I find, playing with our Gospel Trio, that the songs folks want to hear are mostly the old Gospel songs from roughly 1880-1930--stuff that mostly is not sung in churches any more, but everyone remembers. And the one thing all those songs seem to have in common is they're seriously trying to explain why God and religion are relevant in a period of burgeoning technology.

Virtually the only modern Gospel song we do--which audiences love--is "Tune the Strings of My Soul," by the Rev. Skip Johnson (a JPF member, BTW); he wrote the lyrics in 2007 or '08, and I set 'em to music. And it, too, follows the old pattern.

I think those Christian A&R people, like their counterparts in secular music, have blinders on. And they're missing something.

Joe

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