Sister Rosetta Tharpe was already known as one of gospel's most successful and pioneering artists and a leading purveyor of the genre's blending with R&B as a precursor to rock and roll.[4][5][6] This album finds her accompanied by musicians from the New York jazz scene.[7] Musically, Gospel Train is rooted firmly in gospel music, specifically in the traditional black vein.[8]Blues often appears as well.[7][9][10]
The record marks a stylistic change in Tharpe's recording career, presaging her influence on blues and blues rock artists of the 1960s.[4][11][12]Spectrum Culture's Will Pinfold saw this reflected on the track "Can't No Grave Hold Me Down" in 2023. With both Tharpe's "forceful" singing that "obliterate[d] the fuzzy boundary between blues and rock 'n' roll" and "nice, pithy guitar solo", he saw it shape a style that the Rolling Stones would continue on their 1964 debut record.[10] In 2024, Guitar World named Train an essential record within the development of British blues. The site's Denny Ilett cited "Tharpe's soulful bluesy gospel approach" as a "key ingredient" to blues music's evolution from the 1950s through the '60s.[13]
A contemporary review in the trade publication Billboard quotes the Methodist minister John Wesley: "'Why should the devil have all the good tunes?' Sister Tharpe shows that he hasn't, and she does this with her well-known rocking rhythm and zest".[2] The album was noted as part of Tharpe's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[3]
Retrospective commentary
Gospel Train is highly regarded within Tharpe's discography. The website AllMusic called it "a super collection", noting it as an album highlight of the singer's career.[16]Premier Guitar described the guitar work in the album as exhibiting "more technique and less raunch", concluding the record is "worth it just for the swinging, twangy and so ambient and vibey '99½ Won't Do'."[17] In 2015, Cross Rhythms' Lins Honeyman wrote that despite being "in arguably less frantic mode than usual", she "pull[s] off some truly great performances" through her "verve and passion".[7] The webzineSpectrum Culture characterized it as "One of Tharpe's landmark albums".[9] Its reviewer described it as "an enjoyable, timeless album in its own right" beyond its historic legacy and praised the "skill, passion and impeccable musicianship" that it was played with.[10]
↑ Wald, Gayle (March 2006). "Reviving Rosetta Tharpe: Performance and Memory in the 21st Century". Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory. 16 (1): 91–106. doi:10.1080/07407700500515944. S2CID194074517.
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