I love gospel music. I don’t mean the overproduced crap they play at megachurches, I’m talking about a piano, bass, and a stomp/clap choir in a black southern community church led one or more strong, usually female, singers.
I’ve never heard this music that wasn’t about God and that kind of puts me off so I’m wondering…is there gospel MUSIC without the gospel LYRICS?
[Edit]I’m talking Blues Brother church scene music - thanks shittydwarf for the link
Do you like the early soul singers? Etta James, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, etc
I do! They fit the strong lead singer description for sure but what I can’t seem to find is it paired with an upbeat choir.
Like imagine being in a pew of a small black church in Georgia. They’ve got a piano, a bass, and maybe a small drum kit. The singer is going ham and a small choir is backing them up.
My Lord Jesus, glory be! (Glory be! Glory be!)
Lord Jesus always there for me! (Glory be! Yes indeed!)
DAMN why didn’t I think to post this exact example of what I want??
Edited my post to include it.
Try Ray Charles’s Self-Titled album from 1957. Some of it feels literally like Gospel songs with Jesus subbed out for a girlfriend.
This is literally the
opposite ofcounterpart to an observation made in an episode of The Simpsons where a Christian Rock artist breaks down and admits that their songs are just regular rock songs with “Jesus” substituted in for “baby”.Edit: better words
Pretty close!! If he had a choir behind him it’d be perfect!
Choirs accompanying soul artists is not unheard of, but yeah, it does seem to be more of a tool that’s leveraged when the sound feels right for a track, rather than being a core part of the act. The linked song is verging pretty close to “regular” gospel, but the lyrics are a bit too modern and on the nose for church, I’d think.
Yeah this one slaps. Definitely an acceptable level of churchiness!
Gospel can vary widely in sound. What you’re basically looking for is soul, RnB, funk and maybe jazz fusion. Probably artists that combine elements of those things.
That’s what I’m struggling with, I don’t think any of the “root” genres bring the specific elements I’m searching for. Mainly the call-and-response with a small choir.
The closest I’ve found is like stomp clap indie folk but no bands really do the choir thing.
Speaking of indie, have you tried some of the newer Justin Vernon (edit: Bon Iver) singles? Prob not exactly what you’re looking for, but heavily influenced by gospel, particularly AUATC and PDLIF. I mean, he seems to be a god guy, but it’s subtle.
As for call and response, I’m a sucker for sea shanties. Singing them in groups is the best (everyone sings the “response”), but there are some good recordings too. Try the Longest Johns for some well-produced recordings. It’s a slippery slope to traditional music though… You’ve been warned.
