While
Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980), is still celebrated as one of the great American outsider artists whose sacred paintings are collected and written about all over the world, few know her as a powerful, haunting, and enigmatic gospel singer and preacher. Thankfully, the good folks at Preservation Hall Recordings -- who have already issued five previous volumes of forgotten or little-known American roots music -- do.
Let's Make a Record is an album of
Morgan's homemade gospel songs, recorded somewhere around 1960. This is deeply prophetic music; music of praise & worship that sits on the fissure line between pre- and post- WWII black gospel traditions. Under 40 minutes in length, this is nonetheless a powerful, even earthshaking collection of
Morgan's own tunes, where she, accompanied only by her tambourine and stomping foot, calls the listener's attention to the kingdom of God as it came for the Israelites; as it has come in the minds and hearts of believers, and will come in glory at the end of the world. This is praise music that exhorts, pleads, wails, shouts, growls, prophesies, and longs for the Jesus of the New Testament to make his presence known, and celebrates it as it does. It also puts to shame much of what passes for praise music in our own century. Fans of blues and gospel music are fortunate to have such a treasure-trove available again,complete with a stunning package featuring a reproduction of one of
Morgan's paintings covering an oversize, heavy cardboard gatefold sleeve. Just amazing. ~ Thom Jurek