Lynda Randle: ‘Til the Storm Passes By

A powerful example of traditional and contemporary gospel seamlessly co- mingling with other roots styles, Lynda Randle’s ’Til the Storm Passes By also makes sure its inventive music never subsumes the praise and worship messages the artist so fervently espouses. Co-producing with Christian gospel stalwart Ben Isaacs, Randle, deploying her magisterial alto voice with authority, turns Robert Lowry’s 19th Century gospel monument “Nothing But the Blood” into a smoldering Stax- style moaner fueled by organ, piano, and the silky cantations of earthy female background singers; another 19th Century gospel evergreen, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” is a gently rocking update of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s 1957 hit version. The classic 50s R&B ballad “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” evokes gospel’s golden age when Sam Cooke invigorated the genre with pronounced pop flourishes. On her own praise song, “I’ve Got Jesus On My Mind,” Randle drives its gospel stomp with a loose, rapturous reading worthy of vintage Mavis Staples. Her savvy band (including Bryan Sutton on guitar and John Jarvis on keys) plays with sensitivity and soul, and the album’s robust sonics serve instruments and voices well while, above all, honoring the texts. Somebody say amen!