Although I’m not the biggest fan of gospel music there’s one group who stands out for me and whose music I follow since the release of Optimistic as 12″ single (and first release) on Jam & Lewis’ Perspective label in 1991. Of course the Sounds Of Blackness didn’t appear out of nothing. The predecessor of the Sounds Of Blackness, the Macalester Black Voices were founded in 1969 at Macalester College in St.Paul, Minnesota. Two years later Gary Hines, today the only active founding member remaining, took over the musical directorship from the choir’s founder Russell Knighton. In their long career the Sounds Of Blackness have enjoyed numerous hits like The Pressure, Testify, I Believe, Soul Holidays or Harder They Are, The Bigger They Fall.
Their latest album will surely be praised and market as the album that sees Ann Nesby re-uniting with the group she started her career with. Certainly it’s great to hear her with SOB again and the funky uptempo songs Unity and Heaven will surely cause some serious dancefloor damage and with additional house mixes could easily gain the SOB another dancefloor hit. But Unity has so much more to offer, than just the two songs Ann sings lead vocals on, with Gary Hines’ musical aggregation being an almost inexhaustible source of gifted singers.
There’s the R&B-flavoured Put The Finger On Me with David Hughes on vocals or Yulanda as lead singer on the catchy Try, which uses the hook from the Stevie Wonder penned It’s A Shame (originally recorded by The Spinners for their 1970 album Second Time Around) to good effect.
Terrence “T-Bone” Frierson is another excellent singer, who sings lead on the bluesy Trouble, which also features a fine guitar solo by the album’s producer LaSalle Gabriel. Terrence is joined by Billy Steele and A. Doriel Demps on vocals on one of my favourite songs on this album, i.e. the soulful gem I’m Movin’. Other instant winners for my ears are the two songs following I’m Movin’, Be Encouraged, a great timeless and, er, encouraging soul song, and Life, a moving ballad.
Add to this gospel songs like They That Wait and Over My Head and you have another fine album by the Sounds Of Blackness with inspiring lyrics and soulful music.

Tracklisting of Unity: 1. Unity/ 2. Heaven/ 3. Put the Finger On Me/ 4. Prelude/ 5. Trouble/ 6. Try/ 7. A Second Chance/ 8. They That Wait/ 9. Over My Head/ 10. All God’s Children/ 11. I’m Movin’/ 12. Be Encouraged/ 13. Life | released 2005 SLR Records/ Lightyear

For more infos visit soundsofblackness.com, theblackness.com, slrrecords.net and lightyear.com.

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