Sacred Ground (Sweet Honey in the Rock album)

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Sacred Ground
Sacred Ground (Sweet Honey in the Rock album).jpg
Studio album by
Sweet Honey in the Rock
ReleasedOctober 24, 1995
Genre A capella, gospel
Length67:09
Label EarthBeat! [1]
Producer Bernice Johnson Reagon, Toshi Reagon.
Sweet Honey in the Rock chronology
I Got Shoes
(1994)		Sacred Ground
(1995)		Selections 1976-1988
(1997)

Sacred Ground is an album by the American a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, released on October 24, 1995. [2] [3] [4] The group supported the album with a North American tour. [5]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Bernice Johnson Reagon and her daughter, Toshi Reagon. [6] It was inspired by the group's work locating religious songs for NPR's "Wade in the Water" program. [7] Eight of the songs are originals; of the covers, one dates to the late 1940s, while the others are traditional gospel songs with unclear authorship. [8] The group recorded the album over a period of more than six months, beginning in December 1994. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Sydney Morning Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [13]

The Washington Post concluded: "On Sacred Ground, Sweet Honey in the Rock turns its attention to an older approach that stresses smoother, longer vocal phrases, gentler rhythms and fuller, more sustained harmonies. On both the traditional 'Jordan River' and Aisha Kahlil's 'Mystic Oceans', the group's voices actually imitate the overlapping ripples of water." [8] The St. Petersburg Times wrote that the album "traces a capella gospel's progression from ancient cotton fields to modern-day urban landscapes." [7]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thought that "the songs resonate with a spiritual respect and are universal: identifying with the struggle against slavery everywhere and on any level." [12] The Sydney Morning Herald called the album "the most emotionally persuasive recording the group has released so far... Voices rise and fall, cry out, whisper, pulsate with the rhythms, harmonise with rare unity of purpose and rejoice in a sense of shared optimism." [13]

AllMusic wrote that, "rooted in spiritual music and steeped in African-American tradition without being preachy or heavy-handed, Sacred Ground pulls from the various faiths and life experiences of the women of Sweet Honey in the Rock." [10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."I Remember, I Believe"4:00
2."No More Auction Block"4:35
3."Would You Harbor Me"3:02
4."Prayer"2:34
5."Sing Oh Barren One"11:38
6."Mystic Oceans"5:05
7."Jordan River"5:49
8."Stay on the Battlefield"5:20
9."Can't Hide Sinner"2:33
10."Jesus Is All"4:07
11."Inner Voices"6:08
12."Prayer to the One"4:50
13."Balm in Gilead"4:13
14."We Are"3:08

Personnel

Singers

Poetry Speaker

References

  1. 1 2 MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 2000. p. 747.
  2. ↑ Solomon, Asali (December 1995 – January 1996). "Revolutions". Vibe. Vol. 3, no. 10. p. 155.
  3. ↑ "Their Music – Their History – Rolls Along". Feature. Daily Hampshire Gazette. October 3, 1995.
  4. ↑ Allan, Marc D. (October 1, 1995). "Distant holiday jingle is poised to become roar". The Indianapolis Star. p. I8.
  5. ↑ "Sweet Honey keeps right on singing". The Philadelphia Tribune. March 22, 1996. p. 11E.
  6. ↑ Simmons, Carol (March 29, 1996). "Sweet Honey Used to Selling Out". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 8.
  7. 1 2 Deggans, Eric (February 23, 1996). "Sweet spirit, Sweet sound, Sweet Honey". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 3.
  8. 1 2 "Sweet Honey Pours Smooth Harmonies". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  9. ↑ Marcel, Joyce (October 5, 1995). "Sweet Honey: songs of heart and conscience". The Republican. p. D1.
  10. 1 2 "Sacred Ground". AllMusic.
  11. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 877.
  12. 1 2 Walton, Allan (November 3, 1995). "Great Pretenders". Arts & Entertainment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21.
  13. 1 2 Elder, Bruce (January 1, 1996). "Magic in wonderland". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 7.
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