Posted on: December 12, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Staple Singers – The 25th Day of December / 2007 Concord / 12 Tracks / http://www.concordmusicgroup.com /

I must admit that I was not that familiar with The Staple Singers before receiving this CD. For anyone that is too young to remember The Staple Singers, they were a gospel group that released albums for over twenty-five years. It took them about 12 years to actually break onto the charts; their 1971 self titled album got them a #9 on the R&B charts. The next seven years would bring them a number of other successes, and the act persevered into the eighties.

This disc is actually a re-release of their 1962 release of the same title. For individuals that are more familiar with gospel than I am, there are a number of tracks wthat will be significant – the act starts out the recording with “The Last Month of the Year” and “The Virgin Mary had One Son”. However, I was only familiar with “Go Tell It On The Mountain”, “Joy To The World”, “Silent Night”, and “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. Regardless, what results during “The 25th Day of December” is something that is timeless – the production on the disc is strong enough to ensure that individuals will not be distracted from the powerful vocals on the disc, while the choice of songs is interesting enough that even individuals that are jaded on Christmas can find something that they like.

Of particular note during “The 25th Day of December” has to be The Staple Singers’ rendition of “Silent Night”. While there are tracks done during the Christmas season that elicit emotionally intense vocals – “The First Noel” being a prime example, The Staple Singers are able to make “Silent Night” into a moving and touching track, with little more present to the track besides their sweet, sweet vocals. The Staple Singers contributed greatly to the current sound of the gospel genre, and it may be because of that that the compositions on “The 25th Day of December” still sound so pure and vibrant. For anyone that wants to bring a little Christ back into the Christmas season, “The 25th Day of December” should be the album that they pick up. Give the disc a spin also if you are a fan of intricate vocals that require a number of listeners before individuals can completely dissect and receive all benefits from. Here’s to hoping Concord releases more in the way of The Staple Singers’ albums in the next few years; there are more than enough to keep Concord busy until 2010.

Top Tracks: Holy Unto The Lord, There Was A Star

Rating: 6.5/10

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