Gospel Part 1

For some odd reason, I had some sort of interest in religious music before I listened to the first of two iTunes playlists. I'm not at all religious, and often make fun of Christian Rock, but have had some interest in the genre for awhile now, and I'm not sure why.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the hour long set of music. Although many apt comparisons could be made to the earlier playlists/Pandora sets/podcasts, the layered vocals, themes and subtle differences made these songs more exciting than earlier installments. The principle sound (and sound quality) definitely still existed, with vocals maxing out and records crackling in the background, but that really should not become the focus of this music.

Sound quality aside, I enjoyed Lyle Lovette's "Church" more than any other song, and not simply for the fact that it was definitely more modern than the other songs on the list. The layered vocals seemed more harmonic (which I suppose could be tied to recording quality), but just being able to listen to enunciated lyrics definitely had its appeal. I guess I really don't see how this song fits into the Roots Music theme, unless this is an accurate modern version of elements of roots music from the actual "roots years."

I found the sermon-based recordings interesting as well, and they brought up several questions. For the first time while listening to assigned songs, the recordings were used for non-musical reasons. Were the sermons recorded at a later time period when recording was cheaper? Was church money used to fund these endeavors? Were these, as they were mostly not musical, seen as frivolous at the time, or merely as a reflection of society? I personally don't know, but assume that the last was true, that they were a reflection of what the "mainstream" wanted, as Jazz and Blues were seen as dangerous outsider genres with ties to alcohol and a rough lifestyle.

In addition I also enjoyed:

Sister Mary Nelson's "Judgement"
Bascom Lamar Lunsford's "Dry Bones"
and
Reverend Benny Campbell's "You Must be Born Again"

-Brady