This gospel album was recorded and originally released in the early 1970s on the
Lemco
label. When
Rebel
acquired the rights to
's catalog several years later, it reissued this and two other
J.D Crowe
albums (
Bluegrass Holiday
and
Ramblin' Boy
, retitled
Blackjack
). What may be most noteworthy about
The Model Church
is the fact that it's the first gospel album to feature singer
Doyle Lawson
, who would later make some of the best bluegrass gospel recordings to date at the head of his own band
Quicksilver
. With
J.D. Crowe
on banjo and vocals,
Larry Rice
on mandolin and vocals, and
Bobby Slone
on bass, this quartet delivers a lovely set of gospel songs, some of which have since become standards. Highlights include the hauntingly beautiful title track
"Goin' Up,"
a
the Gosdin Brothers
classic, and a fine version of
Jim & Jesse
's
"Look for Me."
The echoey production is a little bit strange for a bluegrass album; it won't satisfy everyone's tastes, but there's no denying the power of these performances. ~ Rick Anderson