The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times

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Summary: One of the greatest books ever written on American Music.
Review: Anthony Heilbut is an expert on the subject of gospel music, one of the most important musical forces in American history. His book is written from the perspective of a scholar, but one with a real passion for the music. There are passages in his book that almost as thrilling as the music itself.

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Summary: Gospel is important, but let's not get carried away. .
Review: This book, in my opinion, was written from the perspective of a fan. There are numerous books written on music by music scholars (e.g., Early Jazz by Gunther Schuller) which I prefer to this type of writing because the authors ideas are backed up by examples that include musical knowledge and music history knowledge. Heilbut make many statements about the importance of Gospel music as an influence on US pop music that are untrue and not backed up with any facts or examples. I did enjoy the stories about some the key architects of the gospel sound, but the "religious fanatical" perspective of the author turned me off. I know enough about music and US music history to know when the author was getting emotional about a music that touched him personally. This is a problem if the reader is not educated in music and US music history, they may take the many fantastic claims that Heilbut makes about Gospel music as truth.

Rating:
Summary: The Gospel Sound
Review: This was one very informative book that gives the reader a genuine understanding of the origin of Gospel music. It reaches very deep into the life and times of the pioneers of Gospel. Each played their own part into evolving Gospel music to make it what it is today. Makes great reading.

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Summary: A Counter Point To The Unappreciative Reader
Review: To the reader who stated that Heilbut gets "emotionally" carried away, or that his "fanatical religious beliefs" make him bias:

NEWS FLASH: last I heard, Heilbut is an atheist.

So how can he be religiously biased toward gospel music if he doesn't believe in the God they sing about? I'll tell you: because he is a music lover-he likes the sound, not the message.