1. Just a Closer Walk With Thee
2. I Want to Be Ready
3. Take My Hand, Precious Lord - Tennessee Ernie Ford, Dorsey, Thomas A.
4. Stand by Me - Tennessee Ernie Ford, Tubb, Ernest
5. When God Dips His Love in My Heart - Tennessee Ernie Ford, Stevenson, W.S.
6. Get on Board, Little Children
7. Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord - Tennessee Ernie Ford, Schmertz, Richard
8. Were You There?
9. Peace in the Valley - Tennessee Ernie Ford, Dorsey, Thomas A.
10. I Know the Lord Laid His Hands Onme
11. Wayfaring Pilgrim
12. He'll Understand and Say Well Done - Tennessee Ernie Ford, Wilson, R.
Spirituals
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2003-09-30)
- Publisher: Spring House / EMI
- Label: Spring House / EMI
- Studio: Spring House / EMI
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 10 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #37335
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tennessee Ernie 2008-10-03
Comment: Ernie Ford was a marvelous Gospel singer in his day. These recordings are strong but not as strong as on recordings of hymns. The back-up vocals are fair and the songs seem a bit rushed. Overall it is a good album.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Were You There? 2008-08-20
Comment: In 1957, seeing the runaway success of his previous gospel effort (Hymns) Tennessee Ernie Ford decided he should record another gospel album. Re-assembling the vocal choir and arranger Jack Fasinato, Ernie decided the theme of the album would be "spirituals." The result: an album with all the wonderful vocal flourishes and phrasing of `Hymns' but with more rhythm and bounce. I consider this to be the greatest gospel album ever recorded. Using the ingenious Sinatra-Riddle formula, the singer, vocal choir, and orchestra become co-equals of sorts, and engage in some clever musical interplay. However, the highlight is, as always, the booming baritone of Tennessee Ernie Ford. A superlative vocalist by technical standards, he gently caresses the notes in "Stand by Me" and "Where You There," using his voice like a painter uses a brush, gently coaxing the emotion out of the lyric. Ernie thus brings a depth of feeling to these songs that the original composers could never have imagined. Ernie never broods for too long, however, and lightens the proceeding with the more upbeat, almost comical number, `Noah Found Grace In The Eyes of The Lord.' Although every song is a highlight in its own right, the song "Wayfaring Pilgrim" is by far the best spiritual on this release, and is arguably the best song Tennessee Ernie Ford ever sang. The old folk-song tells the tale of a `wayfaring stranger' on his way to meet his saviour.
Like the re-release of its predecessor, this album is skimpy on the liner notes. In fact, the only information is the track listing and authorship information. This is an especially troubling fact given the nature of this album. Like its predecessor `Hymns,' `Spirituals' was re-recorded in 1962 to take advantage of the stereophonic format. The packaging does not indicate which of the two versions this release is. Only after I had listened to the album did I discover that it was the original, 1957 mono version. As far as I know, the stereo version of this album is not yet re-released in full, although many of the songs are available on `Amazing Grace: 40 Treasured Hymns.' To repeat: although this CD and `Amazing Grace' may list identical songs in their respective track listings, they are different versions and not duplicates. As far as I know, the songs on this set are available nowhere else.
The sound quality is identical to the previous release `Hymns,' which means it is good to fair. Although it is not listed anywhere, the sound quality appears to be sourced from 2nd generation masters (a.k.a. release masters). The label should really have used 1st generation masters, which would have improved the sound quality immeasurably. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this CD and would be remiss if you did not purchase it. If you want to hear the definitive version of these songs, this is the place. "Wayfaring Pilgrim" is worth the purchase price alone.
A.J. Smith
A 19 year-old music fan
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Find 2007-09-30
Comment: Isn't it amazing that there are other spirituals other than "Amazing Grace". I have missed hearing them, so this was a great find for me. I am really enjoying introducing the songs and Tennessee Ernie Ford to my grandchildren, ages 8, 4, & 18 months. Of course, at their ages, they like "Get On Board, Little Children", even the 18mo. sways to it. "Wayfaring Pilgrim" is my favorite. "Were You There", "Stand By Me",
"Peace In The Valley, etc. They all gave me goose bumps when I was younger, and they still do. No one can sing them like Tennessee Ernie Ford.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Spirituals by Tennessee Ernie Ford 2007-03-18
Comment: This is a very fine cd by Tennessee Ernie Ford. He does an excellent job of singing the fine songs on this excellent cd. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys excellent gospel singing by one of the very best male vocalist.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nostalgia 2007-03-08
Comment: As a child I would spend hours in front of the phonograph listening to this record! I excitedly found that I could still sing along with every song as I heard them again for the first time after twenty years! My favorite song on this album was and still is "Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord"
|
Spirituals
Enlarge View