Gospel: 44 Cotton Pickin' Gospel Greats - Various Artists

Advantages: Elvis Presley singing some wonderful music
Disadvantages: The tracks have been released and re-released many times over the years

...People often recall Elvis Presley as the early rock 'n' roller in the mid-1950s, or the less rocking star of some (sometimes) decidedly dodgy movies from the 1960s, or as the Las Vegas singer of the 1970s. One style of music which straddles all of these time periods though is gospel. Elvis was always a great lover of gospel music, and often spent hours singing this type of music with his backing singers in his own private time. Elvis' record company, BMG, have spent the last 29 years (since his death) repackaging his recorded material, and still release many CDs each year, collecting together already released material and unreleased material from the archives (this unreleased music is often distributed through their specialist Elvis label FTD - short for 'Follow That Dream' which was the title of one of Elvis' movies from the 1960s... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: good mix of music
Disadvantages: absolutely none!

..., Jesus is a friend of Mine, Jesus Jesus Jesus, Jesus Loves Me, Singing you a Prayer, What would Jesus Do?, Going Home, Were you there?, I shall be released. Happy, sultry, or meditative it's all here in the 2 CD collection of 'Gospel Roots,' on an EMI label. The cover design is simple, with Aaron Neville in a relaxed pose on a bridge, and to the rear is the artiste again, but this time looking more upbeat and rugged. The cover portrays Aaron like his music: sultry and uptempo! At £14.99, which is what I bought it for, the value for money outweighs the price. A big guy with an angelic voice, Aaron's renditions will de-stress you, return some peace into your life; and anyone wanting to find some solace or just pure easy listening at it's very best, it's got to be this collection!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: straightforward English and well presented
Disadvantages: explanation claimed but not sustained

...An excellent presentation of a vital early Christian work, believed lost until found by a local farmer in 1945, a momentous year in many other ways too. Stevan Davies claims in the title ,however, that he explains the Gospel but in some sayings it is only his personal view and in some other sayings he offers no explanation. Two examples: 1. Saying 97 (no explanation) He does not consider that the woman's journey represents one's life, and the seeds spilling from the jar represent opportunities to seek the truth. At any point on the journey, she could have paused and seen the seeds trickling away; but she did not, and at the end of the journey it was too late. 2. Saying 109 (says text is garbled) Stevan Davies describes the third character as lucky. He does not consider that the new owner found the treasure while ploughing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful