New Orleans’ own One-A-Chord—not to be confused with the Arkansas vocal group of the same name—has a unique mission: to meld traditional local riddims with gospel harmonizing. The result, when it works, is greasy and glorious at the same time, sort of like getting your Sunday mass and your Sunday dinner at the same time. Studio sessions traditionally have a hard time capturing the spirit-feel of a live gospel performance, and anyone would be hard-pressed to reproduce the testifyin’ frenzy of the Jazz Fest Gospel Tent, the place where One-A-Chord shines brightest. They do a fine job here, though; all that’s missing is the sound of hundreds of hands clapping.

You’ll never hear a funkier version of “Oh Happy Day” than the one on this CD, or a bluesier “Just A Closer Walk With Thee,” or a more uniquely reflective “My Country ’Tis Of Thee” (the perfect balm for bruised, post-9/11 Christian patriots). Lead singer Betty Winn’s originals work even better in the group’s funky gospel context: both “My Light And My Salvation” and the title track comprise equal parts Gospel Tent and Congo Square. There’s an occasional misstep—most notably the stilted history lesson that introduces the James-Cleveland-via-Gladys-Knight version of “Jesus Is The Best Thing.” On the whole, however, this is one of the most intriguing testimonies you’re likely to hear this year. And when the group shifts to more traditional arrangements by the end of the CD with “Saints Medley,” “There Is A Fountain,” and “He Lives,” they give you that old-time religion as well as anyone.