Rev. James Cleveland Albums

Rev. James Cleveland Albums (35)

'It's a New Day'

Release Date 12/11/2007

Tracks 16

Label Savoy

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'The Reverend James Cleveland & Friends'

Release Date 8/22/2006

Tracks 10

Label St. Clair

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'A Tribute to the King, Vol. 2'

Release Date 10/4/2005

Tracks 12

Label Calvin

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What The Critics Say

Part of Calvin Records' extensive budget-priced reissue campaign called the "Roadshow Gospel" series, this second volume of classic and rare sides by Reverend James Cleveland is light on recording and personnel information, but it's hard to fault in terms of material. Twelve vintage '60s-era tracks by Cleveland and a variety of bands and choirs (most notably the Gospel Chimes and the Voices of Tabernacle), this is bedrock Southern black gospel from the period before "contemporary Christian music" added more pop and R&B influences: stately piano, tambourines, and Cleveland's commanding vocals are at the heart of this music. The one flaw, which is common to the entire series of reissues, is that most of these tracks were either remastered from vinyl or from poorly maintained masters: the sound is thin and crackly, subtracting a bit from the heft of the performances. However, the problems aren't annoying enough to dissuade anyone more interested in the music's emotional weight than its sound quality. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

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'The In Honor of the King: The Music Lives Forever'

Release Date 6/21/2005

Tracks 10

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What The Critics Say

The brief compilation In Honor of the King: The Music Lives Forever contains ten tracks (31 minutes of music) cherry-picked from the label's recent series of reissues of the Reverend James Cleveland's classic traditional gospel sides. While the disc has some utility as a general overview of one of the greatest gospel performers of his era, it's not a particularly good introduction for the newcomer: the songs aren't in anything approaching chronological order, the notes aren't particularly informative, and it gives little hint of the context of these recordings, either in Cleveland's career or in the development of gospel music as a whole. While it's hard to fault any of the late Reverend's music, this collection is a haphazard jumble, programmed seemingly at random. The label's reissue series is overall very good, despite its faults, and the albums themselves are budget-priced entrees into some of Reverend Cleveland's lesser-known works, but it's easy to skip this sampler. 1998's Great Day: The Very Best of the Reverend James Cleveland is a better choice for a single-disc anthology. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

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