U2? and a Gospel Choir? a U2 Gospel Choir?
I was at a training event recently, and as part of this I did some testing. Some of those tests involve teaching people I’ve NEVER met or even heard sing before, and I have 20 minutes to make them sound better in that time. Pleased to say I passed!
Another part of it is a voice test, where I basically get a voice lesson but we also focus on what’s going on in my own voice in relation to teaching as well. There’s always stuff to work on.
In this case I decided to work on U2’s ‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’. This is a beautiful song – rich vocals, strong lyrics, gorgeous and powerful melody, and the arrangement is wonderful.
Afterwards I had someone who’d observed the lesson mention that U2 once did a gospel version of this song (say whaaat?!) with a proper black gospel choir – a ‘U2 Gospel Choir’ if you will!
I looked it up, and was absolutely astounded by what I heard….
Talk about merging of styles… truly, a U2 Gospel Choir!
When was the last time you sought out a song done in a merging of two or more styles? When was the last time you tried one of your favourite songs in another style? It’s sometimes tough to imagine these things, but it’s a real doorway to finding some cool sounds you would never have stumbled across otherwise… sticking songs and styles in a particle collider and seeing what comes out is a fantastic way to develop your artistry and understanding of what makes certain songs work in particular styles.
Check out the video and see what you can come up with in your own repertoire!