There’s spiritual, and there’s “Spiritual.” This album by James Weidman is not the Dalai Lama ordering a pizza “one with everything” type of spiritual, but more the “let’s do some church” type of spiritual, and that’s fine with me.
Weidman plays piano, organ and melodic, teaming with the rich and flexible voice of Ruth Naomi Floyd and a congregation of Anthony Nelson/ts-bs/ss-bcl-fl, Harvie S/b and Vince Ector/dr through a hymnal’s worth of spirituals. It works fantastically, and you don’t have to be a 5 Point Calvinist to appreciate it.
In fact Weidman and company do some amazing arrangements of Sunday School hits. Floyd is passionate as the band tears through a riveting modal take of “Let My People Go” and she agonizes with God on the riveting “You Hear the Lamb.” Nelson’s tenor is rich and bluesy on the thoughtful “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” along with Floyds recitative and floats softly n the bass clarinet on the pensive “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.” The band pulsates with conviction during “African Spirals” to have the team rolling in the aisles, and Weidman delivers a glorious benediction as he closes out the album with a solo piano “Walk Together Children” that flutters like a church candle. Play this one every Sunday for a while to get you into the mood for an encounter!