''The Urban Hymnal'' is a 2022 debut
album by
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...
(TSU)
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
Aristocrat of Bands
Tennessee State University's marching band is known as the "Aristocrat of Bands" (AOB).
History
The band, much like the stage band of the time known as the Jazz Collegians of Tennessee State University, were primarily student led organizations wh ...
(AOB).
Recording and release
The album came about when
Sir the Baptist visited the TSU campus and saw AOB performing. He suggested that he could record the group during an
artist residency
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
,
and the recording took place on campus, with final editing being completed in mid-2022.
Dallas Austin
Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer.
Biography
Early life
During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...
came in to produce the album with Sir.
Word spread in the
Gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
community, leading to several established pop Gospel artists appearing on the album, as well as faculty and staff of the university.
The Aristocrat of Bands submitted the recording for
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
consideration in August 2022, in the category Best Gospel Roots Album.
The band promoted the album by performing at the half-time show of a
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
game.
Reception
Jewly Hight of
WNXP
WNXP (91.1 FM) is a public radio station in Nashville, Tennessee. The station is owned by Nashville Public Radio, the licensee of Nashville's main NPR member station, WPLN-FM. It airs an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format. WNXP holds p ...
named this the album of the week for September 27, 2022, praising the showmanship on the recording and how difficult it is to capture on record.
Track listing
#"Turner’s Overture –
I’m So Glad" – 1:02
#"Dance Revival" – 3:06
#"FLY (Y.M.M.F.)" – 3:28
#"Going Going" – 3:21
#"Alright" – 3:58
#"Me Too" – 5:15
#"
Jesus Loves Me
"Jesus Loves Me" is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called ''Say and Seal'', written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in which t ...
" – 1:16
#"Purpose" – 4:16
#"Blessings on Blessings" – 3:58
#"Alma Mater" – 1:59
Personnel
*
Aristocrat of Bands
Tennessee State University's marching band is known as the "Aristocrat of Bands" (AOB).
History
The band, much like the stage band of the time known as the Jazz Collegians of Tennessee State University, were primarily student led organizations wh ...
Guest artists
*
Dallas Austin
Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer.
Biography
Early life
During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...
on "Dance Revival",
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
*Jamal Bryant on "Alright"
*
Jekalyn Carr
Jekalyn Almonique Carr (born April 22, 1997) is a recording artist, as well as a speaker, entrepreneur, actress, and author.
As a top selling recording artist, Carr has earned eight Billboard #1’s before the age of 21, including singles, †...
on "Dance Revival"
*ChurchPpl on "Dance Revival", "Going Going", "Me Too", "Purpose", and "Blessings on Blessings"
*Dubba-AA on "Going Going" and "Purpose"
*San Franklin on "Purpose"
*
Glenda Glover
Glenda Baskin Glover, Ph.D, JD, CPA, began serving as the eighth president of Tennessee State University on January 2, 2013. Early life and education
Glover was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and was raised in the Weaver Road vicinity near Boxtown. ...
on "Turner’s Overture – I’m So Glad"
*Edward L. Graves on "Alma Mater"
*Derrick Greene on "Alma Mater"
*
Fred Hammond
Frederick William Hammond (born December 27, 1960) is an American gospel singer, bass guitar player, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most popular figures in contemporary gospel music. He is known for using a variety of differe ...
on "Me Too"
*
J. Ivy
J. Ivy (born March 3, 1976) is an American performance poet, spoken word artist, songwriter, and author. He is a three-time HBO Def Poet and is known for his performance on Kanye West’s Grammy Award winning debut album ''The College Dropout ...
on "Alright"
*Larry Jenkins on "Alright" and "Alma Mater", production
*
John P. Kee
John P. Kee (born John Prince Kee on June 4, 1962) is an American gospel singer and pastor.
Kee has been active for more than 20 years in the music field. He is primarily known for mixing traditional gospel with modern contemporary gospel, an ...
on "Alright", "Me Too"
*Donald Lawrence on "Blessings on Blessings"
*Reginald McDonald on "Alma Mater"
*James Sexton on "Alma Mater"
*
Kierra Sheard
Kierra Valencia "Kiki" Sheard-Kelly (born June 20, 1987) is an American gospel singer. She is the daughter of gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard (member of gospel singing group the Clark Sisters) and granddaughter of gospel choral director Mattie ...
on "Going Going"
*
Sir the Baptist on "Dance Revival", "Going Going", "Alright", "Me Too", "Purpose", and "Blessings on Blessings"; production
*Mekayla Smith on "Alright"
*W. Crimm Singers on "Me Too"
*
Louis York
Louis York is an American band formed by Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony in 2015.
History
Kelly and Harmony first met while working on Chrisette Michele's 2009 album '' Epiphany''.Gerrick D. Kennedy"Hitmakers Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony debu ...
on "Blessings on Blessings"
See also
*
Lists of 2022 albums
For lists of 2022 albums, see:
* List of 2022 albums (January–June)
* List of 2022 albums (July–December)
{{Short pages monitor