''The Jesus Music'' is a 2021 American documentary film distributed by Lionsgate and directed by the Erwin brothers, detailing the history of

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

as a musical and cultural phenomenon. The film was released by Lionsgate on October 1, 2021. ''The Jesus Music'' was nominated for the GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Film/Series of the Year at the 2022 GMA Dove Awards.

Synopsis

The film documents the history of

, from its roots in the Jesus music of the 1970s, through the

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

and Christian metal eras of the 1980s and 1990s, into the rise of

praise and worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are fr ...

in the early 21st century. A number of prominent figures in Christian music are interviewed, including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, CeCe Winans, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, Kirk Franklin,

Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempora ...

, Lecrae, and Lauren Daigle.

Promotion

An accompanying book, written by

Marshall Terrill Marshall Terrill (born December 17, 1963, in Texarkana, Texas) is an American author and journalist. He is noted for biographies on Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Billy Graham and Pete Maravich. Early years: 1963-1982 Terrill is ...

, was published alongside the release of the film. The film was screened for an audience of music industry personnel, including many of the artists interviewed in the film, in Nashville the week prior to its theatrical release.

Reception

Steve Pulaski of ''Influx Magazine'' and his personal website gave the film an "A−" letter-grade, calling it "the ''

Summer of Soul ''Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)'' is a 2021 American documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut. It had its world premiere at the ...

'' for Christian music," in reference to the Academy Award-winning documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival released earlier in the year, and added that it "is such a formidable documentary because it consistently reminds us that music is the most universally powerful tool we have as humans. Thoughts you can convey through song often hit harder than they do in casual conversation. Whether you're a fan of contemporary Christian music, a devout believer, or simply someone hungry for knowledge, this is a documentary well-worth your time." Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

References

External links

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Official trailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jesus Music, The 2021 films Lionsgate films American musical documentary films 2021 documentary films 2020s English-language films Films directed by the Erwin Brothers 2020s American films English-language documentary films