The Evolution of Gospel

The Evolution of Gospel
Studio album by
Sounds of Blackness
Released1991
RecordedSeptember 1989–January 1991
GenreGospel, new jack swing[1]
Length62:19
LabelPerspective, A&M
ProducerGary Hines, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Sounds of Blackness chronology
The Evolution of Gospel
(1991) 		The Night Before Christmas: A Musical Fantasy
(1992)
Singles from The Evolution of Gospel
  1. "Optimistic"
    Released: 1991
  2. "The Pressure Pt. 1"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Testify"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldB[2]

The Evolution of Gospel is the debut studio album by Sounds of Blackness, released in 1991.[3] In 1992, the album received the Grammy Award for "Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album".

Track listing

# Title Length Composer(s) Producer(s) Lead Vocalist(s)
1 "Chains" 1:02 Gary Hines Gary Hines Carrie Harrington
2 "Optimistic" 5:19 Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Ann Bennett-Nesby, Carrie Harrington, Coré Cotton, Patricia Lacy, Jamecia Bennett
3 "Ah Been Workin' " 0:42 Gary Hines Gary Hines Dorothy J. Townes
4 "The Pressure Pt. 1" 6:04 Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Ann Bennett-Nesby
5 "Testify" 4:58 Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Ann Bennett-Nesby, Andre Shepard
6 "Gonna Be Free One Day" 0:37 Gary Hines Gary Hines Otis Montgomery
7 "Stand" 4:25 Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart Gary Hines Ann Bennett-Nesby, Prof. T
8 "The Pressure Pt. 2" 5:42 Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Gary Hines, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis Ann Bennett-Nesby
9 "Your Wish is My Command" 5:01 Tim Wortham, Gary Hines, Tony Haynes Gary Hines Ann Bennett-Nesby
10 "Hallelujah Lord!" 1:44 Carrie Harrington, Gary Hines Gary Hines
11 "We Give You Thanks" 6:16 Gary Hines Gary Hines Ann Bennett-Nesby
12 "He Holds the Future" 5:01 Gary Hines Gary Hines Ann Bennett-Nesby, Carrie Harrington, Prof. T
13 "What Shall I Call Him?" 4:04 Gary Hines Gary Hines Ann Bennett-Nesby, Patricia Lacy, Elizabeth J. Turner
14 "Better Watch Your Behavior" 1:54 Gary Hines Gary Hines
15 "Please Take My Hand" 4:37 Gary Hines Gary Hines Ann Bennett-Nesby
16 "I'll Fly Away" 3:49 Albert E. Brumley Gary Hines Shirley Marie Graham
17 "Harambee (Swahili for 'Let Us All Pull Together')" 1:04 Gary Hines Gary Hines

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Peak
1991 The Billboard 200 #176
1991 Top Gospel Albums #12
1991 Top R&B Albums #4

Singles

"Optimistic"

Year Chart Peak
1991 Dance Music/Club Play Singles #17
1991 Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales #17
1991 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks #3

"The Pressure Pt. 1"

Year Chart Peak
1991 Dance Music/Club Play Singles #1
1991 Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales #3
1991 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks #17

"Testify"

Year Chart Peak
1992 Dance Music/Club Play Singles #7
1992 Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales #14
1992 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks #12

References

  1. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. Review: The Evolution of Gospel. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-12-11.
  2. ^ Obee, Dave (1991-06-02). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ Beckford, Robert (2023). Decolonizing Contemporary Gospel Music Through Praxis. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 88.


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