The latest part of the ongoing series chronicling, in no particular order, the greatest 1001 recordings made by Christian artists
Continued from page 54
736. MYRNA SUMMERS & THE INTERDENOMINATIONAL SINGERS -
WITNESS, 1970. From the album 'Tell It Like It Is',
Cotillion.
Of all the hundreds of mighty voiced sistahs
who've taken the lead mic with a righteous gospel choir ready with the
calls and responses, few can equal the sheer soul power of COGIC's
Myrna Summers. The Washington-born singer/pianist and the
interdenominational youth choir she formed were signed in 1969 to the
major Atlantic Records, who on their Cotillion label were making a
stab at the gospel market. This amazing track, subsequently re-issued
on 'The Word From The Pulpit' compilation, captured Myrna at her peak.
Soul music expert Lois Wilson wrote that the "raucous, jubilatory
'Witness' from 1970 had them dancing in the aisles and wouldn't be out
of place in a funk club today."
Tony Cummings
737. MICHAEL GUNGOR - FRIEND OF GOD, 2003. From the album
'Bigger Than My Imagination', Integrity.
Forget those
smart-alec labels like "post liturgical worship" and somesuch. More
important is that Michael Gungor and his aggregation of compatriots
are bringing to the Church some of the cleverest and more insightful
modern worship songs around. It takes something akin to genius to come
up with a child-simple song which speaks profound truth. But that's
what Michael achieved with this gem penned in 2003. Just as Abraham's
found himself called the friend of God, we can consider ourselves in
the same position thanks to our faith in Christ. This revelation
contained in Mr Gungor's bouncy little congregational worship songs
with its telling coda "God almighty, Lord of glory/You have called me
friend" will surely banish any negativity.
Tony Cummings
738. SLIDE BROTHERS FTG SHEMEKIA COPELAND - PRAISE
YOU, 2013. From the album 'Robert Randolph Presents The Slide
Brothers', Dare.
To me it seems only right that the song
that Fatboy Slim took to such enormous success should be hereby
returned to its sanctified roots. As we know Slim's song was built on
the vocal sample of "Take Yo' Praise" by actress and social activist
Camille Yarborough but now these pedal steel virtuosos from the Church
Of The Living God have put the praises back where they belong. With a
scorching vocal from Shemekia Copeland and the Brothers' champion
Robert Randolph helping out on steel guitar the effect is joyfully
compelling.
Tony Cummings
739. SCOTT BLACKWELL FTG DR S M LOCKRIDGE - MY KING, 1992.
From the album 'Walk On The Wild Side', Myx.
Scott
Blackwell is of course the Texas-born visionary deejay-turned-record
producer who is widely credited as wrenching the Church into dance
culture and his albums and those he produced for others opened up
whole vistas of possibilities for a new generation of music makers.
Back in the early '90s house music was the dominant sound of clubland
and with an occasional foray into hip-hop it was those sounds that
dominated Blackwell's 'Walk On The Wild Side' CD. But there on track
four of his album was a cut which fit into neither category, being in
fact possibly the first ever attempt to take a chunk of preaching and
add a dance rhythm. The preaching segment Scott selected is now widely
regarded as a stone classic of the African American preaching style
and is today eulogised on a dozen or more websites. The wonderfully
named Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was a pastor at Calvary Baptist
Church in San Diego, California. He preached at crusades, revivals and
conferences around the world, was a key figure in the civil rights
movement, held doctorates and numerous honorary degrees, was a guest
lecturer at numerous colleges and universities and served on the
faculty of the Billy Graham School Of Evangelism. The renowned teacher
and preacher retired in the early '70s but at a Baptist convention in
1976 was spotted in the audience and was persuaded by the organisers
to come up onto the stage and open the convention in prayer. The
extemporised sermonette that followed is a breathtaking description of
Christ and his attributes. The sheer musicality of Lockridge's oratory
delivered in his gravelly tones is unforgettable. "He's enduringly
strong. He's eternally steadfast. He's immortally graceful. He's
impartially merciful." The dazzling display continues: "He's the
grandest idea in literature. He's the highest personality in
philosophy. He's the supreme problem in high criticism. He's the
fundamental doctrine of proved theology." Interspersed in the good
doctor's seemingly unstoppable flow come the question, "I wonder if
you know him." A preaching and a dance music classic.
Tony
Cummings
740. SEAN WATKINS - NOT THAT BAD/BLINDERS ON, 2006. From the
album 'Blinders On', Sugar Hill.
If you were a fan of
those deft purveyors of bluegrass Nickel Creek or enjoy Sean's
occasional forays into acoustic territory with Jon Foreman as Fiction
Family, Sean's three solo albums will surprise you. Here Sean offers
austere, minor key pop songs which often deal with the pains of doomed
romance. "Not That Bad" features a bluesy feedback-fuelled guitar and
Sean's haunting vocals on a piano and bass-driven melody. The verse
contains all the transitory hope that a doomed relationship may yet
offer some reward followed by a passage that suggests that even his
church going isn't providing the answer. "A thousand Sundays fill a
box packaged neatly on my head/I'll take what they handed me I guess,
that's as good as it gets/I listened carefully I heard every word that
he said/But the closest I put it in my heart is this cross around my
neck." That's followed by the short counterpoint which gives the album
its title where he confesses he's going to ignore any wise council and
"put my blinders on". A sad yet transparently honest depiction of the
battle for our affections.
Tony Cummings
741. DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS - ANOTHER MAN'S SHOES,
2013. From the album 'Good Light', Magnolia Music.
We
live in a culture where our indifference to the mass of humanity is
rife and we are very reluctant to think of someone from their
perspective rather than our own. Recognising this, the brilliant
Nashville-based Americana and new folk band have come up with a gem of
a song penned by Drew and Ellie Holcomb. A marvellously organic
production from Andy Hunt where crisp drum patterns, some plaintively
simple electric guitars and a Hammond organ perfectly encase Drew's
laid back vocal. Verses artfully capture a couple of examples of
hurting humanity before the infectious chorus kicks in "Everyone's got
their own set of troubles/Everyone's got their own set of
blues/Everyone's got their own set of struggles/Walk a mile in another
man's shoes." Then on the middle 8 breakdown Drew and Ellie ensure
that their lesson is well and truly driven home. "If you ain't learned
that by now/Go ahead and walk another mile." You could call "Another
Man's Shoes" country, folk or Americana. I'll settle for pop classic.
Tony Cummings
742. YOLANDA ADAMS - EVEN ME, 1991. From the album 'Through
The Storm', Tribute.
In recent decades this fine hymn
has been recorded by gospel's Yolanda Adams and John P Kee & The
VIP Music & Arts Seminar Mass Choir though both have mistakenly
credited its composition to gospel matriarch Roberta Martin. In fact
the song is the hymn "Lord, I Hear Of Showers Of Blessing" and was
written in the 19th century by Elizabeth Harris Codner. The story goes
how Elizabeth, ill at home, had received a report of a revival going
on in Ireland and soon after penned her moving plea ("Lord, I hear of
showers of blessing/Thou art scattering full and free/Showers the
thirsty land refreshing/Let some drops now fall on me/Even me, even
me/Let some drops now fall on me"). It was Yolanda's rendition,
recorded near the start of her rise to gospel stardom, that brings out
all the poignancy of the hymn with the diva's impeccable jazz-gospel
phrasing and with a mellow production from Ben Tankard featuring sax
player Angela Christi and Tyrone Dickerson And The Christian
Fellowship Choir, the effect is unforgettable.
Tony
Cummings
743. IAN WHITE - JONAH, 1989. From the album
'Philippi', Little Misty Music.
Perhaps best known as
an interpreter of the psalms, Scottish worship pioneer Ian White has
also converted a wide range of Bible passages into song as this
dazzling example of adept storytelling and stunning musicianship
shows. White charts the journey of Old Testament anti-hero Jonah
courtesy of a high octane performance containing only voice and
acoustic guitar and succeeds in memorably capturing Jonah's defiance
of God, the storm, the anguish of the fishermen, Jonah's plunge into
the murky depths before a cetacean rescue ultimately leads the
reluctant prophet to Nineveh - all within the space of an enthralling
six minutes. Contained within is a masterly and exhaustingly fast
acoustic guitar performance plus a delightfully passionate blues vocal
from White - both of which sears the message of the story into the
memory and leaves the listener with jaw dropped.
Lins
Honeyman
744. MERCYME - I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, 2001. From the album
'Almost There', INO.
This track remains the only
Christian music single to be certified by the RIAA for sales of only
one million digital downloads. Its origins are intriguing. MercyMe
were a Christian ministry band from Greenville, Texas, fronted by
singer/songwriter Bart Millard, who toured all over Texas and released
several independent albums. In 1999 the band were working on their
album 'The Worship Project' and needed one more song to complete the
project. Bart had been greatly influenced by his father - a committed
Christian - who died in 1991 and when thinking about his deceased dad
had written the words "I can only imagine" on a couple of items. Alone
on a bus in the middle of the night Millard took the phrase and wrote
a song imagining what his father might have experienced when he
entered Heaven. The song was added to 'The Worship Project' album. A
year later MercyMe were finally signed to a major Christian label,
Peter Kipley's INO Records. Kipley produced the group's record label
album debut 'Almost There' and a re-recording of "I Can Only Imagine"
was included in the set. The haunting song with its plaintive piano
figure and richly expressive vocal had lyrics of undiminished power.
"Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel?/Will I dance for
you Jesus or in awe of you be still?/Will I stand in your presence or
to knees will I fall?/Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak
at all?/I can only imagine."
Tony Cummings
745. IMPENDING DOOM - SILENCE THE OPPRESSORS, 2008. From the
album 'Nailed. Dead. Risen, Facedown.
Non-Christian
heavy metal expert Carlos Raminez once wrote an insightful few lines
about the prejudices Christian retail and hardcore bands face in the
broader hard music community. "The idea of putting a positive
Christian message along to the hardened sounds of heavy metal has
always been a topic of heated debate in our community. Morbid Angel's
David Vincent growling about ancient demons in the abyss over a
grinding guitar and drum attack is unquestionably metal. But Impending
Doom's Brook Reeves using the same vocal method to praise Jesus is
still hard for a lot of people to digest." In fact, California's
Impending Doom are one of the most powerful practitioners of death
metal to have ever stepped into a studio. Their sound is
bone-rattlingly brutal. "Silence The Oppressors" is a battle cry
targeted at all enemies of holy truth. Brook Reeves growls, "We are
the Gospel in the darkness, we bring light to a new realm/A realm you
dare not enter, passing judgment behind stone walls, behind your
absence of understanding/Are you listening?/We'll crush the walls that
dictate where our ministry goes/This is our Church, this is our
worship."
Tony Cummings
746. MISSISSIPPI FRED MCDOWELL - YOU GOTTA MOVE, 1989. From
the album 'You Gotta Move', Arhoolie Productions.
Along
with the likes of Rev Gary Davis and Blind Willie Johnson, slide
guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell is one of gospel blues' most
influential and recognisable pioneers. In this straight-talking song
of God's authority over man (cited by some as being written by the
Mississippi bluesman although it's more likely to have stemmed from a
variety of traditional sources), McDowell is in his natural habitat.
Delightfully sparse and much slower than the Davis counterpart of the
same era, the song consists only of McDowell's ragged bottleneck slide
playing and his rough yet warm vocal delivery - containing his
trademark tendency to leave words unspoken and lines unfinished - and
the chemistry between the two factors is a masterclass in acoustic
blues performance. Lyrically, the theme of man having to move "when
the Lord gets ready" despite social or financial status pulls no
punches and has influenced countless songs since - not least Dylan's
"Gotta Serve Somebody" which expands the rich/poor thread to the nth
degree. The likes of the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Kaiser/Mansfield
and many others have all doffed the cap by basing their renditions of
"You Gotta Move" on McDowell's version thus cementing both song and
artist in the annals of modern music.
Lins Honeyman
747. INNOCENCE MISSION - GOD IS LOVE, 2010. From the album 'My
Room In The Trees', Badman.
There's an aura of childlike
wonder and downright loveliness about the best of Innocence Mission's
music that is all but unique. The Pennsylvania-based group, fronted by
husband and wife team Don and Karen Peris, weave together such
spine-tingling musical elements that all the critic's efforts to
pigeonhole them as "collegiate folk pop" or somesuch flounder. Only a
few of their songs directly articulate their faith and none have done
so better than this delightful number. Hybrid magazine wrote, "It's a
simple title and you'd expect it to be full of clichés or sound
really trite but that is where you'd be wrong. It has simple but
poetic musings, 'Rain or shine/This street of mine is golden'. Karen's
vocals make it sound as sincere as anything."
Tony
Cummings
748. KENDALL PAYNE - STAND, 2005. From the album
'Grown', Independent.
When you're plucked from an
obscure church worship team and signed to one of the most prestigious
record labels in the world, it much be devastating when after one
album - hugely praised by the critics - you are dropped. But though
'Grown' was Kendall's first independent album after being dumped by
Capitol Records and understandably having some songs examining hurt
and rejection, it also contains this gem which one reviewer called "an
exuberant declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and her commitment to
follow him when there is nowhere else to go." With a pot pourri style
that takes in influences as wide as Sheryl Crow to Sarah McLachlan,
Kendall is a consummate songsmith who deserves wider recognition than
Joe Public has so far given her.
Tony Cummings
749. ANDREW PETERSON - O COME, O COME EMMANUEL, 2004.
From the album 'Andrew Peterson Presents Behold The Lamb Of God',
Fervent.
American singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson is
an artist who consistently slips under the radar to surprise old and
new listeners alike on account of his ability to produce albums that
are just that little bit out of the ordinary. A case in point is the
2004 release 'Behold The Lamb Of God' where Peterson generously gives
guitarist Gabe Scott the spotlight to offer up a new take on the
traditional Christmas song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". To shake things
up a bit, Scott bravely decides to make his rendition an instrumental
one and, whilst many would argue that the omission of lyrics may
remove the purpose of the piece, he succeeds in turning the old song
into something brand new and exhilaratingly meaningful. This is
largely due to the skill and warmth of Scott's acoustic guitar playing
and his dazzling interplay with virtuoso mandolin player Kyle Reeder
which sees the pair bend the very structure of the song with added
beats and dazzling runs whilst enhancing, respecting and renewing one
of the most beautiful melodies of all time.
Lins
Honeyman
again thank you Tony for your efforts greatly appreciated, mind you l go back to the tour of the top twenty at GB 84