Post
by jakeisjake » Thu Jun 24, 2021 10:20 am
I am as much of a critic of the worship music/CCM (contemporary Christian Music) scene as many of you are. I think a lot of Criticism is valid. It can be cheesy and generic and formulaic...it can be insincere and fake and phony...but it can also be profound and rich and quite moving. Personally, there are only a couple of Christian bands I listen to with any regularity (Switchfoot, Chris Lizotte, Rich Mullins...maybe bits and pieces of others)...I listen to them because their music is good. It's smart, it's interesting, it's well written and well performed. It would stand on it's own apart from its genre.
the Worship music scene is like music in general and pop music in particular.
For every band that comes along and does something new, strange, interesting and art-worthy...you have 10 other bands that are just copying what the originals did. Think of the psycheldelic scene, the grunge scene, the punk scene, the metal scene...a couple of great bands and a ton of posers. So it is in this setting...it's true, many players are "edge-light". The keyboards are airy and evocative and intended to pull heart strings.
Pop music in particular is designed to be "popular". To be popular you have to be appealing to a wide range of tastes, while at the same time trying to not be offensive to any particular taste. The last thing the preacher wants is for someone to leave church because the music doesn't meet someone's satisfaction (and that happens OFTEN). So the worship band (and the leader in particular) is faced with the task of being appealing to as many people as possible, while not being repulsive to any one in particular. So, of course it can be pretty bland. If it is overly (you can put any adjective here)...it will cause someone to "zone out".
Church music reflects the culture of the average attendee and is intended to convey that the Transcendent is Immanent.
True "Gospel music" (that is, in the sense of the genre of music) is reflective of black culture at the time it developed. It is a style of music that has somethings in common with other church music...but it is, at its heart, culturally relevant to blacks. If you visit a Latino church, you may hear music that reflects their culture. Back in the 80s and 90s the church I attended rented to a "Gypsy Church" (that's what they themselves called it at that time, sorry for not being pc)...Their music reflected their culture, intended to be relatable, enjoyable, expressive and responsive to its hearers (I would dare say "participants" because worship is intended to be participated in, rather than just listened to.
If I was a byrd, I'd be mighty sore every time they shut the door and I don't think I'd sing...