Psalm 150
Allen Gregory * James Felix * Jimmy Erickson * Mike Escalante * Greg Eckler * Bob Anglin


Make Up Your Mind Manna 1974
One gap in early Christian music I've always lamented is the lack of decent 70's funk. I'm well aware there's plenty of good black gospel music out there, as well as some pop/ccm from Andrae Crouch and the like, but my longing for Parliament/Funkadelic/Ohio Players-style r&b has largely gone unsatisfied. Well, jazz funksters Psalm 150 don't really fill the gap, but surprisingly enough they do manage to nudge the funkometer a couple of notches - more so than most other Christian band I've encountered anyhow. Seventies funky keyboards abound (most notably clavinet) on at least 4 songs, and 'Get Yourself Together' is a decent pre-disco number. Sparse use of horns with r&b-styled female BGV's (or are those guys singing falsetto?). Woulda bet money these guys were black, but the cover photo gives them away (though the liner says Andrae Crouch and Danniebelle stopped by). Lengthy cuts make for over 45 minutes of listening. Won't satisfy the diehard George Clinton fan, but this group does wall what it sets out to do. Guitarist Randy Thomas of Sweet Comfort/Allies fame played with this group for a while. KS

Psalm 150:
James Felix: bass, guitar, vocals
Greg Eckler: trumpet, percussion, vocals
Michael Escalante: keyboards, vocals
Bob Anglin: guitar
Jimmy Erickson: percussion, vocals
Allen Gregory: trumpet