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Before the urban music explosion hit, Light Records, who first opened their doors in the late sixties, was the label home to orchestra leader Ralph Carmichael, The King Family, and The World Action Singers, all catering to an easy listening, inspirational audience. Then the Contemporary Christian music scene opened wide in the seventies with innovating singer/songwriter Carmen, Jamie Collins, and The Sweet Comfort Band. At about the same time, Andrae Crouch & the Disciples was lending one of many voices in black gospel music, along with Danniebelle Hall, and various members of the Hawkins family. As the eighties arrived, another famous gospel family, The Winans, along with Vickie Winans, and Commissioned continued the building blocks for Light Records to operate as a major force in the black gospel music community.
The Light Records Gospel Legacy Series celebrates these moments with the aforementioned, plus several vocal bands, including a quartet that has kept the gospel fires going since the late forties. Here’s a capsule of the compilation highlights:
 Vickie Winans – It’s almost hard to fathom why this riveting alto voice was hesitant to step out in a solo platform after singing with her famous family. Vickie launched her recording career on Light Records in the mid-eighties, including the intense reading of We Shall Behold Him. Her career pinnacle came over a decade later on the Live In Detroit I & II series, pouring her heart out, the old-school church way with the Reverend James Cleveland classic, Long As I Got King Jesus, and a stirring reading of Bill & Gloria Gaither’s signature hymn, Because He Lives.
 The Winans, comprised of brothers Ronald, Marvin, Carvin, and Michael, began at Light Records after being introduced to Andrae Crouch. This CD, blending smooth R&B grooves with worship, concentrates on their pre-Qwest Records moments, when they began expanding their musical territory with new jack swing and the like. The must hears are The Question Is, Bring Back The Days of Yea & Nay, and Restoration.
 Sandra Crouch who is chiefly known as Andrae Crouch’s twin sister, is a powerful songwriter and musician in her own right who played with several artists, including Diana Ross. Her abilities as a worship leader and a voice that resonates with Andrae’s richness, through two solo efforts on Light Records are in evidence, especially with Nothing But The Blood and We're Waiting. Other soloists step up on this representation, including JeanJohnson’s fervent take on He’s Worthy, and then joining Sandra on Completely Yes.
 The Hawkins Family, including Walter Hawkins, former wife Tremaine, sister Lynette, brother Edwin and a host of others delivered some soulfully packed, spiritually charged stage shows throughout the seventies. The best material arises with Lynette’s expressive alto, that somewhat mirrors Vickie Winans, especially on a song of exercising trust, Try Christ, and Walter’s versatile pipes, which are heard on this CD more than his solo representation. Tremaine’s memorable solos include the sizzling encourager, Changed.
 Walter Hawkins’ enriching tenor is an underrated voice in itself, but most of this CD spotlights the Love Center Church Choir, from the church he founded, and the choir he has directed for many years. Much of the material comes from the popular Love Alive series through the eighties featuring LCCC. Must hears are When The Battle Is Over, Be Grateful, and how to equip ourselves in on the battlefield, There’s A War Going On.
 Tremaine Hawkins possesses a voice that cuts like a knife, Tremaine Hawkins sang more than notes; she breathed new life, adding purpose to every lyric she communicated. Prime examples are I’m Going Up Yonder and Changed. She also puts her spin on the classic worship staple, Trust and Obey. This mix includes both her tenure with The Hawkins Family and Love Center Church Choir, before she headed for dance floor waters with A&M Records.
 The Mighty Clouds of Joy are known for their sharp R&B harmonies with some preaching overtones. The Mighty Clouds of Joy also faced some controversy for their tightly choreographed stage appearances throughout the sixties and seventies. Most of the CD is dedicated to their return of the more traditional sound in the eighties and nineties, including their calling card, Steal Away in a live recording, a duet with Melvin Williams on Living Testimony, and the stirring hymn, Nearer My God To Thee.
 The Christianaires who keep it in the family, two brothers Paul & Tyrone Porter, and two cousins Arnold & Ronald Brown, are another vocal ensemble with a vibrant stage presence similar to the Clouds. Their recorded résumé started in the nineties weaving a modern but sophisticated touch to the traditional quartet tradition, beginning with Rev. James Cleveland’s Two Wings. The riveting testimonial cut, You’ve Been So Good, is a touching thank-you to the Lord from Paul Porter who suffered a stroke. Another special moment is the tribute towards gospel radio, the appropriately titled, Radio Angels.
 Several chapters have been written in The Blind Boys of Alabama’s musical legacy. The latest leg of their journey began in the early nineties on Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records with Spirit of the Century, and the wheels keep on turning to this day. A majority of this CD spotlights mid-nineties releases on Light’s distributor, Compedia. It’s hard to choose from the masters of fundamental gospel quartet singing, but for starters, try the New Orleans flavored, If I Had A Hammer, the Acapella Listen To The Lambs, and the twisting harmonies splashing down on Didn’t It Rain.
 The high profile vocal band, Commissioned, introduced the gospel world to Michael Brooks, Marvin Sapp, and Fred Hammond during the eighties. This R&B/gospel unit spent a bulk of their time with Light Records and its distributor Compedia before switching to Verity Records in the late nineties. While the group tends to funk it out from time to time, most of the CD centers on their worshipful ballads that spotlighted their smooth harmonies, including Go Tell Somebody, Running Back to You, and a live recording with just piano accompaniment of Will You Be Ready?
It’s commendable for Light Records in presenting gospelteers who left an imprint in today’s contemporary landscape. However, there are a few bumps, especially with the liner notes that do not list the album title, lead vocals, or other pertinent information as to why the song was inclusive. Most commentary in those notes were contributed by Bill Carpenter from Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Experience, but some songs included in the compilation are not listed in the abbreviated commentary. That aside, the package is a worthwhile listen with a suitable amount of material per each representation.
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