This month we review the video In The House of The Lord LIVE by The Mighty Clouds of Joy.  If there was ever a group that is the crown jewel of gospel music, it is The Mighty Clouds of Joy.  This group has been singing God’s praise for over forty-five (45) years.  This group has also been at the forefront of many of the advances that we see in the gospel music industry today.  They were the first group to have a full compliment of musicians on the road.  They were pioneers in what is now called contemporary gospel music.

Well, the video that is the subject of this review represents another first.  On April 12, 2005, The Clouds released their CD titled In The House Of The Lord Live In Houston.  This was the recording of a live concert that took place on December 1, 2004, at The Fountain of Praise Hillcroft Worship Center in Houston, Texas.  Only audio was made of the recording.  Fans of The Clouds persisted in requesting a video of the recording.  The Clouds heeded the call of their fans and on August 29, 2005, they recorded the entire concert (from Houston) over at The Global Café in Nashville, Tennessee.  The video was released on November 22, 2005.  To the best of our recollection, this is the first time a group has ever re-recorded a project solely for the purpose of doing a full video of a previously released CD.

The video contains the same songs (in the same order) that were on the CD.  We reviewed the CD in July 2005.  Therefore, for an assessment of the songs check out the CD review at our Quartet CD Reviews’ page.  The audience in Houston consisted of nearly a thousand persons.  While, the audience at the Nashville recording was only about one hundred.  Although you will hear a choir in the background on many of the songs on the video, the choir never makes an appearance on the video.  And, although the video is a welcome recording for fans of The Clouds, there seem to be less energy on display at the recording in Nashville than what comes through on the CD recorded in Houston.

The stage at The Global Café is just large enough for the singers and the musicians. There is no one hinging around the stage.  Therefore, you are able to focus on the singers and not be distracted by any unnecessary activity on the stage.

The lighting is great.  There are many close-ups of the members of the group and musicians.  There are also great shots of the audience.  Because of the size of the audience, the group was able to get close up and personal with those in attendance as they moved from song to song.  Joe Ligon is one of the best singers there is when it comes in interacting with the audience.  And he is at his best on this recording.

The quality of the sound is outstanding.  There are no highs or lows in the sound quality.  The recording level is consistent throughout the video.

The project is vintage traditional gospel quartet.  If you are looking for a good video that captures the essence of great gospel quartet singing, then you will want to add this video to your collection. 

Overall this is a good video.  We do recommend that you add this video in your collection.  We give the video The Mighy Clouds of Joy's "In The House OfThe Lord LIVE" a 8.5 out of 10.  Click on the picture above to view a clip from the video.***  To order your copy of the DVD click HERE.