The Best Gospel Music of 2010
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It’s that time of year again when we look back at the past twelve months and reflect on the best that the year had to offer. In the world of gospel music, 2010 was a great year!
What is Gospel Music?
Gospel music is a genre of Christian music. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture andsocial context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace.
The History of Gospel Music
Gospel music is a genre of Christian music. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace.
Gospel music usually has dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century, with roots in the black oral tradition. Hymns and sacred songs were often repeated in a call and response fashion. Most of the churches relied on hand clapping and foot stomping as rhythmic accompaniments. However, by the middle of the 20th century, “gospel” music had been transformed by largely black musicians creating a new style called “soul” which was influenced by rhythm and blues. Gospel music recorded since 1972 has mostly been contemporary gospel featuring strong elements of soul music.
The Different Types of Gospel Music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as (in terms of the varying music styles) to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music. Like other forms of Christian music, the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace.
Gospel music usually has dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced back with roots in the black oral tradition. Hymns and spirituals were commonly repeated in a call and response fashion. Most of the churches relied on hand clapping and foot stomping as rhythmic accompaniment. Plucked string instruments such as the guitar or banjo were sometimes used as well. More recently, gospel music has been characterized by its dominant vocals that are often accompanied by background singers. This form of music also includes a strong element of code-switching whereby words from the standard English lexicon are replaced with African American Vernacular English (AAVE).
The Best Gospel Music of 2010
2010 was a great year for gospel music. There were many great albums released and many great songs written. Here are some of the best gospel music of 2010.
The Top Gospel Songs of 2010
As the year comes to a close, we looked back at the top Gospel songs of 2010. These songs encouraged, blessed and helped get us through some tough times. Here are the top 10 Gospel songs of 2010:
10. “Awesome Wonder” by Jermaine Dolly
9. “A Friend” by Kierra Sheard
8. “I Smile” by Kirk Franklin
7. “He Has His Hands on You” by Marvin Sapp
6. “The Word” by James Fortune & FIYABO
5. ” hold My Mule” by Shirley Caesar & Dorinda Clark Cole
4. “Waiting” by Marvin Winans
3. “I Won’t Go Back” by William Murphy
2. “There Will Be A Day” by Jeremy Camp
1. “Take Me To The King” by Tamela Mann
The Top Gospel Albums of 2010
1) Daryl Coley- Timeless Gospel Classics
2) VaShawn Mitchell- Concealed
3) BeBe Winans- America’s Favorite Gospel Songs
4) Kirk Franklin & The Family- Hello Fear
5) Erica Campbell- Help
6) Smokie Norful- I Need You Now
7) Tye Tribbett- Greater Than
8) James Fortune & FIYA- Identity
9) Paul Morton- Best Days Yet
10) Canton Spirituals- Living God
The Top Gospel Artists of 2010
This year has seen an abundance of excellent music from both fresh new talent and veteran artists. It’s been a great year for Gospel music, with many different styles being represented in the top albums and songs of the year. Here are some of the top Gospel artists of 2010:
1. Kirk Franklin – One of the most popular and respected Gospel artists around, Kirk Franklin has had another great year with his album “Hello Fear” debuting at number one on the Billboard Gospel chart.
2. James Fortune & FIYA – This group has been making waves in the Gospel world for a few years now, and 2010 has been their breakthrough year. Their album “Identity” debuted at number two on the Billboard Gospel chart, and their single “I Believe” was a huge hit, spending six weeks at number one on the Gospel radio charts.
3. Smokie Norful – Another veteran artist who had a great year in 2010 is Smokie Norful. His album “Smokie Norful Live” debuted at number three on the Billboard Gospel chart, and his single “I Need You Now” was a top five hit on the Gospel radio charts.
4. Deitrick Haddon – Deitrick Haddon is another artist who has been making noise in the Gospel world for awhile, and he continued to do so in 2010 with his album “Revelation.” The album debuted at number four on the Billboard Gospel chart, and his single “Have Your Way” was a top ten hit on the Gospel radio charts.
5. Marvin Sapp – Marvin Sapp is yet another veteran artist who had a great 2010. His album “Here I Am” debuted at number five on the Billboard Gospel chart, and his single “The Best In Me” was a huge hit, spending eight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.
