Magda Piskorczyk - Mahalia (2011)

Magda Piskorczyk has prepared CD "Mahalia" in Honor of Mahalia Jackson to celebrate the 100th Birthday Anniversary of the Queen of Gospel (October 26, 2011). 'Come on Children, Let's Sing', 'Lord, Search My Heart', 'I'm Goin' to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song', 'Keep Your Hand on the Plow' or 'Go Tell It on the Mountain' are only a few examples from a very long list of the songs, which became worldwide known and close to millions people due to Mahalia. These songs enchanted Magda Piskorczyk too. The album includes 15 songs produced and arranged by Magda on the old and beautiful tradition, in which joy and energy interlace with the passion of worship and deep reflection. Magda has performed gospel and spiritual songs many times in Poland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary and France. In 2008 she gave a series of concerts with her band at the City Sings Gospel Festival in Liverpool. There she performed also at the Hope Street Festival and during the final concert in the Metropolitan Cathedral, broadcast by the BBC Radio. Musicians: Magda Piskorczyk - vocal, arrangements (1-15) Aleksandra Siemieniuk - electric guitar (1-2, 4-6, 8, 10, 12-14),dobro (9), acoustic guitar (13) Roman Ziobro - double bass (1-2, 4-10, 12-15) Maksymilian Ziobro - drums (1-2, 4-6, 8-10, 12-14) Stanislaw Witta - piano (1, 3-6, 8, 10, 12-14), Hammond (1, 11-12, 14) Jacek Namyslowski - trombone (15) Gospel Band Choir (4, 8, 12, 14): Magdalena Supel - choir arrangement, alt, Malgorzata Stepien - sopran, Joanna Mews - mezzosopran, Mariusz Odwarzny - tenor, Michal Mielczarek - tenor Production and music production: Magda Piskorczyk Record label: Artgraff Release: November 2011 Recorded by Pawel Pekalski in Studio OKO (Ochota Culture Center), Warsaw, 2011 Mixed by Pawel Pekalski & Magda Piskorczyk Mastered by: Jaroslaw Regulski Cover and booklet design: Magda Piskorczyk and Ireneusz Graff Cover graphics: Ireneusz Graff.

Review
When blues performers on this side of the Atlantic tackle gospel material, it tends to be a quick run through of Blind Willie Johnson or Gary Davis in order to show off some nifty guitar work. A set like this, 15 tracks from the repertoire of one of gospel's greatest voices, released to mark the 100s anniversary of Ms. Jackson's birth on 26th October 1911, is highly unusual in many ways - Magda was inspired by hearing Mahalia's records as a child, and this young Polish artist usually sings the blues, albeit nearly always with a very personal twist. On this set she draws liberally on those blues roots - there is indeed plenty of the nifty guitar work - but she always remains respectful to the gospel tradition. Her deep, smoky voice is as well-suited to slow, impassioned items like 'Trouble of the World' as it is to better known, up tempo clap-along numbers such as 'Go Tell It On The Mountain' and the surprisingly listenable 'He's Got The Whole World In His Hands'. Magda is accompanied by a small group, and a choir on four numbers, to help push things along, and the result is a very entertaining and inspiring CD. --Blues in the South / February 2012 (bluesinthesouth.com)