Mainstream Music Stars, Gospel Choirs Team Up for New Album
A gospel album featuring performances by Jon Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, and 3 Doors Down, among others, has hit stores after much anticipation.
"Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration" features a wide array of contemporary artists paired with some of today's leading gospel voices and legendary choirs.
"We wanted to create an album that honored the legacy of gospel music – it's the backbone of the American spirit – but also create unique artist pairings that fans could find no where else," commented Bill Hearn, CEO of EMI Christian Music Group, whose gospel music division partnered with Vector Recordings for Oh Happy Day.
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"Gospel music has always been not only spiritually and musically uplifting but also a great American art form," added Vector's Ken Levitan. "With this project we've taken artists who have been successful in other genres and combined them with this great art form to create new powerful music."
For the project, more than a dozen popular musicians collaborated with Gospel artists and several of today's top Gospel Choirs to record renditions of some of the most loved and recognizable inspirational songs, including "People Get Ready," "Oh Happy Day," and "This Little Light of Mine."
Heather Headley, who sings "People Get Ready" on the album, said she had a "great time" recording for Oh Happy Day.
"It's not everyday that you get the opportunity to revisit a classic song like 'People Get Ready,' record it with a great producer like Keith Thomas, and sing alongside a legend such as Rev. Al Green," she said. "It really was a pleasure."
The album, recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, was released on Mar. 31 and has 11 tracks.
Gospel choirs that took part in the album include the Soul Children of Chicago, the Washington Youth Choir, the West Angeles Cogic Mass Choir, and the Mt. Zion Mass Choir.
