Religious music for less than devout

@slaw I should have figured that out. I grew up with quite a few "PKs".

@wsrrsw, that's some good stuff right there those Holmes Brothers.
Our church, mostly white, from time to time, holds services with a church across town, mostly black. Each of our churches is a bit of a stereotype. We are uptight white people. Our main service is very traditional. Traditional hymns. Big pipe organ. The quality of our choir and organist is top notch. I mean seriously good. Their church is much more soulful for lack of a better word. Just what you'd imagine. Band with drums and bass, organ player, hoppin' choir. The quality of their music is also top notch. I love our music, but I like it much better when we worship with them at their church than when they come to ours. Good gospel music with an actively participating congregation is a wonderful thing!

This is full on religious music, and I am less than devout. For some reason these two Soul Stirrers albums are incredible: I’d Trade A Lifetime(1974) and The Lord Will Make A Way(1976), both on Jewel Records. They are pretty famous for having such artists as Sam Cooke and Johnny Taylor as their lead singers, but at this point in time it was Eddie Huffman. For some reason his conviction and soulful singing keeps me engaged for hours on end. Not in a spiritual sense per se, but his voice is incredible. Here are some samples:

https://youtu.be/qEK3b0jKSlk

https://youtu.be/0Ij3HxwmtdQ

https://youtu.be/Q3bo_PcT5BA

The Rance Allen Group is pretty excellent as well. They did a few albums on Stax.
https://youtu.be/mTSaPnRV59g

Cristone “Kingfish” Ingram did a downright incredible variation of Amazing Grace at his mother’s funeral.
http://www.openculture.com/2019/12/blues-musician-plays-a-soul-stirring-version-of-amazing-grace-at-...

Yeah, I spent lots of my disposable income on Christian rock and pop in the 80’s and the first half of the 90’s, before the music industry had its shake up. That music helped me stay centered on the big picture, I guess you’d say.

Special mention to Jon Gibson, who broke into the industry as a back up singer for Stevie Wonder(sounds like him even). He was a pop genius back then.

Speaking of which Stevie Wonder had many songs with religious themes. Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away, Heaven Help Us All. Even Superstition, waking people up to the stupidity of superstition.

More recently, Tom Jones did an album called "Praise and Blame", which is jaw droppingly good. Many Christian themes, from an outsider, maybe.

Johnny Cash had several albums with American Recording company before he passed away. You want to get some insomnia, listen to the song "The Man Comes Around", and then think about Covid:

The hairs on your arm will stand up
At the terror in each sip, and in each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup?
Or disappear into the potter’s ground
When the Man comes around

And continuing in the country vein, Martina Mcbride. She’s got one of the best voices in country, and when you hear, "Anyway", you can’t help but believe in a higher power:

This world’s gone crazy, and it’s hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today,
Believe it anyway

Brooks and Dunn also did a great song called, Believe, that is in the vein of christian themes. I’m sure many country artists have some of that in their catalogs.


Edit:  Oh, for old school straight up black gospel, might as well go straight to the source, Andrae Crouch.  He toured for several years refusing to record anything because he didn't want the music industry to influence his efforts.  The first song I ever heard of his was when I was a small kid, and it's stuck with me my whole life, look up Through it All.

Cash, especially his last suff w/ Rick Rubin
Gram Parsons
Byrds
Donald Byrd- Cristo Redentor -gotta hear this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2KvM2T40RQ