Gospel Storytellers – There Is A God Somewhere (Champ Records, early 80s)
Listen: “Rich Man, Poor Man.”
Andrew Wartts, based in Bloomington, Illinois, recorded his landmark gospel album There Is A God Somewhere album in the early 1980s and released it on the small Champ imprint based in Nashville, Tennessee. It took funk archivists years to discover this gem, but it’s a timely resurface. Wartts sound – a mixture of soulful, funky, melancholic yet celebratory exhortations to the Lord – belies the music’s age. In a time when most contemporary-leaning Gospel acts were moving towards the “boogie” sounds of then-pop stars such as Prince and Rick James, Wartts stood firm in his commitment to James Brown style funk. As an example, check out “Peter And John,” a quirky riff on “Give It Up, Turn It Loose.” Turning around neatly in 4/4, the rhythm section chooses to skirt, rather than emphasize, “the one.” The result is a slightly off putting, but wholly original entry into the Gospel-Funk archives.
How can a person hear all of this? Will it ever be reissued? THis shit is incredible!!
i own it, i have digital files also
I own two copies, and make beat-juggling with my feet on them.
Please reissue this! As AN says “This shit is incredible!!”
This Vinyl LP will be re-issued this year. The Gospel Storytellers are currently recording a new full production CD with Grammy winning Producer, Curtis Turrentine of Detroit. This should be a great CD for the Storytellers now known as GST on the TWB Record label.
There Is A God Somewhere Vinyl re-issue will be available within the next three months, approximately June or July of 2011. Thanks so much for the interest. Check out The Gospel Storytellers website around that time.