What is it? Really?

Much has been written on the debate over exactly what is Christian music. Some of the focus has been on artists who, while Christian in their faith, may not have an overt witness in their music.
I’ll not name names but you are undoubtedly familiar with many top contemporary Christian songs and artists whose lyrics may not mention God or Jesus or exhort listeners to do anything about their faith or spiritual life but simply have a hummable, singable tune.
But I have not come to bury Christian music or to praise it but to offer another perspective on a distant cousin of this genre.
What about artists who make no known or public profession of faith in their life but nonetheless their lyrics may offer up some ray of spiritual hope or a nugget of truth?
I keep running across these more and more. (Disclosure: I listen to lots of different types of music – not just Christian and at this point in my life the percentage of Christian music in my daily diet is dwindling. I should also point out that it comes in fits and starts.)
For the discerning listener I would like to offer up a couple of examples of music that comes from some unlikely sources. (A qualifier: only God can truly know the hearts and minds of men and women so I don’t mean to imply that any or all of these folks don’t have a real relationship with God and Jesus Christ. It is just not a known or at least public part of their life.
I think it was in the spring or summer of 2004 that I first heard Ollabelle. I was on my way to work listening to NPR. Yes, I do believe you can be a Christian AND listen to NPR. I can see their liberal perspective a mile away but I also appreciate their arts, music and movie coverage. It was in a story about some young folks in Greenwich Village that I heard the music of Ollabelle for the first time.
These six – four men, two women – have an unusual music pedigree and perhaps and even more eclectic style.
Ollabelle got their start in a Sunday evening singing at an East Village club called 9C. Seems singers and musicians gathered on Sunday nights and started having “gospel jam sessions.” Over time the six people who make up Ollabelle began to perform together and the patrons kept asking for more.
Ollabelle is a mix of spiritual (in the 19th century sense), folk, blues and some songs that might be called pop or rock. Think Robert Johnson with a little bit of …
Jesus On The Mainline could almost make it as a modern worship chorus in many churches. Simple but profound and true lyrics.
And in what has to be the oddest “gospel” song ever written or perhaps the one with the oddest origins is “I’ve been waiting” written by those stellar examples of the … oops I said I wouldn’t do this – written by none other than Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Draw your own conclusions. I checked out the original version on the Rolling Stones project Aftermath and Ollabelle does it better. (By the way what are we supposed to call “albums” these days? For obvious reasons, Album doesn’t work. With the proliferation of downloading, iPods and MP3s; CD almost seems out-of-date. I like the term project. We speak often of an artist’s work, so why not for a recording artist, their project? Food for thought and you probably didn’t hear it here first.)
Andrae Crouch gets a dusting off with his old tune “Ain’t nobody, do me like Jesus.”
Can I say this without being castigated and never permitted to write for this publication again? I am a southern born white male. If GRITS can be short for Girls Raised in the South, then I am a BRITS: Boy Raised in the South. With that said I think some of the best Christian or Gospel music and musicians are African-American in origin. Listen to Ollabelle and tell me you don’t expect to see some people of color on their CD jacket. Keep on looking because they are all Caucasian. Not all American – one is from Australia.
Talent not-with-standing we owe some thanks to T. Bone Burnett for bringing Ollabelle to our attention. Mr. Burnett is largely responsible for the resurgence of so-called “roots music” that characterized the rather unusual movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and the subsequent “Down From The Mountain” tour and numerous other attempts to take us back in musical time.
Seems Mr. Burnett heard Ollabelle in the rough, flew to New York, signed them to his label, invited them to his studio and the result is their self-titled debut project “Ollabelle”.
Amy Helm provides some of the pedigree mentioned. Her father – who takes a turn or two on the drums – is Levon Helm, formerly of the Band, those lads that spent some time backing up a big name in folk music, Bob Dylan.
Noted archivist and folk music historian Alan Lomax is responsible for two of the tunes. The Carter clan (yes, those Carters!) contribute another. Many are traditional songs arranged by Ollabelle. It would be tempting to call their music traditional but for me it doesn’t quite fit the mold. I haven’t come up with a name for it. A read of several reviews finds the words - - - used frequently.
But if that label sticks, Ollabelle will be a one-project group that we won’t hear much about in the future. I doubt if they are getting any radio airplay with the homogenized Clear-Channel playlists so prevalent in secular (oops didn’t mean to use any more of those words!) and I can’t imagine my local Christian DJs giving it a spin. So the only way you might hear them is to visit one of their concerts or if you can listen to a community radio station. Note I said community, not public. I’ve found in my travels a few that I would call community that play an interesting mix of music. My guess is Ollabelle is heard here or there if they are heard at all.
I’ve strayed far from my point but which is I guess, that you can find your gospel in unlikely places.
With that segue I must mention Bruce Springsteen’s project “Devils and Dust”. Two words of caution before you rush out and buy this. One song (Reno) has some graphic references that involve prostitution and another drops one of those four-letter bombs. Be forewarned.
Without too much digression here. Mr. Springsteen must have seen the Passion of the Christ. "Jesus Was an Only Son" cut # 8 -This song conjures up (at least for me) so much imagery that must have been inspired by this movie. You can not listen to this song without wondering what is going on in the spiritual side of Mr. Springsteen’s life. Lyrics here. I began to wonder about him after repeated listenings to “The Rising”; his post-9/11 project that so vividly reminds us of the suffering of so many at that time. With the lyrics –written by the Boss himself – I can’t help but wonder, in spite of his obvious liberal positions on many social issues, exactly where he stands with his Maker.
Based on comments he made at a concert in 2005 – my daughter gifted me with a trip to St. Louis to see him at the Fox – I’d say he is struggling with exactly what he believes and about what. But I think down inside he knows something about the truth. I figure if he is at least talking about it – something’s going on.
An update about Ollabelle. They have a 2nd project out. Not as good for me as the first and probably less spiritual in lyrics and style but I’ve also found that with repeated listenings, it grows on me. Since this was originally written I’ve gotten XM Radio – a great buy at only $12.95 per month! And occasionally I’ll see there name pop on on channel 50 – the Loft or channel 45 XM Café – two places I spend a fair amount of my drive time.
I’ve strayed far and wide of any point about what exactly makes Christian music but maybe given some food for thought.