The Harlem Gospel Travelers to Release New LP; Drop New Single

With The Harlem Gospel Travelers' new album Rhapsody, the extraordinary vocalists Ifedayo, Dennis Bailey, and George Marage are able to fully explore the entire range of music that influenced them. The follow-up to their acclaimed 2021 release Look Up!, the record is a dive into a lesser-known but hugely important era in the evolution of gospel music.

Starting in the mid-1960s, local gospel groups and singers began incorporating elements of popular soul and funk styles and in 2006, Chicago-based reissue label Numero Group released Good God! A Gospel Funk Hymnal. HGT’s longtime friend and mentor Eli Paperboy Reed approached the group with the idea of digging through the Numero catalog and recording some of the gospel-funk material, reinterpreted in their own way—from the high-energy, old-school soul of “God’s Been Good to Me” to the hip-hop-inflected “Get Involved.” 

The Harlem Gospel Travelers story began when Gatling and Marage met while studying under Reed's tutelage. The group put out their debut LP, He’s On Time, to rave reviews in 2019, earning them high profile fans like Elton John and landing them festival slots everywhere from Pilgrimage to Telluride Jazz. Originally a quartet, they brought in Bailey and reconfigured as a trio prior to recording Look Up!, their first album of all original material.

At a moment when the world is reconsidering the concepts of genre and category and who’s allowed to participate in which traditions, HGT are squarely on the cultural pulse. “We always found it difficult to stay in this one lane of what people think gospel is supposed to be,” says Ifedayo. “This record allowed us to hear people that were innovators in their own time, pushing how gospel music sounded, and now we've created this project that is message-wise gospel, but the feeling and the sound can be whatever you want it to be."

The genre-busting approach of Rhapsody also encouraged the members of HGT to further embrace their own identities within the context of gospel music. “There are a whole bunch of queer people in the traditional church,” says Ifedayo, “but the openness hasn’t been there, people are very hush-hush about it. We want to represent people being free and sharing love and understanding with each other. That's something that I see in our show all the time, people are inspired by us to go and spread love." 

“It’s great to be a representation of a positive force and gospel music that is accepting of all people,” Ifedayo continues. “To allow people to see themselves, see full freedom of expression—and how I express myself is completely different from how George or Dennis expresses himself. To have three different representations of Black queer people who happen to sing gospel music is something that, to my knowledge, has not been done before.”

Following the release of their two previous singles "We Don't Love Enough" and “God’s Love," the band has just dropped their third single from the new LP. '"Searching For The Truth" is unlike any Harlem Gospel Travelers songs to come before it, yet it represents the band's growth and ever-evolving personality. Band member and co-producer Ifedayo's voice shines, pulling R&B and pop references with textural inspiration from the likes of Brandy and Coldplay. 

The groovy instrumentation and layered, euphoric vocals take you on a journey, floating through an atmospheric sonic space. The message of this track it to serve as a reminder that you have everything you need. The tendency to constantly be searching, whether it be for love, acceptance, or truth, can often cloud the fact that the answer is just believing in yourself. 

Originally written and performed by Detroit's Dwain Vinyard in the '70s, 'Searching For The Truth' was a song that just came to Vinyard after first discovering Christianity in a desperate attempt to kick his smoking habit. The track's 45 was sold out of the trunk of a car, and Vinyard went on to preach to those less fortunate for the next decade. 

The Harlem Gospel Travelers' new album Rhapsody will be released August 23rd via Colemine Records. Click here to pre-order. Their first three singles from it, "Searching for the Truth," "We Don't Love Enough" and “God’s Love," are out now on all DSPs. 

THE HARLEM GOSPEL TRAVELERS 2024 TOUR DATES:

FRI 19 JULY - Blast Furnace Blues Festival - Bethlehem, PA

TUE 23 JULY - Festas Do Apostolo - Santiago de Compostela, Spain

WED 24 JULY - Espacio Ferial - Sarón, Spain

THU 25 JULY - Sala El Sol - Madrid, Spain

FRI 26 JULY - Enclave De Agua Festival - Soria, Spain

SUN 28 JULY - 229 - London, UK

SUN 11 AUGUST - Rocky Mountain Folks Festival - Lyons, CO

THU 12 SEPTEMBER - The Sultan Room - Brooklyn, NY [Album Release Show!]

SAT 21 SEPTEMBER - Freshgrass MASS MoCA - North Adams, MA

WED 25 SEPTEMBER - Jammin Java - Vienna, VA

THU 26 SEPTEMBER - Moss Arts Center - Blacksburg, VA

SAT 28 SEPTEMBER - City Winery Loft - Philadelphia, PA 

[additional dates to be announced soon]

Photo credit: Rosie Cohe

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