What is gospel music? I'm stimulated to ask this question once again as I listen to the new CD by contemporary gospel music stars Mary Mary--among the biggest-selling "gospel" artists of the past decade. It is a question that has flared up generally and especially in the gospel community for at least forty years and, truth be told, even farther back if you think of the controversies occasioned by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and The Ward Singers performing in nightclubs in the Forties and Fifties. It's a question as old as the historically rigid divide between "the Lord's music" and the devil's music."
I remember Ira Tucker of The Dixie Hummingbirds remarking to me in the late Seventies: "some of these new gospel groups, if you hear them from a block away, you can't tell if they're gospel or not." That was the time of the rising new "contemporary gospel" style championed by Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins and Andrae Crouch--all of whom were shaking up the gospel world with a new sound that had elements of R & B and pop delivered in sophisticated arrangements. The controversy around them seems quaint today now that we have hip-hop gospel, heavy metal gospel, gospel jazz and any number of permutations that sound even less what some folk think gospel should sound like. There is irony in all of this since R & B, particularly what has been called "soul music", from the time of Solomon Burke (who was a minister) in the early Sixties through the classic soul era and into the Eighties, was essentially church vocal styles in the service of secular lyrics--songs about love desired, love gained or love lost. On the other hand, since then I've been told more than once that styles in gospel music usually derive from the previous generation's style of R & B, as if the fact that the style is no longer currently popular makes it permissible as a gospel vehicle. Maybe that's why George Clinton recently remarked that the true haven of real funk is in the churches!
These days I've been shocked more than once listening to a gospel station and hearing a song in which the lyrics had such typical secular-sounding lines as "I want him so much, he loves me so good", etc. At some point you realize the artist may be applying these sentiments to God--but God is often not mentioned. There are two ways to look at this. Many artists defend such ambiguous lyrics by saying that they are trying to reach people who are not church folk, especially young people, with the idea that they'll be seduced into listening to a positive message. More cynical observers might suggest that this is simply a ploy to get mainstream urban radio play and sell more records. The issue is only confused more by memories of hearing women in church calling Jesus' name in what can only be described as orgasmic tones! Beyond the music, some of the hip-hop gospel artists strike poses on their album photographs that aren't much different than the "street thug" poses of secular hip-hop; if you look closely you might see that the gospel artist is dressed a little more conservatively or neatly perhaps. But the poses, the hard stare, the crossed arms, the aggressive posture communicates the "don't mess with me" attitude of the streets. At that point where does spirituality come in?
So, what is gospel? Clearly, given the evolution of styles from church hymns and old-time shouts and moans, thorugh jubilee singing and the quartet style, "hard" gospel, the first wave of "contemporary" artists thorugh to Kirk Franklin's high-energy dance style, gospel cannot be defined simply by the musical style. And outside of African-American gospel you have pop, rock, country, old-time and many other musical styles used by gospel artists. So what really sets gospel apart from secular music? I'd say two things: 1) gospel is singing about God and to God and delivering His Word (for Christians, the "good news") and 2) singing and playing gospel is a vehicle for exaltation, a transcendent state, tapping in and pouring out "the Spirit", something you hear and feel in the performance. So it would seem that true gospel must have one or both of these things. This can happen in, say, the qwaali music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan, for instance, or in cantorial music or in old time hymns. The style does not matter.
Which brings us full circle to Mary Mary's new album "Something Big"...is it gospel? The short answer: sometimes. The opening track, for instance, is a direct testimonial about the singers finding Jesus, who is identified by name. So, lyrically, that's gospel. The sound of the music is raucous, crunching pop rock with old blues licks...catchy, strongly sung..but I don't feel or sense exhaltation. Then there is "It Is Well", which is pretty much acapella, a lead vocal backed by electronically treated harmony vocals; it sounds like ( and may be) an old hymn and the harmony of backing vocals has a very "old timey" feel. It sounds/feels heartfelt and pure. Other than that, most of the songs do not mention God and lyrically are not obviously different from secular music, though some fall into the "inspirational" category. Several tracks sound indistinguisable from typical current R & B/dance or pop/rock recordings in the overall production sound--which is on a par with the best of what's out there in the other genres. In short, with a couple exceptions, Mary Mary's new album is more inspirational pop/R & B/dance music than gospel. It is well done and, depending on your tastes, highly enjoyable. But if t his is labeled gospel then I can't help feeling that something has been lost.