Reviews for The Sojourners

The Sojourners: the name of the gospel-roots, Vancouver-based trio cleverly named and brought to the forefront of the Canadian roots music scene by Steve Dawson (Juno-award winning producer, multi-instrumentalist and big poppa of the premier-ranked Vancouver roots labels, Black Hen Music).

The Sojourners are three Vancouver-based men who grew up separately singing in churches in Texas, Illinois and Louisiana, and have been doing it professionally on their own for almost 50 years each.

Gifted with the opportunity to write press materials for Patty Griffin's upcoming release, Downtown Church, I took the excuse to load a bunch of classic Specialty golden age gospel reissues onto that newfangled iTouch which continues to confuse and confound me at each opportunity.

The black gents of this trio have been singing for over 50 years but only together for the last few after meeting by accident doing a back up session. It’s a gospel session, but it doesn’t sound like anything you ever heard on Duke or Malaco, it sounds more like the kind of roots session you wish some of the boring farts in the genre would apply their talents to making.

The Sojourners are Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and Ron Small. They cut their teeth singing in the church in their respective hometowns of Ralls, Texas; Chicago and Alexandria, Louisiana. They got together a few years ago, when Canadian musician Jim Byrnes asked Mosely to round up some backup singers for a session.

Most singers today adopt their style of singing to fit the image they want to convey. The Sojourners, however, are authentic with honest, rural church singing as a common background. Additionally, one of them has some early time singing in a professional group while in the U.S.

The first song is reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, the trio spans both Motherlode ( "When I Die") and Reverend Gary Davis, and there is timelessness to something so rooted in the past, which shouldn't make sense. Truth does, though. B+

The much-anticipated eponymous follow-up to their 2007 debut album Hold On, this trio stars gospel singers Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely (from Texas, Chicago and Louisiana respectively) of Vancouver's premiere gospel choir, the Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir.

When Jim Byrnes called Marcus Mosely and asked him to gather some singers to provide backing vocals for his "House Of Refuge" release, Mosely responded with old pals Will Sanders and Ron Small. This backing-vocal gig soon turned into a full-fledged group, tho, with deep gospel roots and uncannily-tight harmonies.

Vancouver vocal trio the Sojourners appear regularly with singer-guitarist Jim Byrnes, and here they get their own time and space to perform a rousing set of new and traditional gospel songs. Marcus Mosely, Ron Small and Will Sanders sing sweet harmonies, sometimes alternating the lead voice on each verse of a song.

Back with another album, Vancouver's gospel trio The Sojourners -- Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely -- step into their album with joy, fire and confidence.
Those feelings take a strong hold in the lively opener, Nobody Can Turn Me Around, a bass-led, organ-drenched, R&B gospel number featuring a gnarly lead guitar solo from Steve Dawson.

This self-titled album is the second spirited offering from the traditional gospel trio known as The Sojourners.

The album showcases the sweet, soulful harmonies of transplanted American vocalists Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely, originally members of the acclaimed Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir.

Ain’t every day dude steps up and tells you he’s about putting the stank on Gospel. Specially when said dude is a former missionary with significant cred in Gospel music and a founding member of Canada’s premiere old school Gospel act. But Marcus Mosely is a man with a mission and a heart full of soul. When he says the stank is needful, believe it.

Several years ago, Canadian blues singer Jim Byrnes needed some backup vocals for a new album. He called his friend, Vancouver-based gospel singer Marcus Mosely, who contacted two of his friends, Will Sanders and Ron Small. When the trio began singing, they knew that they had stumbled onto something special. During the session, Byrnes gave them the name The Soujourners, and an act was born.

Steve Dawson is the man behind Black Hen records. In that respect, this self-titled release from The Sojourners is probably as much his record as it is the band’s.

The Sojourners' self-titled second album is both soulful and uplifting. From the upbeat opener “Nobody’s Going to Turn Me Around,” to the dirty-sounding riffs in “Great Day,” to the slow funeral procession-esque “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” these three Vancouver-based soul singers don’t miss a beat.

The most traditional sort of gospel I’ve heard in a while, The Sojourners reveals a group skilled and flexible enough to make a collection of covers and traditional numbers sound like their own material. The focus here is on the three vocalists (Marcus Mosely, Ron Small, and Will Sanders), but their band does a great job supporting them.

These three Vancouver-based singers coalesced as a band after backing up singer/ song- writer Jim Byrnes on a recording session. Byrnes dubbed them The Sojourners, the name stuck and so did the gospel music that they excel at.

They’ve been together only a few short years after providing vocal backing for Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes, but the Vancouver-based Sojourners sound as if they’ve been joined at the lip for years.

When Canadian blues icon Jim Byrnes called Vancouver based gospel singer Marcus Mosely on the phone a few years ago to ask if he could round up a few friends to record some back up vocals for a new album, no one could have guessed what would happen next.

Canadian lovers of gospel music seeking some domestic practitioners of the art have been quick to welcome Vancouver, BC-based trio the Sojourners. Their 2007 album, Hold On, was their debut, but these American expatriates are far from musical novices, boasting 50 years of singing experience apiece. Their work together as an ensemble pays off on a second album that's even more impressive.

The Sojourners are not only the epitome of true gospel music, but show they don't have their heads in the clouds, but are part of this gritty earth. These three men grew up in different parts of the lower 48; Marcus Mosely in Ralls, Texas, Will Sanders in Alexandria, Louisiana, and Ron Small in Chicago, Illinois, singing in their respective churches' choirs.

Gospel music will always shine. A centerpiece of American sounds, it carries the ability to inspire all those within its sweep. Even for listeners beyond the beliefs at gospel's rousing center, the songs rarely fail to raise the roof everywhere they are performed. In that way, groups like the Sojourners are prophetic.

As the ranks of ‘60s soul and gospel singers grow thinner, projects like The Sojourners sound that much richer. Singers Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and Ron Small are U.S. ex-pats living in Vancouver, B.C. and each has been singing for around a half-century. The vocals are front-and-center (if not a bit pristine) and the production is spare - as it should be.

Vancouver is on everyone’s minds these days as the Winter Olympics start today, but there’s another reason to focus attention on this wonderful city. It’s a quartet – technically a trio – called the Sojourners.

Several years ago, Canadian blues singer Jim Byrnes needed some backup vocals for a new album. He called his friend, Vancouver-based gospel singer Marcus Mosely, who contacted two of his friends, Will Sanders and Ron Small. When the trio began singing, they knew that they had stumbled onto something special. During the session, Byrnes gave them the name The Sojourners, and an act was born.

The Sojourners comprise Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely – three artists who between them have been singing gospel for over one and a half centuries. “Real” gospel that is liberally spiced with blues, doo-wop, soul and R&B with just a dash of country for good measure – a fervent blend of styles that will delight lovers of all of the aforementioned genres.

You really don't expect authentic gospel music to come out of Vancouver—kind of like you don't expect the Winter Olympic Games to be held in a city without snow. But then, what's life without a few surprises? It all began when Canadian blues icon Jim Byrnes approached Marcus Mosely and a few friends to lay down backing vocals for an album he was working on.

When one reads the story of the founding of The Sojourners one might be tempted to call the formation of their gospel trio luck, serendipity, or a happy coincidence. For the three men who make up the group, their coming together to record back-up vocals for Jim Byrnes and the subsequent forming of the trio could only be seen as providential.

Ron Small, Marcus Mosely and Will Sanders—hailing respectively from Chicago, IL; Ralls, Texas; and Alexandria, Louisiana—have made Vancouver their home base in recent years, and it is from there that they are making such a glorious noise in the name of their Lord.

If you truly love someone, you’re genuinely happy when they’re happy, right? Well, gospel music can have the same effect. One doesn’t have to be a believer to be moved by the sheer joy and unshakable conviction of great gospel music. When the mood is as uplifting and the music as potent as that found on The Sojourners, the underlying message is moot, and belief is almost beside the point.

Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes contacted the Vancouver-based Marcus Moseley to get some other Canadian singing friends together to work on an album about three years ago. When the three men opened their mouths it was obvious that something special had been put together.

For the most part, gospel music remains a sealed world unto itself, only occasionally showing on the radar of popular music when a group draws on secular material by such as Tom Waits, or collaborates with practitioners of other strains of Americana roots-music.

Although the vocalists in this trio—Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely—have each been singing gospel for some 50 years, this is only their second album together. Their combined harmonies tend to balance the rougher edges of their individual vocal styles, and buttress the bluesy and country flavours they weave into their gospel sound.

Though Black Hen is a Canadian label, the three Sojourners are Americans who grew up in Illinois, Texas and Louisiana, all of them tutored in the musical traditions of the black church. That music has infused a whole lot of secular genres, most apparently doo wop, r&b, soul and pop, and that's not even to mention white Southern gospel.

The links between gospel music and the Blues are many, yet plenty of Blues lovers tend to overlook them. They should take a listen to The Sojourners.

Joy is seldom something that can be purchased but this second release from Vancouver’s Sojourners comes close.

This particular vocal group now based in Vancouver, have a different way of approaching the gospel music that is becoming so popular with white audiences lately. Formed around the smaller gospel quartet, this trio harmonize at mid-range level, while abandoning the baritone position for the most part.

They've been together only a few short years after providing vocal backing for Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes, but the Vancouver-based Sojourners sound as if they've been joined at the lip for years.

Get ready for some foot-stompin', hand-clappin' gospel and good-natured churchin' from a trio that does more than simple three-part harmony. You live, feel, and breathe the music delivered by Will Sanders, Ron Small, and Marcus Mosely with a rhythmic beat and texture rich enough to be compared to - dare we say it? - the late, great Sam Cooke's early work.

The Sojourners, a gospel trio from Canada, show the power of voices coming together on their self-titled second CD. The album's 11 songs are a mix of traditional gospel with arrangements by the Sojourners and contemporary songs with a spiritual theme.

The Sojourners are quite unlike any other gospel group recording today. The Canadian trio - Will Sanders, Ron Small, and Marcus Mosley, all born in the USA but based in Vancouver, BC - draws on the African American gospel quartet tradition, but because there are only three members, non singing bass, the harmonies are pitched higher and are different from those of most quartets.

Some dismiss gospel music because they don't share religious attitudes or beliefs. But as with the music of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, or Elvis Presley, to pass on the Sojourners just because you haven't "seen the light" would be a huge mistake.

Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes contacted the Vancouver-based Marcus Moseley to get some other Canadian singing friends together to work on an album about three years ago. When the three men opened their mouths it was obvious that something special had been put together.

While each member has been active in the music industry for decades, this trio first teamed in 2003 to record backing vocals for bluesman Jim Byrnes. The chemistry among Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and Ron Small was immediate, and the group made its debut as the Sojourners with 2007's Hold On.

When the Sojourners sing, you can hear their beaming smiles. It's what joy sounds like in three-part harmony. That's because church-men Marcus Mosely, Ron Small, and Will Sanders know how to masterfully blend their clearwater voices into heavenly gospel jubilance. Not bad for a group spontaneously formed as makeshift backup for Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes.

For roots-gospel trio the Sojourners, celebrating a homecoming after spending months away from Vancouver is going to be a tad bittersweet.

For roots-gospel trio the Sojourners, celebrating a homecoming after spending months away from Vancouver is going to be a tad bittersweet.

Their first, 2007's Hold On, was a powerful, effusive gospel recording that should by rights have got this Vancouver based trio - Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely from Louisiana, Chicago and Texas respectively - noticed.

Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely were friends long before coming together to provide backing for Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes but this was the catalyst that formed these seasoned vocalists into a gospel trio.

One of the many surprises about the Sojourners is that they hail from Canada - not usually thought of as a hotbed of gospel music. That's just scratching the surface, as there are plenty of other surprises on their eponymous second effort.

This is the second release from Vancouver’s Sojourners and, as was apparent on the first album, theirs is a joy- ful noise. The soulful combination of Ron Small, Will Sanders and Marcus Mosely – who hail from Chicago, Louisiana and Texas, respectfully – blend equal parts cur- rent material with more traditional Gospel fare from the past.

This is the debut recording for the newly-formed gospel threesome of Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely, all musical veterans who are currently integral members of Vancouver, Canada’s premiere gospel aggregation, the Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir.

The Sojourners have something of an intriguing birth story, one which immediately drew my attention. The trio -- Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely -- originally came together to provide background vocals to Jim Byrnes' latest Juno award winning CD project, House of Refuge. Byrnes was so pleased with the trio's contribution to his CD that he christened them The Sojourners.

Introduced backing Jim Byrnes’ wonderful, Juno-winning 2006 recording House of Refuge, this Vancouver-based gospel trio’s debut is an old school gem. Ron Small, Will Sanders and Marcus Mosely are music veterans and integral members of the Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir.

Since I'm on the gospel beat, here's a Canadian act with a twist: instead of Southern sounds, this Vancouver-based sacred trio with a choir background is backed by acoustic string band and bluegrass sounds on its debut album.

Not only is Marcus Mosely a member of the traditional gospel group The Sojourners, but he’s also an experienced actor. His road story harks back to 1986, soon after he moved from the U.S. to Vancouver and landed a part in Ain’t Misbehavin’, the popular tribute to the music of jazzman Fats Waller.

When Jim Byrnes began working on his 2006 album, House of Refuge, he knew that he wanted to add some gospel music into the mix. He’d performed live with gospel groups over the years, but hadn’t recorded an album with one until he mentioned the idea to his producer, Steve Dawson, and the two of them agreed to make it happen.

Although St. James Hall has long been deconsecrated, Marcus Mosley is happy that the site of the Sojourners' upcoming CD-release party was once holy ground. It's not that he minds performing in secular environments–the Sojourners see a lot of blues clubs when they're on the road with their friend and occasional employer, singer Jim Byrnes.

This is the first album for the Vancouver-based vocal gospel trio. The group met performing in The Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir and sang for the first time together as an ensemble on Jim Byrnes’ 2007 Juno Award-winning CD House of Refuge.

If gospel is your thing, you won't want to miss this West Coast trio.

Hold On is the debut album of Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosely, members of Vancouver's acclaimed Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir which premiered on Jim Byrnes' 2007 Juno-winning House of Refuge.

Yet another Sunday Morning coffee session, and this is probably the most appropriate selection for the category yet. The Sojourners are a gospel act from Vancouver, that benefit from silky souled out three part harmonies. Without trying to simplify the mix, I'd easily and happily compare then to the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Although it hearkens back to the sounds of the 30's and 40's, Hold On is the just released debut recording from The Sojourners, a Vancouver based gospel trio. The vocal group's roots find their way back to the very roots of Gospel music with the likes of the sweet soulful harmonies of The Swan Silvertones, The Pilgrim Travellers, and The Soul Stirrers.

It’s impossible to listen to The Sojourners without smiling. This is gospel music in the same category as The Blind Boys of Alabama. So much of ‘gospel’ music produced since the post-O’ Brother Where Art Thou-era has lacked depth and soul. But not The Sojourners.

Sojourner is one of my favourite words; it simply means someone staying somewhere temporarily, but it has a rich and tumultuous history to it in connection with slavery of the 18th and 19th century.

Vancouver's The Sojourners are Will Sanders, Ron Small and Marcus Mosley, all members of The Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir. They were brought together to back Jim Byrnes on his current House of Refuge album and somebody got the inspired idea they should make their own CD. Whatever your spiritual inclinations, this is a gem.

After hearing gospel vocalists The Sojourners back up Jim Byrnes on House of Refuge, one couldn't help but wonder when they would record their own disc.

Now they have.

Like far too many other music blogs, I generally stay within a comfortable niche with the music I listen to. I may make a show of listening primarily to Canadian music, but the fact is, for the most part it's all pretty easily classifiable within the broad heading of indie rock.

When I first heard Canada’s Sojourners quartet – Ron Small, Will Sanders, and Marcus Mosely – on fellow Canadian Jim Byrnes’ recent CD House of Refuge (also on Black Hen), I wrote in TBGB: “…they deserve a project of their own.” Voila! They have one. And it’s as good as I imagined it would be.