In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share my favorite releases of the year. Not exhaustive, just some personal highlights. Happy holidays!
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Tag: gospel
[Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 45: Gospel Special
Here’s yesterday’s episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio, which is an hour of some of my favorite gospel. Though I’m far from an expert, I love that gospel music can mean a lot of different things to different people, regardless of whether or not you’re religious. It’s functioned as a means of protest, solidarity, expressing joy, devotion, and as a way of sharing collective grief. Hopefully you’ll find something in it that is helpful to you right now. There’s an mp3 version you can download here if you’d like it. Sending love.
Tracklist: 1. The Staple Singers – So Soon 2. The Fairfield Four – Hallelujah 3. Pastor T.L. Barrett – After The Rain 4. The Swanee Quintet – It’s Hard To Get Along 5. Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes – Sometime 6. The Angelic Choir – Wade In The Water 7. The ARC Gospel Choir – Jesus Wash 8. Aretha Franklin & The Southern California Community Choir – Precious Lord (Take My Hand) / You’ve Got A Friend 9. The Consolers – Children Keep On Marching 10. John Davis & The Georgia Sea Island Singers – Moses, Don’t Get Lost 11. Sweet Honey In The Rock – Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around 12. The Mississippi Children’s Choir – His Eye Is On The Sparrow 13. Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers – How Far Am I Canaan 14. Reverend Morgan Babb – Wonder How Long 15. Edna Gallmon Cooke – At The Gate 16. The ARC Gospel Choir – When We All 17. The Joubert Singers – Stand On The Word
[Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 25: Summer Disco Special I
My newest episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio is a mix of some of my favorite disco, funk, soul, boogie, and house. It’s meant for a day at the beach, a barbecue, or attempting to persuade your hydrophobic dog to swim in a creek with you. I hope you like it! You can download an mp3 version here.
Tracklist: 1. Soul II Soul – Back To Life (Acapella) 2. Taana Gardner – Heartbeat (Club Version) 3. Mtume – Love Lock 4. Brenda & The Big Dudes – Weekend Special 5. China Burton – You Don’t Care (About Our Love) 6. Greg Henderson – Dreamin’ 7. Double Vision – Clock On The Wall 8. Guardian Angel – Last Funk 9. Band Of Gold – Never Gonna Let You Go 10. Wish & Fonda Rae – Touch Me (All Night Long) 11. Dusty Springfield – Baby Blue 12. Stevie Wonder – Love Light In Flight 13. Pastor T.L. Barrett & The Youth For Christ Choir – Like A Ship (Without A Sail)
[Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 7: Voices Special
I made a two hour mix for NTS Radio of songs with vocals that are significant to me. I had originally set out to focus on experimental vocals, but I realized that so much of what might sound experimental to western ears—Tibetan chant, Inuit throat singing, Chinese folk—is deeply traditional, not experimental at all. Instead, I approached this as two hours of vocal milestones, be they from technical, stylistic, or emotive standpoints. It’s not possible to make a two hour comprehensive survey of strong vocal traditions, nor of the most important singers, though there are quite a few of both categories in here. Putting this together was hard, and while I could easily have spent years digging and rethinking, I set a month time limit to ensure that I would finish it at all.
As I was making this I also thought a lot about how Björk framed her almost entirely vocal record Medúlla as a response to September 11th–both the event itself and the subsequent wave of patriotism and xenophobia that she experienced as a foreigner living in New York. Making an all-vocal album was, for her, a coping mechanism and a means of trying to reconnect with what it means to be a human.
Lastly, a note that this isn’t as listenable or poppy as the mixes that I typically make, though I did try to arc it in a way that feels good. I’m not really sure what its ideal listening environment is–it probably involves headphones–so I hope that you enjoy it all the same! If you’d like an mp3 version you can download it here. Thank you for listening 💜
Tracklist:
1. The Impressions – For Your Precious Love
2. Meredith Monk – Strand (Gathering)
3. Geinoh Yamashirogumi – Genesis (abridged)
4. Bessie Griffin & The Gospel Pearls – Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
5. Philippine Madrigal Singers – Pamugun (comp. Francisco Feliciano)
6. Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes – Jusqu’à Ce Que La Force De T’aimer Me Manque (excerpt)
7. Emma Kirkby & Gothic Voices – O Euchari (comp. Hildegard von Bingen)
8. Björk – Pleasure Is All Mine
9. The Ronettes – Baby I Love You (Isolated Vocals) (excerpt)
10. David Hykes & The Harmonic Choir – Arc Descents
11. Unknown Artists – Sumi Yeinyo (Hani Crying Song) (Southern China)
12. The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl (Alternate Version)
13. John Jacob Niles – Go ‘Way From My Window
14. The Tallis Scholars – Spem In Alium, Motet for 40 Voices (comp. Thomas Tallis)
15. Geinoh Yamashirogumi – Doll’s Polyphony
16. Young Thug – All Over
17. Ghédalia Tazartès – Une Voix S’en Va
18. Yma Sumac – Taita Inty (Virgin Of The Sun God)
19. Arthur Miles – Lonely Cowboy, Pt. 2
20. Angkanang Kunchai With Ubon-Pattana Band – Isan Lam Plearn (excerpt)
21. The Hilliard Ensemble – Viderunt Omnes (comp. Pérotin)
22. Ustad Ghulam Ali & Asha Bhosle – Salona Sa Sajan Hai Aur Main Hoon
23. Patti Page – Confess (excerpt)
24. Monks of Gyütö Tantric College – Sangwa Düpa (excerpt)
25. Amália Rodrigues – Gaivota (excerpt)
26. Unknown Artist – Akazehe Par Une Jeune Fille (Burundi)
27. Anna Homler & Steve Moshier – Sirens (excerpt)
28. Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir – Stani Mi, Maytcho (Get Up, My Daughter)
29. David Hykes & The Harmonic Choir – Rainbow Voice
30. Lucy Amarualik & Mary Sivuarapik – Song Of A Cooking Seal Flipper
31. Dr. Octagon – Halfsharkalligatorhalfman
32. Judy Henske & Jerry Yester – Rapture (excerpt)
33. The Hilliard Ensemble – Sabbato Sancto – Responsorium 5 (comp. Carlo Gesualdo)
34. Linda Jones – Your Precious Love (excerpt)