Search - Roberta Martin :: Best of

A stellar collection!

T. A. Shepherd | Palmdale, Ca. 93550 | 11/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During the mid to late 70's, I collected every Savoy Gospel album I could get my hands on, including all eleven LPs by The Roberta Martin Singers. A stand out track, He Has Done Great Things For Me, displays a young Gloria Griffin with her trademark stop and start/long metered phrasing which has yet to be equalled today. Other songs Gloria featured are Be Still My Soul (in which Lucy Smith's deft harmony vocals lend a beautiful contrast to Gloria's contralto), Walk On By Faith and the live recording of I'm Grateful. One of Roberta Martin's most memerable songs, No Other Help I Know, popularised by Mahalia Jackson on her Make A Joyful Noise album, is performed here by Gloria and then Roberta brings the song to a stunning climax. Other soloists include Eugene Smith (Standing On The Promises) and Narsalis McKissick's performance on the live recording of Jessie Dixon's There Is No Failure In God is pure frenzy. Absent from this collection are performances from Martin's two prized soloists, Delores Barrett and Archie Dennis. Seek out the albums because they'll probably never be issued again. Until then, get this classic collection. Not to be missed either, are their earlier recordings for Apollo with Myrtle Scott-Jackson and Bessie Folk (althogh Ms. Folk rejoined the group on a later Savoy album)."

BACK TO THE GOSPEL BASICS!

FREDERICK C BOND JR. | CENTRAL ISLIP, NY USA | 01/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NO ONE CAN CLAIM TO KNOW THE HISTORY OF GOSPEL MUSIC WITHOUT REMEMBERING THE ROBERTA MARTIN SINGERS.LISTENING TO THESE CLIPS TAKE ME BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD AND HEARING MY FAMILY SING THESE SONGS IN THE GOSPEL CHORUS AT CHURCH. BECAUSE OF THIS I KNOW MANY OF THE SONGS THAT ROBERTA MARTIN SINGERS PERFORMED. I MUST ADMIT THAT THESE SONGS HAVE HAD AN ENORMOUS INFLUENCE ON ME AS A GOSPEL SINGER.EVEN NOW IN 2004, IF YOU WANT TO MOVE PEOPLE, JUST BREAK OUT WITH A ROBERTA MARTIN SONG AND YOU'LL NEVER FAIL TO MOVE SOMEONE. IN THIS AGE OF CONTEMPARY GOSPEL MUSIC , NO GROUP OF TODAY WILL EVER CAPTURE THE SIMPLE YET SINCERE MESSAGE THAT THESE OLD GROUPS LIKE ROBERTA MARTIN SINGERS RELAYED TO THE PEOPLE. I WILL ALWAYS CHERISH LISTENING TO THESE HEARTFELT SONGS OF THIS GROUP. I WILL IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE PURCHASE THIS CASSETTE. I STRONGLY RECOMMEMD THE ROBERTA MARTIN SINGERS TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW THE ROOTS OF TRADITIONAL GOSPEL MUSIC."

The Roberta Martin Singers one of the best of the best !

Apostle James A. Lyle | USA | 10/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Roberta Martin Singers are legendary. They left an indelible mark on the history of the greatest music ever written and sung. my christian life is connected to all the years ago when as a child I enjoyed the Roberta Martin singers. They had such a restful and peaceful sound that no one could duplicate. Deloris Barett of the Barett sisters sung with Miss Martin. Anybody that have heard the fabulous Barett's know them sister's can sing. I have several albums of the Roberta Martin singers and I will cherish them until I die. No amount of money would make me part with them. Anyone that haven't heard this fantastic group don't know what the are missing."