By Drew Halfnight
Mavis Staples
Genre: Rhythm and Blues/Gospel
Message: As a key figure in the civil rights movement (she was briefly engaged to Bob Dylan), Staples always packed her music full of messages against bigotry, abuse and inequality.
Why you should listen: Staples has one of the richest, thickest, swampiest voices in pop music today.
Quotable Quote: “We've got to keep pushing to make the world a better place. Things are better, but we're not where we need to be.”
If you only listen to one song: “My Own Eyes” from her latest release We’ll Never Turn Back is a romping good freedom song.
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Martyn Joseph
Genre: Folk
Self-description: “Feisty, pull-no-punches, big-issue numbers alongside stripped-bare love songs.”
Message: Love will find a way.
Influences: Mark Cohn, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews
Why you should listen: Joseph is one of those impassioned balladeers who can’t help but keep strumming, wailing and pumping out one recording after another.
Quotable Quote: “It’s the song that can soothe, explain or even in a small way save us.”
If you only listen to one song: “Have an Angel Walk with Her,” from Evolved, is an airy love tune that will tug at your tear ducts.
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Jay Calder
Genre: Folk/Solo Guitar
Influences: Don Ross, Bruce Cockburn and Michael Hedges
Why you should listen: Calder is a wonderful recent addition to a long-standing Canadian tradition of finger-style virtuoso guitar. His music has been described as “heart-driven.”
Interesting Fact: Calder earned a Bachelor of Theology degree from Emmanuel College in Boston. He has also served as a pastor in Kitchener and Lindsay, Ontario.
If you only listen to one song: “A Full Heart,” is the first track on Breakfast with Barnabas. It’s a zippy tune that’ll get you going in the morning.
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Michelle Shocked
Genre: Rock/Folk/Gospel
Message: “Stick it to the man.” A dyed-in-the-wool radical feminist, Shocked says she views record companies as “equals in a power struggle.”
Why you should listen: Shocked is an American original: brash, boisterous, soulful and not afraid to live her faith and politics to the fullest.
Quotable Quote: “When politics and Church come together, it can be a powerful force for change.”
If you only listen to one song: “Anchorage” from her 1988 release Short Sharp Shocked is a sweet, poppy little number.
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Soweto Gospel Choir
Genre: African Gospel
Message: Live with joy! Soweto Gospel Choir positively radiates ecstatic worship in each uplifting song.
Why you should listen: Comprising 52 members, most of them in the prime of their youth, Soweto Gospel Choir has the force and personality of a happy-go-lucky mob.
Accolades: In 2006 and 2007, the choir won two consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Traditional World Music Album.
If you only listen to one song: “Hlohonolofatsa” on their latest release, African Spirit is a cappella bliss.
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