3 stars out of 5 -- "The filmmakers use film, stills and video footage from as far back as the late 1800s, some of which has never been seen or heard before. Some of the performances in the film are deeply affecting..."
Box Office

"Smokey Robinson, who introduces the film and offers its closing observations, sets its praiseworthy tone....[The film] snaps into focus once it begins relating a chronological history of a genre that evolved out of the fusion of plantation work songs and Christian hymns."
New York Times

"Don McGlynn's gospel documentary takes a gratifyingly comprehensive look at an ecstatic American art form." -- Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly

3 stars out of 4 -- "[A] consistently entertaining documentary bringing together a remarkable variety of surviving performances on films and records, going back to circa 1900."
Chicago Sun-Times

"[V]ibrant and comprehensive....REJOICE provides both a melodic education and a once-in-a-lifetime concert in one soul-stirring package."
Los Angeles Times