This collection of rare black gospel from the Midwest—featuring church
congregations, basement recordings sessions, family bands and
children’s choirs—is drawn together by two threads. The
first—hope—which holds fast and unchanging, even in the most trying of
circumstances. The second—circumstance—the way these recordings fell into
the hands of producer, Ramona Stout. Over the course of five years (2006–2011)
of vinyl hustling in Chicago’s South and West Sides, these 45s came into
Ramona’s hands, mixed up in milkcrates. After much travel and time, Ramona
has articulated the spirit that drove this music forward. In this collection,
she writes of this music and its relationship to the struggling communities
where the records were found. Sourced from exceedingly rare 45s—many of which
were vanity pressings of less than 100 copies—all of the tracks found on this
collection appear for the first time since their original release. Remastered by
Grammy-winning producer Christopher King, these recordings have been resurrected
for a new generation of listeners. With art direction by Grammy-winning graphic
designer Susan Archie, this collection is a tangible, immersive experience in
the struggles—the victories, the failures and the lingering hope—that
defined Chicago in the post-Civil Rights era. No Other Love is a singular,
impressionistic journey into music that expresses faith, despair and exuberance.
It is also a profound exploration of the very meaning of hope.
