Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration is a critically acclaimed gospel

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

 album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by various artists, released in 1992 on Warner Alliance

Warner Alliance

Warner Alliance was a Contemporary Christian imprint of Warner Music Group. Its operations were suspended in 1998. Artists on the label included Billy & Sarah Gaines, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Caedmon's Call, Donnie McClurkin, First Call, Wayne Watson, Take 6, Mid South, and the Worldwide...

. Executive produced by Norman Miller, Gail Hamilton and Mervyn Warren

Mervyn Warren

Mervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, music conductor, music arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee...

, it is a reinterpretation of the 1741 oratorio

Oratorio

An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...

 Messiah

Messiah (Handel)

Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...

by George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...

, and has been widely praised for its use of multiple genres of African-American music, including spirituals, blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, ragtime

Ragtime

Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...

, big band

Big band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

, jazz fusion

Jazz fusion

Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

, R&B

Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 and hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

.

The album received the 1992 Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album has been awarded since 1991. An similar award, the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary, was awarded from 1978 to 1983...

, as well as the 1992 Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year. In 1993, the various recording artists participating in the project were collectively nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist

The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Gospel Artist:...

.

Track listing

#	Title	Length	Arranger(s)	Producer(s)	Performer(s)
1	"Overture: A Partial History of Black Music"	5:13	Mervyn Warren Mervyn Warren Mervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, music conductor, music arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee... , Shelton Kilby, Dwayne Adell, Cedric Dent, Joe Hogue	Mervyn Warren	Mervyn Warren, Janice Chandler Eteme, Dwayne Adell, Cedric Dent, Joe Hogue
2	"Comfort Ye My People"	5:44	Mervyn Warren and Michael O. Jackson	Mervyn Warren	Vanessa Bell Armstrong Vanessa Bell Armstrong Vanessa Bell Armstrong is a gospel singer who released her debut album Peace Be Still in 1983.-Musical career :...  and Daryl Coley Daryl Coley -Early life:Daryl Coley was born in Berkeley, California in 1955, spending his formative years in Oakland, California. His parents separated when he was five years old, with he and his two siblings being raised by his mother in a solid Christian home. Musically, Coley was first influenced by his...
3	"Every Valley Shall Be Exalted"	3:42	Mervyn Warren and Mark Kibble	Mervyn Warren	Lizz Lee and Chris Willis Chris Willis Christopher "Chris" Willis is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Although initially a gospel singer, he later received international attention for his collaborations with house music artist David Guetta, including on the songs "Just a Little More Love", "Love Don't Let Me Go , "Love Is...  (with Mike E.)
4	"And the Glory of the Lord"	3:57	Charles Mims	George Duke George Duke George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...	Dianne Reeves Dianne Reeves Dianne Reeves is an American jazz singer. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.-Early life:Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan to a very musical family. Her father, who died when she was two years old, was also a singer. Her mother, Vada Swanson, played trumpet. A cousin, George Duke, is a...
5	"But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming"	6:38	David Pack David Pack David Robert Pack , is a Grammy Award Winning Artist, Producer & Music Director of Global Events. His career began as the front man, vocalist and guitarist with the rock group Ambrosia popular in the 1970s and 1980s.-Career:... , Greg Phillinganes Greg Phillinganes Greg Phillinganes is an active session keyboardist in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan....  and Patti Austin Patti Austin -Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents....	David Pack and Patti Austin	Patti Austin
6	"And He Shall Purify"	4:36	Michael O. Jackson and Mervyn Warren	Mervyn Warren	Tramaine Hawkins
7	"Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive"	3:56	George Duke	George Duke	Howard Hewett Howard Hewett Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
8	"O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion"	3:52	Cedric Dent	Take 6 Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two...	Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...  and Take 6
9	"For Unto Us a Child is Born"	3:53	Gary Hines	Gary Hines	Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness is a Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the Billboard R&B chart and Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play...
10	"Glory to God"	4:51	Robert Sadin	Robert Sadin	The Boys Choir of Harlem Boys Choir of Harlem The Boys Choir of Harlem was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its last performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, a large budget deficit, and the death of its founder.Founded in 1968 by Dr...  and Leaders of the New School Leaders of the New School Leaders of the New School was a Long Island, New York-based hip hop crew.-History:The crew was composed of Uniondale, New York, natives Charlie Brown and Dinco D ; North Amityville, New York native Cut Monitor Milo ; and Busta Rhymes , who was originally from Brooklyn, New York but later moved to...
11	"Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion"	5:07	Richard Smallwood Richard Smallwood Richard Smallwood is an American Gospel music artist who formed The Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977 in Washington, DC.-Biography:...	Richard Smallwood	Richard Smallwood Singers
12	"Behold the Lamb of God"	4:32	The Yellowjackets Yellowjackets Yellowjackets is an American jazz fusion/smooth jazz quartet.-History:The original group, called The Robben Ford Group, was formed in 1977, and consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson, all top-notch L.A. session musicians...	The Yellowjackets	The Yellowjackets
13	"Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates"	5:12	Fred Hammond Fred Hammond Fred Hammond is a gospel music singer, bass guitar player, and record producer.-Musical career:Hammond has been active both as a member of the gospel performing group Commissioned, and as a solo artist...	Fred Hammond	Commissioned Commissioned (gospel group) Commissioned is an American Gospel group. The group recorded twelve albums over a period of seventeen years.-Group composition:Originally from Detroit, Michigan, the six original members were Fred Hammond, Mitchell Jones, Keith Staten, Karl Reid, Michael Brooks, and Michael Williams formed a...  and The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of four sisters:Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. A fifth sister, Denise Clark Bradford, no longer performs with the group. The Clark Sisters are the daughters of legendary...
14	"Why Do the Nations So Furiously Rage?"	2:36	Mervyn Warren	Mervyn Warren	Al Jarreau Al Jarreau Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
15	"I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"	6:00	Mervyn Warren and Michael O. Jackson	Mervyn Warren	Tevin Campbell Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. He scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s.-Music career:...
16	"Hallelujah! Hallelujah (gospel song) "Hallelujah!" is a 1992 song from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, a Grammy award winning Reprise Records concept album. The song is a soulful re-interpretation of the "Hallelujah" chorus from Messiah, George Frideric Handel's well-known oratorio from 1741... "	5:53	Mervyn Warren, Michael O. Jackson, and Mark Kibble	Mervyn Warren	Vanessa Bell Armstrong Vanessa Bell Armstrong Vanessa Bell Armstrong is a gospel singer who released her debut album Peace Be Still in 1983.-Musical career :... , Patti Austin Patti Austin -Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents.... , Bernie K., Daryl Coley Daryl Coley -Early life:Daryl Coley was born in Berkeley, California in 1955, spending his formative years in Oakland, California. His parents separated when he was five years old, with he and his two siblings being raised by his mother in a solid Christian home. Musically, Coley was first influenced by his...  (soloist), Commissioned Commissioned (gospel group) Commissioned is an American Gospel group. The group recorded twelve albums over a period of seventeen years.-Group composition:Originally from Detroit, Michigan, the six original members were Fred Hammond, Mitchell Jones, Keith Staten, Karl Reid, Michael Brooks, and Michael Williams formed a... , Andrae Crouch Andrae Crouch Andraé Crouch is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, recording artist, record producer, and pastor.-Early years:Born Andraé Edward Crouch in San Francisco, California.... , Sandra Crouch Sandra Crouch Sandra Crouch is an American Gospel music performer, drummer and songwriter.-Musical career:She won a Grammy Award in 1985 for "Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female".... , Clifton Davis Clifton Davis Clifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen... , Charles S. Dutton Charles S. Dutton Charles Stanley Dutton is an American stage, film, and television actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his roles as "Fortune" in the film Rudy and "Dillon" in Alien 3... , Kim Fields Kim Fields Kim Victoria Fields is an American actress and television director. She is known for her roles as Tootie Ramsey on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life, and as Regine Hunter on the Fox sitcom Living Single... , Larnelle Harris Larnelle Harris Larnelle Steward Harris is a gospel singer and songwriter. During his 30-plus years of ministry, Harris has recorded 18 albums, won five Grammy Awards and 18 Dove Awards, and has had several number one songs on the inspirational music charts.-Early life:A native of Danville, Kentucky, Harris... , Edwin Hawkins Edwin Hawkins Edwin Hawkins is a Grammy Award-winning American gospel and R&B musician, pianist, choir master, composer and arranger. He is one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He are best known for his arrangement of "Oh Happy Day" , which was included on the Songs of the Century list... , Tramaine Hawkins, Linda Hopkins Linda Hopkins Linda Hopkins is an African American actress and blues and gospel singer. She has recorded classic, traditional, and urban blues, and performed R&B and soul, jazz, and show tunes, all with distinction and style since the 1950s.... , Al Jarreau Al Jarreau Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and... , Quincy Jones Quincy Jones Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...  (conductor), Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career... , Gladys Knight Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author... , Lizz Lee, Dawnn Lewis Dawnn Lewis Dawnn Lewis is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles on sitcoms such as A Different World and in the first season of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.-Career:... , Babbie Mason, Johnny Mathis Johnny Mathis John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts... , Marilyn McCoo Marilyn McCoo Marilyn McCoo is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold... , Mike E., Stephanie Mills Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times... , Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Linton Osborne is an American funk and R&B musician, songwriter, lyricist, and former lead singer of the band, L.T.D.-Early life and career:... , David Pack David Pack David Robert Pack , is a Grammy Award Winning Artist, Producer & Music Director of Global Events. His career began as the front man, vocalist and guitarist with the rock group Ambrosia popular in the 1970s and 1980s.-Career:... , Phylicia Rashād Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.... , Joe Sample Joe Sample Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 .- Biography :Sample began playing the piano... , Richard Smallwood Richard Smallwood Richard Smallwood is an American Gospel music artist who formed The Richard Smallwood Singers in 1977 in Washington, DC.-Biography:... , Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness is a Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the Billboard R&B chart and Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play... , Take 6 Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two... , Darryl Tookes, Mervyn Warren Mervyn Warren Mervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, music conductor, music arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee... , Thomas Whitfield Thomas Whitfield Thomas Anthony Whitfield was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, choir director and producer best known for helping to shape the fabric of contemporary gospel music with his elaborate choral arrangements and the merging of musical styles ranging from jazz to classical into... , Vanessa Williams Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine... , Chris Willis Chris Willis Christopher "Chris" Willis is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Although initially a gospel singer, he later received international attention for his collaborations with house music artist David Guetta, including on the songs "Just a Little More Love", "Love Don't Let Me Go , "Love Is...

Album

Year	Chart	Peak
1992	The Billboard 200	#82
1992	Top Gospel Albums	#3
1992	Top R&B Albums	#11
1992	Top Contemporary Christian Albums	#13