As that disembodied voice heard on a million rap records would say, what we're going to do here is go back - way back. Back to the beginnings of this great music genre we call gospel. Having been involved in gospel, soul, and other forms of Black music for 30-plus years, Malaco is better placed than most to bring out a retrospective of this standard - and boy, what a standard! Every track is pure quality.
Without exception, these oldies have stood the test of time. The Williams Brothers' harmonies, as heard on "Still Standing," just ooze class. The Caravans' "I Won't Be Back" just makes me want to dance, and the Jackson Southernaires' "Did It Before" has plenty of good old Southern soul. The liner notes provide a neat summary of gospel's development from the 17th century to the present day.
The compilation's only drawback is that next to the veterans, the newer kids on the block (which include Men of Standard) sound out of place. It would probably have been a better idea to put all the more modern acts on a separate album and call it Celebrate...Vol. 2: The Next Generation, or something along those lines.
