Dodging The Wrath Of God

Della Reese “Compared To What” – There’s a lot of protest music from the Viet Nam and Reagan eras that ring true today due to their vagueness or because they are about political situations analogous to current events, but this song, with lyrics written by Eugene McDaniels, is so specific to the current American political climate that it seems like it could have been written yesterday. Della Reese changed the original lyrics slightly, softening some of the harsher lyrics and downplaying the line about abortion, but the performance is still quite vitriolic and intense. This is a selection from Soul Jazz’s new Soul Gospel compilation, which (like virtually everything else put out on that label) is of uniformly high quality and decked out with informative, well-designed packaging. Highly recommended. (Click here to buy it from Soul Jazz.)

Sunship (featuring Warrior Queen) “Almighty Father” – This is very disorienting, but in a pleasurable sort of way. The ragga vocals zoom along over a broken beat backing track that sounds like it’s been reduced to slow motion, creating this odd effect that is kinda like being half-asleep on a rollercoaster. (Click here to buy it from Juno.)