Before it was released on Gospel Truth, “Jesus People” was released by Volt as “Step to Jesus” in 1971, named for its opening and title track. The song “Step to Jesus” is led by vocalist Melvin Smothers and written by Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church Minister of Music George Jordan. Jordan’s original writing fills the majority of the album’s first half, save for his choral arrangement of Diana Ross’ 1970 hit “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” On it, Smothers returns for a resoundingly uplifting solo and the Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir provides steady accompaniment.

Originally recorded in 1969 and released the following year on the Volt label as “Hello Sunshine,” Reverend Maceo Woods’ “In Concert” highlights the talents of Woods’ Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir. Woods founded the Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in 1960 in his native Chicago with just 14 members. It’d soon grow to 2,000 members, and Woods would gain prominence as both singer and organist.

If only judged by its guitar introduction, handled by Morris Dollison, Jr., Maceo Woods’ “Good-Bye Loneliness” could be characterized as a blues song. Like the majority of the album which bears its name, the track bears enough musical resemblance to the music of juke joints and parlors to provide an unmistakable contrast to its richly sanguine content.

Maceo Woods and the Tabernacle Gospel Choir’s “A New Dawning” presents itself with the conditioned poise that only Woods and his choir could have afforded during Gospel Truth’s lifespan. Already regarded as a sought-after organist and showman prior to the label’s founding, Woods and close collaborator George Jordan return for another outing deploying marksman-like consistency.

Settling officially into the Gospel Truth label, Reverend Maceo Woods and his Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir performed their first proprietary release on the label, “God Save Your People,” in 1972. The album’s opening selection picks up where Woods and the group’s previous LP left off, evangelizing to wayward souls with the cadence of “The Magnificient Sanctuary Band (Marching for the Man).” The group’s frequent male soloist Melvin Smothers sings an enthusiastic lead, encouraging all who can hear to drop everything and make a joyful noise about God’s grace. But the gleeful vocal is nearly overshadowed by the military-inspired taps of percussionist Billy Carson.