Dust On the Bible, Kitty Wells

Dust On the Bible, Kitty Wells, 1959, :29

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I can honestly say that this is the best country-gospel record I have ever heard.  Yes, Kitty Wells sings like an angel, and the music is flawless, albeit rather sparse to today's ear.  But it is basically steel-guitar gospel, and not my thing.  More importantly, I'm somewhat turned off by Wells' smug "I got mine" flavor of Christianity.  There's no dust on her Bible, you should be ashamed, she has a one-way ticket to the sky, her Lord built her a mansion up there.  Not very many words about helping the sick and poor, but quite a few about how saved she is, and it sucks to be you.  "If from sin you don't retire, he will set your fields on fire," she sings merrily, no doubt warmed by the thought of all those sinners perishing "When He sets this world on fire."  Didn't anyone ever tell her "ain't no man righteous, no not one?"  Favorite tracks: "Dust On the Bible," "Lonesome Valley," "He Will Set Your Fields On Fire."

Mingus Ah Um, Charles Mingus

It's Black Music month!

Mingus Ah Um, Charles Mingus, 1959, :57

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Far-ranging, meandering jazz, not improv but loose.  I love the cacophonic blaring that is meant to evoke a flock of birds at the start of "Bird Calls."  It's hard to put into words what makes this album special: it's sort of like a rock, just there, which is quite an accomplishment.  Mingus' arrangements are so solid and assured that you don't even notice how complex they playing is.  Fun fact: The album's title is a parody of Latin declension. It is common for Latin students to memorize Latin adjectives by first saying the masculine nominative (usually ending in "-us"), then the feminine nominative ("-a"), and finally the neuter nominative singular ("-um"), so the title implies a fictional Latin transformation of the name: Mingus, Minga, Mingum.  Favorite tracks: "Better Git It in Your Soul," "Jelly Roll," "Boogie Stop Shuffle."