Living the Last Days

is a septuagenarian gospel singer based in Memphis, Tennessee. She began her career in 1969 with the single "Testify" for the label and issued a few others. From 1970 to 1973, she fronted the all-male , who cut a handful of singles -- including the hit "I Heard the Voice" -- for 's label. retired and spent the next 48 years raising 15 children, and singing in church and on a weekly gospel radio program. In 2019, issued by . and invited to meet at Memphis' Delta-Sonic Studio. When asked if she wanted to record again, she responded in the affirmative. Her first recording in almost 50 years, , is the result. is backed by the , the label's studio band. Led by guitarist , it includes drummer , guitarist , and bassist . Famed session organist also appears. Singers -- -- lend their voices to these proceedings, as do 's former labelmates and the . The set opens with a stirring read of 's Civil Rights-era anthem "No Ways Tired." At 77, 's voice is lower in range, but she has lost none of her power or control. The band plays swampy and loose, and she commands them with her massive contralto. Her voice embodies unshakable faith and hope that she in turn imparts to the listener. "He Touched Me" is not the staid hymn, but a raucous cover of the ' gritty gospel-blues classic. 's version is fueled by reverbed guitars, brushed snare, and the angelic voices of . She underscores the lyric with joyous conviction. The title track is a choogling soul-blues with bumping Hammond B-3, slide guitar, and clattering snare all riding a slip time groove. The chorus responds to emphatically with exclamations, affirmations, and thunderous handclaps. recut three of her early sides here. "Testify" joins rowdy gospel to roadhouse rockabilly, making it tough to know whether it's Saturday night or Sunday morning. "A Long Journey" is an exuberant sacred soul number that recalls , and "Walk with Me" finds the band offering a filthy, strolling, rhythm & blues as she croons above them. "Call on Them" sees and the band joined by swinging horns, and she sings "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord" in a haunted a cappella. Closer "You've Got to Move" is a spooky yet hopeful reading of 's blues-gospel classic. The throaty grain in 's voice reassures even as it warns. is immediate, powerful, and unforgettable. It took her almost 50 years to record it, but it was worth the wait. ~ Thom Jurek