You might have heard me say before that my favorite genre of music is “gospel blues.” In an essay I just read, I’ve figured out why.
In Stephen Citron’s “SONGWRITING: A Complete Guide to the Craft,” he describes the different forms of song. He goes through pop, country, musical comedy, rock, spirituals, and then blues. Here’s what he says about blues:
“While the spiritual expressed the belief in the Bible and the hereafter, the blues avoided religion and was concerned with the now.” (26)
What happens when we combine the two? We get a Gospel that speaks to us now, that avoids religion, and gets at the core of humanity and its need for salvation. When we combine the two we get this:
And this:
(Yes, that is a Tom Waits song. Yes, that is the theme to the Wire. Watch it! All five seasons! Netflix it! Now!)
And let’s not forget about this song:
And these guys–these guys are probably my favorite:
