“Peace Be Still”
Kelontae Gavin
Malaco Music Group (release date: January 20, 2022)
www.malaco.com
By Robert M. Marovich
At the Malaco Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration in Jackson, Mississippi, gospel soloist Kelontae Gavin put his own melismatic touch on “Peace Be Still.” It’s from the CD and DVD chronicling the Fiftieth Anniversary concert, where today’s gospel artists reprised classics from the Malaco gospel catalog.
Gavin doesn’t use the Rev. James Cleveland / Gwendolyn Cooper Lightner arrangement of “Peace Be Still” but instead borrows the score Thomas Whitfield wrote for Vanessa Bell Armstrong. Sweet background vocalists chant “peace be still” and “peace” as Gavin, like Armstrong, asks God for peace in our homes, in our schools, in our jobs, but also evokes peace “in Jackson, Mississippi.” He then evangelizes to the audience on the goodness of God for offering peace.
It’s good to see someone born sixteen years after Armstrong’s version of “Peace Be Still” was released inject new energy into the song for the spiritual edification of a new generation.
Written by : Bob Marovich
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.
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