The Jones Family Singers

The Spirit Speaks (Arts+Labor)

Hailing from Bay City, the Jones Family Singers bring more than just a joyful noise. The three-generation gospel collective’s high-energy performances are the living embodiment of the indelible connection between the black church and its rock & soul offspring. Produced by John Croslin and Eric Friend from Austin’s Reivers, The Spirit Speaks compiles material dating back to the late Eighties alongside a few newly recorded songs. With radiant conviction, Alexis Jones summons all comers to higher ground on hard-swinging opener “Down on Me.” JFS patriarch Bishop Fred Jones brings Ezekiel 37 to life with a commanding reading of “Bones in the Valley.” Musical director Fred Jones Jr. provides robust arrangements, while drummer/grandson Ian Wade lays into the snare with remarkable thickness throughout. While The Spirit Speaks can’t capture the full spiritual lift of the group’s live presence, it’s a convincing edict to catch their show forthwith. (7:30pm, St. David’s Bethell Hall)

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This article appears in March 14 • 2014.

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Greg Beets was born in Lubbock on the day Richard Nixon was elected president. He has covered music for the Chronicle since 1992, writing about everyone from Roky Erickson to Yanni. Beets has also written for Billboard,Uncut, Blurt, Elmore, and Pop Culture Press. Before his digestive tract cried uncle, he co-published Hey! Hey! Buffet!, an award-winning fanzine about all-you-can-eat buffets.