Higher Ground - Voices of Contemporary Gospel Music

Product Description Presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ through cutting-edge music and images has historically put this community on the "outs" with traditionalists in the Church, yet it has catapulted this music to the forefront of the mainstream. Come inside and embrace intriguing and very candid stories from some of gospel's most legendary and accomplished artists. They paint a vivid and colorful portrait of what it's like to be on the edge in Higher Ground: Voices of Contemporary Gospel Music. Artists include: Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, Dr. Bobby Jones, Karen Clark Sheard, Vickie Winans, T-Bone, Yolanda Adams, Edwin Hawkins, Gospel Gangstaz, Dorinda Clark- Cole, Virtue, Tonex, Fred Hammond, Brent Jones, Deitrick Haddon, Out of Eden, Albertina Walker, The Cross Movement and many others. Amazon.com As Stevie Wonder sang, "Gonna keep on tryin' / Till I reach the highest ground." That's what the artists, producers, and record executives profiled in this tuneful documentary are attempting to do. With the use of R&B grooves and hip-hop beats, they're spreading the gospel to listeners who are likely to be more familiar with Beyonc?nd Jay-Z than BeBe and CeCe Winans. Marci Kenon and Damon Stout's film traces the roots of contemporary (or non-traditional) gospel, from Edwin Hawkins (1969's "Oh Happy Day") to Kirk Franklin (1997's "Stomp") and Mary Mary (2000's "Shackles")--each a Top 40 hit. Despite the occasionally wobbly camera work, Higher Ground is by turns educational and inspirational and features interviews with Hawkins, Franklin, Yolanda Adams, and other leading lights of contemporary gospel. Most can also be heard on the acompanying soundtrack, Higher Ground: Hip-Hop Reformed & Reborn, which was released at the same time. --Kathleen C. Fennessy