Gospel-Soul Pop
tagStarted 1969Peak 1995-2010Last big hit still active
Church-rooted music crossing into pop: massed choir vocals, hand-clap-and-tambourine grooves, organ and stacked harmonies fused to R&B and hip-hop production. Praise and uplift writing rides infectious, danceable hooks, carrying gospel's fervor and call-and-response onto mainstream radio with a polished, jubilant, secular-friendly sheen.
History
From the Edwin Hawkins Singers' 1969 crossover Oh Happy Day, gospel periodically reached pop charts. Kirk Franklin modernized it in the 1990s, blending choir with R&B and hip-hop; God's Property's Stomp (1997) became the first gospel album to top Billboard's R&B chart, with Yolanda Adams and Mary Mary extending the crossover.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomp_(God%27s_Property_song)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_contemporary_gospel
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kirk-franklin-mn0000490456