They're lifting hearts by lifting voices

When the LoveTones harmonize on old-time spirituals such as ''Steal Away" or ''Wade in the Water," the only sound you hear is harmony itself. The Newton gospel quartet specializes in a cappella performances of songs with origins that can be traced back to slavery.

This traditional approach makes the group, based at the Myrtle Baptist Church on Curve Street, distinct in an era when most of their peers are trying to take gospel into a more contemporary realm, with drum machines and hip-hop beats. The LoveTones perform tonight on the Newton Centre Green as part of the church's 130th anniversary celebration.

Brothers Walter and Stephen Cooper started singing with Mississippi native William Lessenberry in the Boston area in 1968. The three formed a rhythm and blues group, the Authentics, which remained intact until Lessenberry moved to England in the early 1980s to sing with doo-wop legends the Platters. The three singers reunited here as the LoveTones in 1991, and originally focused on contemporary gospel, joined later by Kenneth Haywood.

Then, to avoid tangling with copyright laws, the group began to explore the music's roots.

''When we first started our CD, we were looking for songs that were in the public domain," said Walter Cooper.

The result was ''Jubilee," which was released in 2002.

''It became apparent that there was something deeper in that music," Cooper said. ''When you sing a cappella, people listen to the words more carefully. We began looking for more spirituals. Gospel was created in the 1930s and consists of faith-based songs written by individuals. Spirituals, on the other hand, were songs that did not have a single author but evolved over time, starting in slave times."

The group sings regularly around the region. They often perform a program called ''Hidden Meanings," reflecting the lyrics of spirituals that slaves sang, yearning for freedom.

''The song 'Deep River' talks about crossing over Jordan," Cooper said. ''Jordan was used by slaves as a metaphor for the Ohio River, the point of freedom where they'd be in a free land."

When they're not working at their full-time jobs, the group members have also appeared on gospel programs with stars such as Shirley Caesar and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, and can also be found offering educational programs in schools and libraries.

Haywood is a brick mason, Stephen Cooper is a truck driver, and Walter Cooper installs a product called GarageTek. Lessenberry is a maitre d' at a legendary Harlem soul food restaurant called Sylvia's. He lives in the New York City area and commutes to Newton for LoveTones performances.

Instead of assigning each member a vocal part, the LoveTones shift between lead and background parts in the midst of each song. Walter Cooper, for instance, speaks in a deep baritone but often sings in a soaring falsetto.

He realizes that at a venue like the Newton Centre Green, the LoveTones will be performing for a broader audience than they typically have at Myrtle Baptist.

''We try to be conscious of it," he said. ''This music was intended to speak to the individual. We hope the individual finds a way to relate to it and absorb it. Certainly, the program we do at Myrtle Baptist is a little more Jesus-centric."

Myrtle Baptist was founded when nine African-American members of Newton's abolitionist-friendly Second Baptist Church (now called Lincoln Park Baptist) decided to form a separate church. The move sparked controversy.

''There were articles written saying that having a church just for blacks was contrary to the abolitionist movement," said the Reverend Howard Haywood, Kenneth's uncle, who has been minister at Myrtle Baptist since 1985. ''But that wasn't the purpose -- it was for the culture and tradition. The relationship between the two churches was good, and we still have joint services together twice a year."

The Haywood family traces its roots in West Newton to 1849.

''A small area of West Newton has been mostly African-American families since the end of the 1700s," Howard Haywood said. ''But in 1962, the Mass. Turnpike was put in, and it wiped out 22 homes in our community. A lot of people moved to the west suburbs or into Boston, and we thought the church would not survive."

But in the past few years, young professionals and students have discovered the church, and it now boasts 300 members. White, African-American, and Caribbean families now attend services.

''Sixty percent of our congregation comes from outside of Newton," Howard Haywood said. ''For them, this is a spiritual oasis."

The LoveTones and the Myrtle Baptist Combined Choir perform at 6:15 tonight at the Newton Centre Green, at the corner of Langley Road and Centre Street.