David Raleigh
Gospel—Songs My Mother Taught Me
Pangea, NYC, July 18, 2021
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
A gospel brunch in a cabaret room on a Sunday afternoon may sound a bit stodgy, but it certainly is not that when singer/pianist David Raleigh is in charge. With his immense charm and sense of (slightly wicked) fun, this was a high-energy afternoon, complete with audience participation (“you guys are my choir today!”), quizzes, and great stories about his powerful mother and a strange encounter with Pat and Shirley Boone.
On the musical side of things, Raleigh was backed up by the impeccable skill of Steve Doyle on bass and Daniel Glass on drums. “I’ve Got Confidence” (Andrae Crouch) and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Paul Simon) gave them chances for driving solos. Raleigh himself got to show off his skills on the piano with a rousing “Amen” (Jester Hairston), after getting members of the audience to offer vocal solos of various effectiveness including one from a young attendee who had a promising voice.
Vocally, Raleigh possesses a flexible voice that allows him to build numbers effectively. He has a passion for mashing together R&B titles with gospel songs—or instance, “You Make Me So Happy” and “Oh Happy Day”; “Love Lifted Me,” “Your Love Is Liftin’ Me,” and “You Raise Me Up.” While this material doesn’t allow him to display his humor (his repertoire normally extends to a wide range within the Great American Songbook), he managed to keep a twinkle in his eye throughout. Perhaps his greatest triumph was his performance of his own composition as an eighth grader—“Thank You for Making Music”—which showed that even as a youth he had a confidence and a connection to his spiritual nature.
