Like many significant musicians, William Parker conceives of work to which he does not have to make a direct contribution. Like Ornette, he writes songs for others to play that are steeped in his spirit while allowing the chosen performers sufficient space to express themselves. This set of quite beautiful compositions could not have been brought to life more effectively than by Lisa Sokolov and Cooper-Moore, longstanding Parker collaborators (over three decades, no less) who compellingly reach both the requisite emotional depths and sonic beauty, above all through the singer's tonal range and the pianist's touch and rhythmic balance. This is as much a gospel album as anything but one that acknowledges the proximity of a post-‘New music’ aesthetic to the traditions of Mahalia Jackson, Paul Robeson and Mavis Staples. If anybody can make the point that what is called avant-garde music stands on the same earth as the black church, primarily through their common ecstatic energy, then it is Parker and this great duo that more than does justice to a remarkably consistent repertoire. Depth of feeling and richness of sound sit in near-perfect harmony. Received wisdom holds that a piano-vocal duet favours a trip to calmer musical waters and while there are moments of magnificent introspection here there are also torrents of bracing energy. The likes of Abbey Lincoln and Hank Jones would surely have been proud.