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of The Spirituals In Word and Song By Marsha Hansen |
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| It's hard to fully appreciate now, but when Rock n' Roll recording artists first appeared, their emotional punch was a huge departure from their pop counterparts. Listen again to Pat Boone's version of "Tutti Frutti" and then compare that with the original recording by Little Richard. The difference is staggering. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eventually, Rock became the new pop music and, since that time, a wide variety of genres has developed. But like fingerprints, the roots of the music are evident everywhere if you know where to listen and look -- the impassioned vocalizations and gestures of Christina Aguilera or Mariah Carey, for example. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| So every now and then, it's good to pick up a book like "My Soul Is A Witness" to be reminded of the spirituals. The author pulls no punches. She gets right down to a deeply personal explanation of the stories behind the lyrics and improvisations behind this genre -- the Gospel message of spiritual salvation from hell and the journey toward a physical salvation from the hell of slavery. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A significant part of the raw power and energy of everything from Rock to Punk or from Soul to Hip Hop can be traced to the spirituals embedded in their collective DNA. So it is interesting that the book comes with a music CD that includes the author's brother-in-law, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. These live demo-quality recordings feature house jams of 14 spirituals. And despite the family relationship, it's clear from interviews he has given that he genuinely understands and appreciates the spirituals -- a cousin to the blues that is an obvious influence in his own music. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If you're serious about the music industry, it's not enough to just read and learn about the business. Read and learn about the music itself and where it all came from. "My Soul Is A Witness" is a good place to start. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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~Richard P. Dieguez |
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