Blind Arvella Gray The Singing Drifter is a collection of traditional gospel numbers ("Take My Hand Precious Lord"), original songs ("These Old Fashioned Alley Blues"), and a few a cappella tracks steadied by Gray's sparse clapping. But it's the rolling melodies of Gray's dobro that capture his essence: as he punctuates instrumental verses of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with a jubilant "Hallelujah!," it's easy to imagine the crowds that must have clustered around him on that Chicago street, ears inclined. -Catherine P. Lewis
.: Originally published: Paste Issue 18: October/November 2005
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