Then Sings My Soul

Ronnie Milsap waited almost 40 years to deliver a gospel album, so given that long wait makes Then Sings My Soul no small affair. A double-disc set spanning 24 tracks, Then Sings My Soul is weighty in its size but not in its sound. Milsap sings these gospel standards — and apart from a version of Ben E King's "Stand by Me" directed to Jesus, and arguably Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," this is all standards — with his trademark light touch, always sounding friendly and welcoming. Although the production could stand to be as warm as Milsap's voice — although it's not digitally chilly, it's too pristine — the focus is always on his singing, so this doesn't wind up feeling quite as clean as the immaculate recording. If anything, the biggest flaw on Then Sings My Soul is that there are no great highs or lows, it's all tasteful and reserved so it blends together over the course of a lengthy double-disc album. That means that the best way to appreciate Then Sings My Soul is in small doses or, better still, as Sunday morning background music which may have been the intention in the first place.