book The Golden Age Of Gospel, "Coates could 'take a house' and have everybody standing up, swaying, crying or fainting like no one else. . . She would leave in the dust such hard singers as Silas Steele, Archie Brownlee, Clarence Fountain and Julius Cheeks." Dorothy was no slouch as a songwriter either. "Strange Man" is a colourful account of the Samaritan woman's encounter with Jesus at the well followed by the tale of the woman caught in adultery. Then, at the climax of the song Dorothy exhorts, "I met the same man, I met the same man/When I turned my eyes away from fear/He opened up his arms and he took me near." A classic song covered decades later by Patty Griffin.
Tony Cummings

816. JESUS CULTURE - ONE THING REMAINS, 2010. From the album 'Come Away', Jesus Culture Music.
With an ocean of new songs intended for corporate worship pouring out on today's Church it remains hard to explain why a small handful resonate more strongly than the rest. But, whatever the reason, this haunting Brian Johnson, Christa Black Gifford, Jeremy Riddle composition retains all its poignancy and power since when we first heard it. Recorded at the 2010 Jesus Culture conference in Redding, California this is as moving as live worship gets while its simple assurance ("Your love never fails/Never gives up/Never runs out on me") continues to feed our souls.
Tony Cummings

817. GLEN CAMPBELL - GHOST ON THE CANVAS, 2011. From the album 'Ghost On The Canvas', Surfdog.
Having like millions of others once been entranced by Glen's definitive rendition of Jim Webb's "Wichita Lineman", decades of dreary MOR had convinced me that veteran country crooner Glen would never again climb to such creative heights. But thanks to a memorably haunting song from The Replacements' Paul Westerberg and a beautifully judged production from Julian Raymond, Glen has recorded a track every bit as good as his 1968 classic. The fact that the 75 year old singer was suffering from Alzheimer's when he recorded the 'Ghost' album gives the songs an almost unbearable poignancy and the strange, elusive lyrics of Westerberg's song seem, in this reading at least, to take on the poignant reflection of the impermanence of human life.
Tony Cummings

Wilson McKinley

818. WILSON McKINLEY - SPIRIT OF ELIJAH, 1971. From the album 'The Spirit Of Elijah', Voice Of Elijah.
When this band of hippie rockers from Spokane, Washington went into the studio for an all night session they had zero budget and a vague hope that their garage/psych originals and gospelisations of Moby Grape and Moody Blues songs would connect with their fellow young converts. As it turned out the privately pressed 'Spirit Of Elijah' album sold only a few hundred. But history wasn't finished with the band. In the words of Jesus music expert Ken Scott their album is today "generally heralded as Wilson McKinley's masterpiece and rightly so" and certainly Mike Messer's dazzling guitar work, Tom Slipp's Keith Moon-style free drumming, Jim Bartlett's fluid bass and Randy Wilcox's vocals and guitar all heard on this six minute plus apocalyptic track make for a raw yet powerful gem. Today non-Christian psych collectors are prepared to pay hundreds of dollars for a rare vinyl original though thankfully this classic is now available on CD.
Tony Cummings