2012 IN GOSPEL COMPS
Various Artists
WOW Gospel 2012
(Verity)
It wouldn't surprise me if a superior gospel compilation was released under the radar this year -- maybe something like Mike McGonigal's rarities collections for Tompkins Square -- but the truth is, 2011 was a very good year for modern gospel, at least on a song-by-song basis. Here's what I wrote at Sheep & Goats:
These comps can be exhausting, and while I still wouldn’t wanna listen to both discs all the way through — too much joy! (also too many ballads) — this edition is far less exhausting than others. It cherrypicks from albums worth owning (Israel Houghton, Mary Mary) and rescues great songs from overlong indulgences (Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond). It wisely includes “Well Done”, Deitrick Haddon’s homage to Prince’s “Purple Rain”, and “Heaven”, Forever Jones’s homage to Los Lonely Boys’ “Heaven”. Wailing electric guitars are everywhere; stellar musicianship appears to be the price of admission. Well, that and delight in the presence of the Lord — and who couldn’t use more of that in their playlist, even if you can’t abide on that particular mountaintop for 30 songs 2.2 hours straight?
Way better than the Joyful Noise soundtrack. Like, WAY better. I'm still not ready for Christian interpolations of Chris Brown songs.
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