riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (04/26/85)
Sweet Honey in the Rock is an a capella vocal group consisting of five black
women from Washington, D.C. Although (as someone mentioned previously) they
do have some "predominantly R&B, doo-wop-style" material, I believe their
deepest roots are in black gospel music. They also draw extensively on
jazz, reggae, the blues and modern musical styles.
Their music really is "gospel" music in another sense, though: it is music
with a message. They are feminists, so you'll often find their records in
the "women's music" bins, but they also sing out against racism,
imperialism, apartheid, war and -- perhaps even more important -- the kinds
of inhumanity that we inflict on one another that don't have names and
labels.
The power of their voices or the power of their message could take my breath
away, either one; together they are something very special.
--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle
--- riddle@ut-sally.UUCP, riddle@ut-sally.ARPA, riddle%zotz@ut-sally