Greatest Gospel Hits

Track Listing 1. THE Lord Will Make a Way, 2. God Blessed Our Love 3. Straighten Out Your Life 4. People Get Ready 5. Truth N' Time 6. Lean on Me 7. Higher Plane 8. Ocean Blue (I'll Rise Again) 9. I Close My Eyes and Smile 10. He Is the Light 11. Everything's Gonna Be Alright 12. Amazing Grace 13. Your Heart's in Good Hands 14. Chariots of Fire 15. All We Need Is a Little More Love 16. Where Love Rules 17. THE Spirit Might Come-On and On,

Al Green's father once kicked him out of his earliest gospel group, after catching him listening to Jackie Wilson. He need not have worried about Al abandoning his spiritual roots, as this new collection proves. The quivering, whispering falsetto--itself a soul standard--sounds true to form. Most of the cuts come from the reverend's more recent output, in which the digital, '80s sound is prominent. There are a few of the Willie Mitchell/Hi-era productions that sound musically closer to the soul master's most significant singles. From the tight, uptempo funk of "Chariots of Fire" to the transcendental version of "Amazing Grace," Green proves he can still bring the house down quicker than Lot's wife looking back on Gomorrah. Though some of the majesty is lost in the production, Al Green still finds a way to make gospel sound... sexy. --Marc Calhoun