The Lord's Prayer/The Soul of the Patterson Singers

Practically forgotten, even among fans of classic gospel, the Patterson Singers were a splendid group of testifiers with Pentecostal fire. Led by Robert Patterson, the group was comprosed of a quintet of full-voiced females, putting every ounce of their strength into virtually every number -- no matter the tempo. The Collectables reissue of their two early-'60s LPs for Vee Jay, 1963's The Lord's Prayer and 1964's The Soul of the Patterson Singers, is packed with great music -- from hand-clapping swingers like "The Sign of the Judgment" to evocative slow numbers like "I've Got to Make It to the Promised Land." Rightly focusing on the strong voices, most of the numbers have only a swirling organ for accompaniment, with occasional percussion for leavening.