Album: Various artists, The Gospel Truth! (BGP)

Rance Allen's "Showdown" is one of the sexiest, most soulful records ever.

Naturally, it's all about God. Made for the Stax subsidiary Gospel Truth in 1972, it's the best song by a country mile on this new compilation from the label's catalogue, which tends towards raucous fuzz-box funk more than heavenly harmonies. There are two OK numbers by the Staples Singers and Clarence Smith's excellent "Motherless Child", already collected on Soul Gospel. Allen's Stax Profiles for a fiver online looks a better bet.