Damn. Just... damn.
This super rare record has been gaining a most rabid cult following in recent years, this slice of lo-fi gospel rock art brut. "I Like God's Style" by Isabel Baker is nothing short of phenomenal. I love this haunting, disturbing, often funny record, and you will hear moments where she is laughing to herself in a song.
The year this was recorded, 1965, by all appearances if your vision is slightly blurry, Isabel Baker was a girl of sixteen years. Now, listen to her singing in that deep voice breaking like that of a pubescent boy... then take note of her Adam's apple... and those large hands with articulated veins... understanding that there were some very different goings on in Garden Grove, California at the time... and all over the USA, for that matter... and most folks couldn't speak of such things, to their parents, to their friends, or even to themselves. How fucking scared would you be?
Also be thankful that our collective mindset toward gender preference has advanced considerably fifty-two years later... what's unfortunate is that Ms. Baker's story hasn't fleshed itself out beyond the music and sleeve notes. I hope she's still with us and having the best life.
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