Singularly Secular

Johnny Jones - I Find No Fault (In My Baby's Love)



One of the most thrilling voices in gospel was that of Johnny Jones, whose falsetto whoops and intense singing style fit nicely alongside Rev. Reuben Willingham's in the Swanee Quintet ("New Walk" shows both men providing great leads, and "Lowly Jesus" and "Try Me Father" showcase Jones to great effect). Like a great many gospel leads, the question of "how would they sound on a soul record" comes to mind when hearing Jones' vocals. Fortunately, that question was answered, although only one time!

New York record man Bobby Robinson was able to nab Jones to do two sides for his Fury label. I've featured "Tennessee Waltz" on Episode #8 of the podcast, and Jones' take on the country classic is nothing short of breathtaking. Today's feature is the flip to that tune. "I Find No Fault," despite a very gospel-bent title, is much less intense than "Tennessee Waltz," but Jones certainly doesn't "phone it in" with his performance. While the song's swinging groove moves along, Jones adroitly works the lyrics and manages to leap into some of those falsetto trills that Jones was known for.