“Glory” Detroit Youth Choir feat. IndigoYaj (release date: July 13, 2020) www.detroityouthchoir.org By Bob Marovich From the 2014 film Selma, “Glory” is an ideal piece to sing for choruses everywhere, and especially youth ensembles like the fifty-plus member Detroit Youth Choir, which retains the song’s inspirational soul while foregrounding its sobering message of inequality. Rap interludes from former DYC member IndigoYaj update the original by expressing the anxieties of COVID-19 and righteous anger over the persistence of racism. The choir received a shout out from none other than John Legend, who co-wrote “Glory” with Common and Rhymefest. The DYC puts ...

“Good God” Benita Jones Tyscot / Integrity (release date: March 6, 2020) By Bob Marovich As Benita Washington, the P&W singer from Selma, Alabama, captured national attention in 2003 after winning the “Gospel Dream” talent search competition in its inaugural season. Her subsequent albums included Hold On (Light/Intersound, 2004), Renaissance: Live in Nashville (ReddApple Seed Ent., 2007), and The Word Remains (Shanachie, 2020). Now, as Benita Jones, she delivers “Good God,” the first single from her forthcoming album. Her full-throttle rendition, backed by a band of musicians pounding out an uncompromising march tempo, turns an unassuming call-and-response worship piece into ...

An interesting perspective on the Grammys’ Beyonce-“Precious Lord” controversy.  Read Kevin Cokley’s article in American Prospect by clicking below: Beyoncé Misses the Point of What Gospel Music Means to Black Americans. For my money, I would have preferred to hear Ledisi sing it, since she did the song in Selma.  Of course it’s all about the ratings, which is why TV personalities host music awards shows but you’ll rarely see a musician hosting a TV awards show. Interestingly, while Mahalia Jackson is inexorably connected to “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” by Thomas A. Dorsey (pictured, circa 1930s), once upon a time in Chicago, the birthplace of ...