Mojo (UK)

Sarah Brown

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★★★★ Sarah Brown Sings Mahalia Jackson LIVE. CD/DL

Soul-nourishing homage to the great gospel matriarch. Boasting an impressive resumé stacked with credits that range from Pink Floyd to Madness and Stevie Wonder, Aylesbury-born Brown was raised in the Pentecosta­l church where she learned the language and emotional power of gospel music. After many years as a background vocalist, she steps into the spotlight with this nine-song debut album paying tribute to the influentia­l singer Mahalia Jackson, whose richly melismatic cadences shaped modern African-American sacred music. Supported by a small cast of simpatico musicians, including piano ace Colin Good, Brown serves up a sanctified feast that is infused with flavours from jazz (Didn’t It Rain), Latin music (On My Way) and rhythm and blues (Walk Over God’s Heaven). Most impressive of all is the album’s finale; a short but entrancing version of Amazing Grace where Brown’s warm, soulful voice glows with a haunting beauty. Charles Waring

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