Back in February, we celebrated Black History Month with Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Record Story Volume One & Two, a gospel compilation that introduced once-rare 45s to digital platforms. D-Vine Spirituals was founded by record producer Juan D. Shipp and studio engineer Clyde Leoppard, with Elizabeth King & The Gospel Souls as the label’s flagship artist. King and D-Vine started off the ’70s strong with an impassioned string of “sacred soul” singles, but by the mid-’80s, Shipp called it quits and King’s aspirations for a debut LP were left behind…until 2021.
Despite all that passage of time, Shipp (in his early eighties) and King (in her late seventies) rekindled their six-decade-relationship and brought the heat on last year’s Living In The Last Days. And while others may have hung up their crown after that impressive accomplishment, you don’t just become the “Queen of Sacred Soul” without a regal sense of drive. To that point, King just released her sophomore full-length I Got A Love on June 24th. King’s rejuvenated powerhouse performance on I Got A Love makes Living In The Last Days sound like a first-round audition tape in comparison. And although the set list stems from the classic D-Vine collection, I Got A Love‘s modern style of production gives those timeless tracks a bold new set of legs. We’re a little late for Sunday mass, but this ten-track collection definitely deserves another pass around the congregation, especially with sacred soul stunners like “I Need The Lord”.
–Jack Anderson
