History:

St. Rita’s Folk Group, which also went by the name Re-Creation, was a christian folk choir from Alexandria, Virginia. Not much is known about this group except they featured a small choir and a folk rock backing band. The group only released one recording “God Will Set Us Free” in 1973. The album is one of the most obscure releases on the RPC vanity label. Only three copies are known to exist. No information is present on the back of the cover and no inserts were present with any sold copies (I find it likely, though, that some may have come with one). The album is essentially common christian gospel music with some rawer moments courtesy of poor production. It’s unclear what happened to the group or if several tracks that brought up no known lyrical matches are original songs.

Review:

God Will Set Us Free (1973, RPC)

Rating: 2/10

Horribly overhyped over the years. The majority of this album is unappealing “real people” gospel music courtesy of a bad choir but competent backing band. The album does feature a couple standouts that save it from the bin though. The best track by far is “What I Always Wanted”. Not only is it the best song on this album, but it’s one of the best songs on any RPC record (or private press in general) that I’ve heard. Good raw solo vocal, great sloppy lead guitar, pleasant lyrics, and just very catchy overall. “Lamb Of God” is a solid folk-psych track with a stellar (and dark) two part female harmony. The album opener “Weave Me The Sunshine” is a very catchy song with great 12-string acoustic guitar work and the choir is tolerable. There are a few “freakout” moments with instrumental breaks and horns but I don’t like them personally.