Contemporary Gospel has a great sound, because it combines the depth and core sound of traditional Gospel with more modern influences like from R&B, pop and rock. It became particularly noteworthy in the 1970s – this makes it great for everyone who is interested in the classic sound of this golden era, but still likes the raw sound of the decade before this. Contemporary Gospel then can sound more accessible than traditional Gospel, in a way like a bridge that opens the way into the great Gospel music of the past.

A classic album of the genre to worth diving into is Andraé Crouch’s Take Me Back from 1975. It is one of the groundbreaking albums that modernized the Gospel sound into a new era. A great more raw choice is James Cleveland’s album Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me that has authentic church service vibes and certainly is a classic. And The Clark Sisters’ Sincerely (1982) is great for you if you are interested in high-quality studio production, and a dynamic type of modern Gospel sound.

Gospel for decades stayed largely within the church community where it created a strong foundation of musical depth and spiritual sound. Contemporary Gospel can be a great entry gate for you to get deeper into that, combining vintage and modern in a large variety of records. The newsletter will dive deeper into Contemporary Gospel records that have largely been overlooked but are noteworthy masterpieces.