Spirituals & Hymns
Navona, 2022
8/10
The arranger and pianist Maria Thompson Corley takes up company with the vocalist Maria Clark and Ismail Akbar’s cello across these intense and passionate religious songs that most of us will be familiar with.
“His Eye Is On The Sparrow” opens the listen with warm piano and soaring soprano in the emotive climate, and this powerful approach continues to the more firm “Glory, Glory Hallelujah”, as well as the quivering dynamics of the spellbinding “Steal Away”.
In the middle, the playful demeanor of “No Hiding Place” resonates a soulful spirit, while “Motherless Child/Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, the album’s best, offers a poetic and gorgeous display of graceful keys and flawless singing.
Deeper still, “His Name Is So Sweet” rumbles with a charged personality, but still finds intimate places to reside, and “Wade In The Water” exits the listen with a stylish and timeless execution of uplifting song craft.
The album was actually recorded in a church in Georgia, and these songs are as relevant today as they were a century ago. Corley, Clark and Akbar put their inimitable spin on the classics, and it sure does make for an empowering effort.
Travels well with: John Mitchell’s Quartets- Seasons; Trio Casals- Moto Finale