December 1, 2005

King Britt Presents Sister Gertrude Morgan

<i>Ropedope.</i>

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Best known for her vibrant folk-art paintings, Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980) cut a stark gospel album in New Orleans in the late ?60s. Philadelphia house-music and hip-hop producer King Britt recently devised new backing tracks for Morgan?s insistent, wild-eyed vocals and rattling tambourine. Although such revisionism can smack of cheesy gimmickry, his unlikely hybrid is a glorious success. Britt resists the urge to depict this passionate eccentric as a weirdo, respectfully crafting diverse, satisfying settings for her fiery minisermons. Brooding and bluesy, ?Let?s Make a Record? turns the exhortation ?Praise him!? into an apocalyptic warning, while the wailing harmonica of ?Living Bread? conveys deep yearning. If the funky percussion of ?I Was Healed by the Wounds? reimagines Morgan as a rapper, ?Precious Lord Lead Me On? marries her message to a lovely melody.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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