Upon This Rock

Photo from Freestocks.org on unsplash I thought it was about time I wrote another post for this illustrious blog. It's been a while since my last post, and I don't want anyone to think I have neglected this space. As you know if you've read it previously, this blog is dedicated to Contemporary Christian Music or CCM, in all it's vast, complex and ever growing set of genres that celebrate Christian faith. If there is a new genre of music, you can guarantee that somewhere out there, there is a Christian analogue. And before you start to argue that all CCM does is echo the music of the mainstream, secular world, let me remind you that the roots of rock music and so many other genres of popular music today can be traced back to the old-time gospel music of the Christian church, especially the inspirational music emerging from among the first black communities in the United States. Yep, blues (especially jump blues), rhythm and blues, jazz and some would argue, even...

Earlier today I was listening to a track I'd not heard before on Dave Simpson's CrossRhythms radio show. My daughter was with me in the car as we listened and we both agreed that the voice was extraordinary. Then there was a section of rapping, and my daughter said - 'that sounds just like Nicky Minaj.' I promised I would look up the artists and find out who they were. It turned out to be a song called I'm Getting Ready, performed by Tasha Cobbs Leonard , a gospel soul singer from Atlanta, Georgia. And yes, my daughter was correct - the rap artist featuring on the track is none other than Nicky Minaj . I'm Getting Ready deserves a lot of mainstream airplay if it hasn't already begun to break through. It's an incredible soul song. It was recorded live with plenty of atmosphere from the audience, and it's taken from Tasha's new album Heart, Passion, Pursuit. Check out this amazing track on the YouTube channel below: Photo credit: Wik...