Mississippi Mass Choir Emmanuel, God With Us CD

EMMANUEL (GOD WITH US) was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album.

Gospel fans who are put off by the funk-filled modernizations of folks like Kirk Franklin can find solace in the work of traditionalists Mississippi Mass Choir. The MMC always makes certain that gospel never strays too far from its place of origin--the church. Even an album such as this, which was not recorded in a church, still bears all the sonic qualities of a Sunday mass. The jubilation, the spiritual commitment and energy, and of course, the soulful voices of the choir testifying their faith--all these place the group solidly in the forefront of contemporary (but resolutely old-school) gospel music. Make no mistake, these aren't the Swan Silvertones; there's an electric band providing backing. But the arrangements for both the band and the choir are firmly based in the grand old gospel style, and even the original material sounds like it could have come from a bygone era in the history of church-oriented music.

(guitar); David R. Curry (strings, horns, organ); Jerry Smith (electric piano); M. Thurston Cox (keyboards); Richard Thomas (bass); Sam Scott (drums); V. Michael McKay.

Recorded at Thalia Mara Hall, Jackson, Mississippi.

Producers: Jerry Smith, David Curry, Jerry Mannery.

Engineers: Geri Oneal, Buck Alman, Jim Bryant.

Personnel includes: Mosie Burks, Alisa Patrick, Jackie Graham-Wells, Lillian Guidry, Jermicheal Riley, Lillian Lilly, Dessire Johnson, Melvin Williams, Emma J. Curry, Dorcus Thigpen, Demetrius Smith, Leah Curry, Melvin Williams, Doug Williams, Jimmy Lewis, Reverend Benjamin Cone, Jr. (vocals); Undra Watts