The Mighty Clouds Of Joy (In the House of the Lord - Live in Houston) - Reviews

The Mighty Clouds Of Joy
In the House of the Lord - Live in Houston

At an astounding 35 albums and counting, The Mighty Clouds of Joy are fixtures not only on the quartet scene, but on the music scene in general. But don't let the image of a 'fixture' suggest anything relating to staying put. Far from it.

For In the House of the Lord —Live in Houston, the group's EMI Gospel debut, they recruit the red hot Sanchez Harley to shape their project, his production

finesse (alongside co-producer Ay'Ron Lewis) ensuring a classic album that will endear fans all the more and further increase the swelling ranks of their appreciators.

Anchored by lead Joe Ligon (one of music's most recognizable voices), and with original member Richard Wallace a mainstay, along with vocalists Mike Cook and Ron Staples, The Clouds are helped with their groove by their band (Johnny Valentine, Orick Ewing, Alfred Hudson and Ervin 'Big Man' Williams).

It might be cliche, but it's true here —the whole album is jammed with hits. Each of the project's twelve songs are juiced with music and lyrics to pull in listeners from multi-genres.

Songs to note include the raucous title cut, "In The House Of The Lord", with lyrics which hearken back to the olden days, as Ligon recalls his memories of Sundays in Alabama. The bonus cut, "I Made A Step" satisfies all expectations, as you can easily visualize the in-synch choreography of The Clouds, as they move their feet in time with the 'go-gettem' arrangement and Ligon's incredible vocalizations.

In The House Of The Lord

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Glen Burleigh's hit, "Order My Steps" is back, with an appropriate slowed-down tempo and some nice falsetto vocals accompanying The Clouds' harmonies. It's nice to hear a fresh arrangement of this song, in quartet style. Kudos to Sanchez Harley for championing the re-emergence of this classic.

Also back for a second go round is "Ride The Mighty High", an old-school jam that The Clouds made famous as "Mighty High" in the mid-1970's, when it rode to the top of Billboard's Dance Chart. In 2005, Ligon and The Clouds douse the cut with just as much infectious dance energy (but not quite as much disco vibe), with Lloyd Barry's horn arrangements setting things off.

"I Need A Church" begins with sweet, rockin', harmony-soaked acappella before detouring to a hand-clapping vamp, with band in tow. On the praise drive,"Been Good To Me", The Clouds show why they have the joy.

There is so much more to dig into on this live project: "If Jesus Can Fix It", "God Can" and "Mama Prayed Us Through" are just some of the many other nuggets to treasure. Yes, The Mighty Clouds of Joy are still going strong.

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Producers: Sanchez Harley, Ay'Ron Lewis album release date: April 12, 2005
EMI Gospel

— reviewed by Stan North —