5 Gospel Albums to Listen to Instead of Kanye's "Jesus Is King"
Kanye doesn't need your streams.
Kanye West has finally deigned to release his long awaited new album, Jesus is King.
After multiple missed release dates and increasingly bizarre tweets and statements from the MAGA hat-wearing husband of Kim Kardashian, fans got an album that, while entertaining, is nothing new. Sure, it's radically different from anything Kanye has released in the past, and while it has its moments (if you can overlook the often off-putting preachy content of the album) it's a pretty classically-styled gospel album. But Kanye wouldn't be Kanye if he gave any credit to the icons of the genre whose work undoubtedly influenced "Jesus is King." Instead, Kanye is acting like he invented gospel music.
Instead of streaming "Jesus is King" and giving money and attention to a mentally ill zealot with problematic and damaging opinions, stream these 5 classic gospel albums.
Cold World by Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens
Naomi Shelton has been singing gospel music since the 1950s, and this album makes it clear she's an authority on the genre. "Bound for the Promised Land" is a stirring, ultimately hopeful look at the state of the world.
▲Amazing Grace by Aretha Franklin
Nobody sang like Aretha Franklin. This live album is truly a treasure, recorded in January 1972 at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Franklin performed with Reverend James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir. The album was a critical and commercial success, selling over two million copies in the United States alone, earning a double platinum certification, and winning Franklin the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance.
▲The Lord Will Make a Way by Al Green
"The Lord Will Make a Way" is Al Green's 14th studio album,but his first foray into the world of gospel. Released in 1980, the 9-track collection reaches heights Kanye could never dream of.
▲Hero by Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin has been a gospel mainstay for much of the 2000s, and many argue this is his best album so far. In 2007, it won Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album at the Grammys, and "Imagine Me" won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song.
▲The Essential Mahalia Jackson by Mahalia Jackson
As Paste Magazine puts it: "I'm not sure of many things in life, but of this I am certain: There is truth in Mahalia Jackson's vibrant contralto." Most critics agree that Mahalia Jackson is the best gospel singer to ever live, and we can guarantee listening to this best of album is a better use of your time than listening to anything by Kanye West.
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