Gospel Music

I had the opportunity to hear the vocal group Young Men Sent perform en vivo at a recent meeting of the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild. To me, the litmus test of any vocal group is its ability to harmonize without help from the endless number of levers, switches, and [...]

Hymns To Hang On ToBishop James Dixon II & the Community of Faith Mass ChoirBlackberry Records BBD-16482005“Whatever happened to the hymns?” ruminates Bishop James W.E. Dixon II in the first seconds of this new project from Blackberry Records. The hymn book is to the musician, he remarks, as the Bible [...]

TBGB brings to your attention a film with a gospel music soundtrack and theme that is due out in October. The Gospel will feature gospel superstars such as Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Martha Munizzi, and music by Kirk Franklin. Hey, is it possible we might be previewing this film next [...]

Various Artists: Gospel Superstars – SoulLink Live 2MCG Records2005MCG7037www.mcgrecords.comBased on the success of its first SoulLink Live CD, MCG Records (part of the Malaco Music Group) has released the second compilation of quartet cuts under the SoulLink moniker. Like its predecessor, this volume also comes from the marathon six-hour “keep [...]

When Gospel Was Gospel – Various Artists Shanachie SH 60642005www.shanachie.comI am often asked to recommend a CD that will introduce the uninitiated to the sound of black gospel music. It’s not as easy as it sounds; some compilations are too facile while others are too esoteric to recommend. Thanks to [...]

Remember Me – Marion WilliamsShanachie SH 60632005www.shanachie.com“I was born to sing the gospel and I sure do love my job.”So sings Marion Williams on “Born to Sing the Gospel,” a track from Remember Me, a selection of the former Ward Singer’s solo performances from 1968 to 1992. One listen to [...]

The Summer 2005 issue of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) newsletter announced that the third annual induction of fifty sound recordings for the National Recording Registry included three gospel and spiritual selections:"Down by the Riverside," Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Decca, 1944)Peace Be Still, James Cleveland and the Angelic Choir [...]

The Forgotten RecordingsMahalia JacksonAcrobat CD ADDCD 30062005www.acrobatmusic.netUnpack your bags. Cancel your reservation. You don’t need to travel to Paris and sort through boxes of dusty, used vinyl in record boutiques to own the music on Mahalia Jackson’s famous Vogue LPs. Acrobat Records of England has felt your pain and released [...]

The Swan Silvertones 1946-1951Acrobat CD ADDCD 30042005www.acrobatmusic.netFans of classic black gospel quartet singing will treasure this new, two-CD reissue by England's Acrobat label. This chronologically-organized collection of every one of the Swan Silvertones' first 45 recordings, released by Sydney Nathan's Cincinnati-based King label between 1946 and 1951, paints an aural [...]

“Bridge Over Troubled Water”The ChristianairesMCG Records 2005“Bridge Over Troubled Water” was destined to become a gospel song. In fact, one might argue that it has always had a gospel provenance. For example, the title of the Paul Simon-penned paean to the power of unconditional love was alleged to have been [...]