Whither greatness? My first open thread
I realize I'm "borrowing" a concept from some of my fellow bloggers, but I want to do an open thread for a change.
Why? Because I want to hear how you feel about this issue before I shoot off my keys about it.
And what issue might that be?
Well, most all who read this little corner of the web love southern style gospel music. And there are groups and individuals that we enjoy, and call "good", and there are other groups and individuals we call "great", because there is something about them that seems to distinguish them from the rest of the pack.
What I want to know from you is...who do you consider "great" in gospel music? And why?
Before I say anymore, I'd like to say as a sort of policy statement that I never try to publicly put down or denigrate another artist. One thing I've learned through my experience on gospel message boards is that most well-known artists have fans...and have their own legitimate reasons for liking a particular artist. It is not for me therefore to denigrate that artist whatsoever...for that would be an indirect attack on the fans of that artist, and people have the right to like whoever it is they like and not be ridiculed by me.
For who am I, anyway? Just because I write articles and do commentary on gospel music doesn't make me any kind of "expert", nor does it make one of anyone else. When it comes to musical taste, there simply is no way to empirically measure it objectively. Analyses can be analyzed objectively to a point...but not taste. People like what they like, and that's that.
And every analysis of a gospel group eventually comes down to taste...so one can only go so far as to say they can "prove" who is good, or better than another, when it comes to a gospel artist.
And one other factor comes into play when one talks about a gospel group....if an artist blesses an audience with its' manner of performance, who are we to say how inferior they might be to another artist? Part of the reason we even HAVE favorite gospel artists is how they touch our hearts or ears by the music they make. So, in a way, comparisons are futile in the gospel field by definition.
All that is a given in this discussion...so when someone might post who his or her favorites are, please keep the above observations in mind should you feel led to respond.
This whole thing came up because of a discussion thread I was involved in on another blog....I happened to be trying to explain what I felt made a gospel group great, and in the process, I made a casual, lighthearted observation to prove my point when someone whose opinion I have a great deal of respect for took offense...in part, mind you, because he/she(I'm not going to deliberately hint at this person's identity)was told by "others" that they THOUGHT I intended to make a negative comparison about this group.
In fact, I made no opinion statement about that group at all...but this person took it as a rebuke that it APPEARED that I did not hold this group in as high an esteem as he/she....going so far as to try to belittle my alleged "opinion"...hoping that no one would agree with me simply because I "said" it(which I didn't).
As far as that goes, I agree that no one should share my opinions simply because they're mine, or worse, because of who I might be. I happen to think that my opinions are usually well thought out, and grounded in as much objective data as I can muster...but they're still just my opinions! And as such, they don't make me an "expert" in that respect.
But I've got news for you...regardless of how objective we might be(or claim to be), when it comes to evaluative opinions, we're ALL just fans...be we writers, bloggers, gospel music historians, message board posters, even other artists or industry professionals! There is a limit to how far any of our "expertise" goes.
So I put the question out to you for this thread...who do you think are some "great" gospel artists, and why?
I don't pretend that I'm going to get a huge number of responses. I'm not sure exactly how many pass by this blog. But for those who care to share, I offer more disclaimers to any readers...
1. If someone says a certain group is better than another group, it does NOT mean the group getting the negative comparison is not also a good group.
2. If someone asserts that a certain group is the "best", remember...we're just dealing in opinions here!
3. And if I happen to agree with someone's observations, it doesn't mean they're "right", while someone who disagrees is "wrong".
OK...with all that wind out of the way, have at it. At some point, I will list my own opinions as to who the "great" gospel groups are...and why...and you can take your shots at me!
But for now...I want to hear from you...who do you think is "great"...and why?
Posted on Nov 14, 2007 - 01:17 AM | [3]
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Southern Gospel Music
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On top (though not my favorite singers) would be the Inspirations. They have been consistent and clean for many years. They have maintained their own unique style amidst many changes and can still put on a good show.
The Dixie Echoes. Their turn back to the old songs and abandonment of tracks has been an excellent move. I hope they can find much new material that will fit their style, because they are in their groove where they are.
Triumphant. All around professional group with a good show. "Off The Cuff" was a very brave venture into a somewhat spontaneous way of making a video.
The Kingdom Heirs. This group is professional, great singers, and they truly have ministered to me when I needed encouragement. I might also mention that they guys respond to emails, too. They are not above their fans.