::ALBUM REVIEW::

Celebrating forty years in any genre is a remarkable milestone most artists only dream to witness. But for Shirley Caesar, the reigning First Lady of Gospel, she is still cranking out the albums, frequently touring the country and proving to be one of the strongest veteran artists in the gospel genre. Her 2007 album After 40 Years...Still Sweeping Through the City peaked at number eight on the gospel charts and still remains at the top of the charts since its release. It’s just another wonderful reminder of how Caesar has endured through countless style genres as one of the most beloved and highly-respected artists of our generation. Calvin Records recently opened up the vault of HOB (after acquiring the historic label years ago) to discover never-before-released recordings from Caesar during the early ‘70s. Rather than releasing the material as is, the label thought it would be interesting to put a new spin on the original pressings by extracting her vocals and placing them on fresher instrumentation and a newer volumes of production. With vintage-styled graphic design embracing the album’s jacket and a couple of remixers on board, Shirley Caesar Revisited aims to juice up the old catalog with the same kind of resurgence used on successful mainstream mix albums like Mayfield: Remixed - The Curtis Mayfield Collection, Motown Remixed and Verve Remixed.

The label uses a little bit of hype to exaggerate a few truths into the liner notes; like the album uses “today’s hottest producers” to record all new arrangements for Caesar’s work. Cory J. Wong, Timothy Trudeau, Shane Newville and Walter Chancellor, Jr - all good indie musicians but are far from being household names - are just a few producers enlisted to handle the daunting task of reinvigorating the old tapes. Even with propped up propaganda, the effort deserves a mild mention. “Revisited” finds Caesar ministering in her classic spoken-word style on an Isaac Hayes-esque soul lounge arrangement that features wondrous psychedelic guitar riffs from Cory J. Wong. “Let Jesus Fix It” finds a churchy sermonette from Caesar on the opening; done in the typical style of 70's hits like “Don’t Drive Your Mama Away,” but later drifts into the classic congregational hymn. The musical arrangement leans on New York blues and acid jazz with its unpredictable Korg layouts; offering a different spin to the church standard. “Amazing Grace,” only clocking in at an unfortunate two minutes in length, is a bittersweet moment. It has the cool style of modern Southern blues records usually pumped out at Malaco and works so well with the soulful background harmonies, deep guitar work and Caesar’s belting. Speaking of “Don’t Drive Your Mama Away,” Revisited resurrects the down-home gospel classic by placing Caesar’s previously-recorded vocals around a duet from special guest Evelyn Turrentine-Agee. Using the classic Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole method, it almost feels like the two actually sung their tracks in the same room at the same time.

Probably the biggest and most rewarding leap of all of the featured tracks is the hip-hop-infused arrangement of “Soul Salvation,” formally recorded with the Caravans. The traditional batter of the original is omitted and is replaced with Timothy “sirROCDOM” Trudeau ‘s clever mix-tape sound that conjures up classic New York/Def Jam beats. Rapper Max One jumps in towards the middle of the track to offer a short bio of Caesar’s accomplishments. The original version only clocked in at two minutes anyway so even with the newly-inserted rap, the song doesn’t overstay its visit. It’s a worthy rendition and places a new spice on a genuine classic - even if traditionalists will cringe over the idea of new blood inserting anything urban into the mix.

Some of the songs’ old school flavor feel like a parody on the new arrangements like on “Help Me Jesus,” as the background singers punctuate their phrases on a looping rhythm. The churchy sound on the updated mix isn’t as laughable as In Living Color’ s Cephus and Reesie, but it may bring out a snicker or two. Another major disadvantage is how short the songs really are. Most modern mixes extend the life and clock span of the original songs; a trait barely used in this case. Barely passing the thiry-minute mark, this ten-track offering is almost too hard to not pout over. Even with the likable tracks and the hard work assembled in revamping old master recordings, Revisited falls short of very high expectations. In the hands of some serious mixers, the album would have been an exceptional treasure that would have satisfied any Caesar buff. A house club mix on board, more hip-hop offerings and some more soul and urban contemporary sounds - with extended time lengths - would have made the day.