Gospel

There is a fitness studio in New York where women go to scream. Called simply “The Class”, sessions are led by an instructor called Taryn Toomey, who is slim-hipped, and sprightly, a kind of athleisure elf. “Go ahead, get fucking angry!” Toomey will say, and the women before her will beat their chests with their fists, while simultaneously doing squats, because technically they are here to exercise. Some women cry: they jump on the spot and the tears run down their cheeks. Others roll around on the floor, which Toomey had…

The guests for ‘Sam Ryder Rocks New Year’s Eve’ on BBC One and iPlayer have been announced. Ryder will be joined by Spice Girl Melanie C, Norwegian singer and songwriter Sigrid, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins and the electrifying House Gospel Choir. Made by BBC Studios Entertainment, this end of year party will see Ryder perform some of his favourite songs spanning the decades with help from his guests which are guaranteed to get the nation singing and dancing as we welcome 2023.  After the River Thames…

In 1975, a group of teenage siblings in Aberdeen, Mississippi, recorded an album of gospel songs focused on toil, conflict, succour and redemption. They named themselves the Staples Jr Singers in tribute to Mavis and co, their Mississippi forebears, because “a lot of Staples songs had a meaning to them”, says Annie Caldwell (then Annie Brown). She was 14 when they released When Do We Get Paid, although the album’s title track could serve as an anthem for any adult who finds themselves overworked and under-compensated.They…

Like the recently renovated 1960s modernist concert hall that provides the setting for tonight’s show, gospel soul trio Gabriels have classic roots galvanised by top-end contemporary production. Tonight is the opening date on a short – and strictly sold out – UK tour promoting Angels and Queens Part One, the excellent debut album likely to score highly on end-of-year lists this winter.Jacob Lusk’s power as a vocalist, and his hard-utilised charisma, is immense. Taking to the stage in long, black gown and hat redolent of…

National Drive Electric Week is right around the corner. Plug In America, the Electric Vehicle Association, environmental organization Sierra Club and Nissan (one of the main sponsors) are all backing the initiative, which aims to highlight the benefits of having an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid. Between September 23rd and October 2nd, EV owners will show off their rides and chat to folks curious about making the switch at events across the US (some are taking place in Canada and Mexico as well). Many dealers are…

| Will Morris of 2000AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, the Vertigo CMYK series and the graphic novel Silver Darlings, is to launch a new fantasy comic book, Gospel, a five-issue miniseries from November 2022 from Image Comics. Will Morris Brings His Gospel To Image Comics In November 2022 When opportunity refuses to knock for restless hero Matilde, the devil comes knocking instead. Inspired by the work of Hayoa Miyazaki and set in the chaos of King Henry VIII's reign, GOSPEL is a thrilling fantasy adventure that questions the…

In 2018, following a bruising divorce, the British singer Sarah Brown was “broke, financially, emotionally and spiritually – I had nothing to live for”. At her lowest ebb, she turned to a voice that had given her crucial guidance and succour when she was a child: Mahalia Jackson, the pre-eminent gospel star of the 20th century.“Pop music was banned in my home growing up,” Brown says. “But my father owned records by Jim Reeves, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson. And Mahalia’s voice opened my spirit up. I grew up in a…

Kanye West’s faith-based school is searching for new talent.Earlier this week, Donda Academy announced it will auditions for its gospel choir on behalf of Sunday Service—a worship music group Ye started in January 2019. The choir, led by Jason White, has performed alongside Kanye at Sunday Service events across the country, and even assisted his stage productions and musical records.Months after the Sunday Service launched, White spoke to Rolling Stone about his role as choir director as well as the team’s overall…