"Gospel" (help me with my playlist)

[Matthew]

Doing some reading on two of my favorite albums of '08, I came across a neat little coincidence: they both claimed to be influenced by gospel music. This is a bit odd since they are both very different albums, and none of them are recognizably gospel, or even R&B.

There's Bryne & Eno's Everything that Happens Will Happen Today, witch Eno describes as "electronic gospel." You can here some of what he's talking about on the title track and the single, "Strange Overtones."

The other album was Earth's sludge-metal set The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull. There's sort of a lightness and optimism to the album (well, by Earth's standards, anyway) and you can here some gospel influenced organ and other melodic lines on the song "Miami Morning Comedown II (Shine)".

So now I'm trying to construct a playlist of gospel-inflected songs that are not themselves gospel songs. So far I've got those two songs and:

Movin' On Up by Primal Scream
Intervention by the Arcade Fire
Shine a Light by the Rolling Stones
Something in the Way of Things by the Roots

Let me know if you've got any ideas. I once made a list like this doing soul-influenced songs that were not soul songs, and it came out really well.

[thespearkid]

I say cut out the middle man and just track down some of the amazing gospel music out there.

[Neo Cassady]

Susan Werner's The Gospel Truth.

Susan Werner takes on the church in contemporary American life in this gospel/bluegrass - tinged collection of 11 new originals. Quite possibly the first "agnostic gospel" album, this CD surveys the wide variety of viewpoints regarding the church today, ranging from earnest and uplifting handclap choir rousers such as "help somebody" to the introspective and critical "forgiveness" and "sunday mornings," pausing along the way for comic relief in the frank and humorous "our father" and what is sure to become the anthem of agnostics everywhere, "probably not." A project sure to confirm Werner's reputation as "one of the most innovative songwriters working today" (Chicago Tribune).

Also, you should call this playlist "the gospel according to Matthew."

[Matthew]

Also, you should call this playlist "the gospel according to Matthew."

YES.

And I'm intrigued by that album you mentioned. I'll hunt it down tomorrow.

[Matthew]

Playlist, if anyone wants it:

1. The Roots - “Something in the Way of Things”
2. Earth - “Miami Morning Coming Down II (Shine)”
3. TV On The Radio - “Poppy”"
4. David Byrne and Brian Eno - “Strange Overtones”
5. The Dirty Projectors - “Rise Above”
6. The Arcade Fire - “Intervention”
7. Howe Gelb - “Howlin’ a Gale”
8. Primal Scream - “Movin’ On Up”
9. Moby - “Natural Blues”
10. Spiritualized - “I Think I’m In Love”
11. The Rolling Stones - “Shine a Light”

Blogged it too: http://yourstatic.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/19/

[El_Jeffe]

pretty cool idea. a lot of funk & soul bands obviously take heavy influence from gospel, but given your final playlist i don't suppose that was the kind of thing you were after mate

van morrison is a great example of someone using a strong gospel influence in his music. in fact most of his albums do in some respect

[Troggy]

I was going to say Donnie - For Christ Sake, but it looks like you already made a playlist...