Good News in Hard Times is the album released by American gospel group the Sisters of Glory, released on August 22, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The set included solo performances by five female singers from different musical backgrounds: Thelma Houston, CeCe Peniston, Phoebe Snow, Lois Walden, and Albertina Walker.
| Good News in Hard Times | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 22, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Gospel | |||
| Length | 68:16 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros./WEA (#9 45990)[1] | |||
| Producer | Jennifer Cohen, Lois Walden | |||
| CeCe Peniston chronology | ||||
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The concept of their modern gospel ensemble was initially created by Lois Walden. For the first time, the vocalists performed together on April 25, 1994, at the New York benefit concert named "Gospel Music: From the Church to the Charts". The next gig for the gospel quintet was at the music festival Woodstock '94 on August 14, 1994. Later that year, on December 16, they appeared before Pope John Paul II at the Christmas at the Vatican II concert in Rome.[2] After receiving an offer from Warner Bros management, the Sisters also recorded a studio album in common.
The album, produced by Jennifer Cohen in collaboration with Walden, earned positive to mixed reviews from music critics. With no song released in support either on promotional single, Good News in Hard Times charted on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 Gospel Albums at number twenty-nine.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[5] |
Good News in Hard Times received positive to mixed reviews from critics. Dimitri Ehrlich from Entertainment Weekly graded the album with A−. Describing the product as "the funky, inspiring tour de force of classic black gospel", he highlighted Phoebe Snow's performance on the roof-raising "His Eye is on the Sparrow."[5] People acknowledged the Sisters for sticking to gospel tradition, instead blending their music with contemporary pop or R&B elements. The magazine praised the Walker's version of "He's Right on Time" for presence of "the glorious spirit of Mahalia Jackson", Peniston's sassy soul strut on "How I Got Over" and, especially, "the touching, tear-jerking way of maternal love" provided by Walden on the song "No Charge".[6] AllMusic gave the album three (out of five) stars with no particular comment.[4]
Chart performance
editOn September 9, 1995, the album entered the U.S. Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart, debuting at number thirty-four. After three weeks at the same position, plus one week at number thirty-nine, the set topped its chart run on July 10 at number twenty-nine, eventually. Overall, the album spent six weeks in the chart.[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rough Side of the Mountain" | Faircloth Barnes | The Sisters of Glory | 4:51 |
| 2. | "I Love the Lord" | Traditional | The Sisters of Glory and friends | 0:52 |
| 3. | "Precious Lord" | Thomas A. Dorsey, George Nelson Allen | Albertina Walker | 5:44 |
| 4. | "Surely God Is Able" | W. Herbert Brewster, Virginia Davis | Thelma Houston | 4:49 |
| 5. | "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" | Ada R. Habershon, Charles H. Gabriel arr. Jennifer Cohen, Shelton Becton | Lois Walden | 5:39 |
| 6. | "How I Got Over" | Clara Ward, arr. Jennifer Cohen, Shelton Becton | CeCe Peniston | 4:36 |
| 7. | "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" | Civilla D. Martin, Charles H. Gabriel, arr. Jennifer Cohen, Shelton Becton | Phoebe Snow | 6:49 |
| 8. | "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" | Traditional, arr. Jennifer Cohen, Shelton Becton | The Sisters of Glory | 3:30 |
| 9. | "I Won’t Be Back No More" | James Herndon | The Sisters of Glory | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Precious Memories" | J.B.F. Wright, arr. Jennifer Cohen, Shelton Becton | CeCe Peniston | 5:32 |
| 11. | "He’s Right on Time" | Dorothy Love Coates | Albertina Walker | 2:58 |
| 12. | "No Charge" | Harlan Howard | Lois Walden | 3:54 |
| 13. | "Move On Up a Little Higher" | W. Herbert Brewster | Phoebe Snow | 4:23 |
| 14. | "Walk Around Heaven All Day" | James Cleveland, Cassietta George | Thelma Houston | 4:25 |
| 15. | "Oh Happy Day" | Edwin Hawkins | The Sisters of Glory | 5:48 |
| 16. | "Yes" | Traditional | The Sisters of Glory | 0:26 |
| Total length: | 68:16 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[7] | 29 |
References
edit- General
- "The Sisters of Glory - Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- "The Sisters of Glory - Discography - Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- Specific
- ^ The Sisters of Glory (1995). Good News in Hard Times (Compact Disc). USA: Warner Bros. (#9 45990-2).
- ^ 'CeCe Peniston, The Sisters of Glory, Biography' All Music
- ^ 'CeCe Peniston, The Sisters of Glory, Good News In Hard Times, Chart Positions' All Music
- ^ a b "Good News In Hard Times Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ a b Ehrlich, Dimitri (1995-08-25). "Good News in Hard Times Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time division of Time Warner. ew.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Good News In Hard Times". People. People.com. 1995-09-04. people.com. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ a b "Good News In Hard Times - Top Gospel Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-03-19.