Monique Thomas Voices Of Praise - It's Time (2008)

Creativity and tradition are not opposed. Originating from Black American religious chants, Gospel is the major artistic expression of the spiritual culture, and its musical influence has long since gone beyond its religious confines : although we cannot attribute it with the paternity of jazz, it had a strong influence on this music and is at the very root of soul music. Inspired by and rooted in tradition, Gospel defies trends and brings with it a universal profoundness. From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), Monique Thomas very early joined the chorals of her local Baptist churches and in many of them became lead singer. Immersed in both the radition of spirituals and in contemporary soul, she developed her own interpretation of Gospel. Living in France since 1998, she has finally found the opportunity to lay claim to her culture with an original project in the European Gospel landscape. Voices Of Praise is a thoroughly modern approach to Gospel, both in its respect for tradition and in its intention of faith, and, with a modern orchestration, is directly linked to the blues, funk and R'N'B cultures.