The line between gospel and secular pop music has been blurred many times in the past 60 years, with artists like Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green slipping back and forth between the genres with apparent ease, while groups like the Edwin Hawkins Singers have had huge pop hits with straight gospel offerings. What a short step it is from Southern gospel to full-blown secular soul is made clear on this sampler anthology from the Sony vaults, which includes classic rocking gospel numbers from the mid-'50s forward. Leading off with Mahalia Jackson's 1955 hip-shaking version of "When the Saints Go Marching In," The Best of Gospel only stops rocking long enough for Nina Simone's breathy version of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" to calm the waters before shifting back into high celebratory gear. Among the highlights are a long, live version of "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Aretha Franklin's stomping "Climbing Higher Mountains," and the Swan Silvertones' classic traditional approach on "Mary Don't You Weep." The Staple Singers' funky take on "I'll Take You There" reveals how much deep gospel was inherent in the Stax sound, while "Higher and Higher" by Martha Reeves stakes the same claim for Motown. Hearing B.B. King in full gospel mode for "Jesus Gave Me Water" is another revelation. In the end, this boisterous gospel sampler is a classic dance party record, because at the root of black gospel was the notion that in order save a soul you first had to get it moving. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide