Just because the Zion Harmonizers are one of New Orleans’ oldest and most respected gospel groups, don’t be deceived into thinking they are in any way “old-timey” or a relic of the past. Founded in 1939 as a group of teenagers in Zion City -- a small, out-of-the-way neighborhood in New Orleans -- the group spent much of the 1940s opening for their sister group, The Southern Harps, whose reputation was then at its height.

During the 1950s, the Zion Harmonizers broke out on their own with radio appearances and a series of commercial recordings, establishing a reputation further enhanced by regular appearances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and a series of international bookings.

Over the years, the group has never swayed from its intention to make all forms of gospel music a part of the variety it presents. Take “Everyday Will Be Sunday,” for example, which opens with keyboards that echo The Neville Brothers’ “Hey Pocky Way,” while the very next track, “Down by the Riverside,” is purely a classic spiritual.

In fact, says cultural historian Lynn Abbott, “the Zion Harmonizers shine brightest on their irresistible a cappella, close-harmony arrangements of old-time slave spirituals,” represented here by “Ezekial,” “Steal Away,” and “Old Noah.” But they can also rock your soul with doo-wop crooning (check out “Thank You, Lord” or “I Can Call on the Lord”), shake the rafters with “I’ve Got the Spirit” gospel shouts (“He’ll Be There,” “We Need Jesus”), and even throw in a touch of hard rock (“Live for Jesus”).

The Zion Harmonizers can do it all, and in every case, these expert ambassadors of the Lord’s message are guaranteed to rock your soul.