Swing Low – SAM COOKE****

Swing Low Sweet Chariot/I’m Just A Country Boy/They Call The Wind Maria/Twilight On The Trail/If I Had You/Chain Gang/Grandfather’s Clock/Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair/Long Long Ago/Pray/You Belong To Me/Goin’ Home

Swing Low by Sam Cooke was loosely themed around 'songs from another era', some of which are spiritual or gospel in nature. Includes the British and US top ten hit single Chain Gang.

“Most of Swing Low consists of pop repertoire (including Broadway material), albeit songs that have a devotional, reflective aspect, or a spiritual tone, and the production is very full. The choir and brass are slightly overdone on the title song, but almost everything else is a study in understatement that plays to the quiet strength in Cooke's voice.”

“In contrast to many of the singer's early RCA LPs, where one must pick and choose the jewels from among weaker moments, Swing Low is the man and the voice in full glory across most of the album.”

“If parts of his other early-'60s RCA albums represent a tragedy of wasted opportunities, through bad song choices or worse arrangements, Swing Low falls on the other side of that line, where one hears a phenomenal talent moving in almost precisely the right direction.”

“A lilting eclectic album that barely puts a foot wrong as SC tackles inspirational, 19th century, cowboy, pop, soul and swing songs which create a very uplifting, charming, coherent and surprising whole. Sound quality, vocal production, band, production and arrangements are all excellent."

“A nice transitional album from Sam, and the most satisfying one since his self-titled debut. Bland pop tunes with syrupy strings dominated his early albums, but here for the first time a few pure soul songs sprout into the mix. Swing Low contains the beautiful title track with its soaring horn charts, the heart breaking Chain Gang and the lovely ballad They Call The Wind Maria. The rest, with the exception of the gospel soul appropriately entitled Pray, fall back on traditional pop ballads, give or take You Belong To Me. Better things were to come, but you get some pretty potent stuff on this little gem.”