''The Gospel Album'' is the third studio album from
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (22 January 1971 – 25 July 2017), commonly known as Gurrumul and also referred to since his death as Dr G. Yunupingu, was an Aboriginal Australian musician of the Yolŋu peoples. A multi-instrumentalist, he played ...
. It is performed in a mixture of both
Yolngu and English. The album was announced in May and is described as 'a uniquely Indigenous approach to gospel songs with an expanded sound that combines new hymns, and reimagined gospel songs' The album was released on 31 July 2015 and reached number three on the ARIA charts in August 2015.
The album is a dedication to Gurrumul's mother and aunts, who brought him up with songs and lullabies from the church at Elcho Island. As a small boy Gurrumul was not only influenced by the traditional music of his clan but by the gospel music he heard at the local Methodist church. It is a re-imagining of the spiritual songs that came to north-east Arnhem Land via Christian missionaries.
The album cover who captured by Sydney photographer Nic Walker. A music video for "Jesu" was released on 3 July 2015. A music video for "Amazing Grace" (featuring
Paul Kelly) was released on 8 September 2015.
''The Gospel Album'' was the last album Gurrumul released before he died on 25 July 2017, with
Djarimirri
''Djarimirri'' (subtitled ''Child of the Rainbow'') is the first posthumous album and fourth studio album from Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. The album was completed just weeks before his passing in July 2017 and presents traditional songs and har ...
being posthumously distributed.
Reviews
Michael Dwyer from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' gave the album 3 out of 5, describing the album as a "slow, gentle, atmospheric hymnbook". He added "there are some subtle sonic developments whispering beneath the singer's trademark hypnotic lull.. but overall, the key word is familiar."
Daniel Prior from ''The Brag'' gave the album 4 out of 5, saying; "Music has the power to transcend all physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries, and ''The Gospel Album'' preaches this on every song."
Mikey Cahill from ''
news.com.au
news.com.au is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance, and sport.
Staff
The organiza ...
'' gave the album 3.5 out of 5 saying the album is 'soothing'. He complemented the tracks 'Jesu', 'Garray Jesu' and 'Hallelujah'.
Paul Barr from ''Readings'' gave the album a positive review, saying; "This music radiates peace and calm, and Gurrumul’s native Yolngu language allows the full emotion to come through." He praised tracks 'Jesu', 'Baptism' and "the beautiful version" of 'Amazing Grace'.
Darren Hassan from ''Glam Adelaide'' said the album looks set to be a hit with "a mixture of recognisable church songs mostly sung in the Yolngu language."
Track listing
;CD and Digital Download
# Jesu - 4:22
# Trinity - 4:31
# Nhaku Limurr - 4:31
# The Sweetest Name - 3:51
# All God’s Children (Yo Djamarrkuli) - 4:24
# Baptism - 4:36
# Garray Jesu (My Lord) - 4:26
# Hallelujah - 4:22
# Walu (Time) - 3:58
# Saviour - 2:27
#
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
- 3:16
# Riyala (There Is A River) - 4:24
Chart performance
''The Gospel Album'' debuted at number 3 in Australia. This is his third studio album and third to peak at number 3.
Weekly charts
Awards
"The Gospel Album" won the
ARIA Award for Best World Music Album
The ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Music Award for Best World Music Album, is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was inaugurated in ARIA Music Awards of 1995, 1995 as Best Folk/World/Traditional Release. ...
at the
ARIA Music Awards of 2015
The 29th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2015 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...
. This is the third time Gurrumul has won this award.
Tour
The Gospel Songs Australia Tour 2015.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gospel Album
2015 albums
ARIA Award-winning albums
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu albums
Covers albums