Headed up by a trio of self-described “recovering record collectors,” the Numero Group prides itself on throwing the spotlight on the unknown, from Belize’s curious stew of jazzy soul to the rockin’ hillbilly gospel of Fern Jones. To Numero, the music and the mystique are of a piece, and just as Jones proved to be a sanctified Wanda Jackson, the cast of Good God! align themselves with James Brown as much as they do James Cleveland.

With no commercial concerns to contend with, many of the tracks transcend time. The Mighty Walker Brothers’ “God Been Good To Me,” for instance, was cut in 1980 but reverberates with the rawness of 1968. Likewise, Cliff Gober’s minor-keyed “A Poor Wayfaring Stranger” hails from 1976 but could easily have been recorded 15 years earlier. “Praise him with crashing cymbals!” advises Psalm 150:5 and the Mighty Voices of Wonder take heed in “I Thank You Lord,” throwing in some ricocheting rimshots to boot. But Good God! isn’t just about raising the roof; scathing social commentary abounds in the 5 Spiritual Tones’ “Bad Situation,” and the Modulations’ “This Old World Is Going Down.” Saving the best for last, LaVice and Company’s “Thoughs Were The Days,” (sic) is a half-spoken, half-rapped horn-drenched testimony starring a nostalgic demon who bemoans the fact that the Lord is winning too many followers. “It doesn’t seem like nobody’s comin’ down here no more,” he complains, cheering up slightly to reminisce about “when hell was some kind of a swingin’ place.” But if the music here is any indication, heaven is undoubtedly the place to be.