My Soul Desire – Deniece Williams

My gospel music upbringing was predominantly around choirs and groups with a smattering of male solo acts and a very limited number of female solo artists.  So if you were to ask me to name ten quality female gospel solo artists I’d struggle where I wouldn’t struggle to name twenty male ones.

Deniece Williams as gospel artist should be a no brainer, but I know some who would question it with some of her ‘secular’ forays.  Doesn’t bother me, she sang with Stevie Wonder that makes a winner in my books.  Plus I didn’t know about her ‘secular transgressions’ until after she’d established herself as a ‘gospel artist’, so there.

My Mum introduced me to her music when I was a little nipper biting at her heels (OK it was more likely clinging to her skirt ends, but that’s not the point).  I have no idea how she came across her and the tape from which this song comes from, but even then as a little ‘un I thought I was listening to an angel when I heard her sweet voice.  As the years would cascade (like that? Cascade?  Not ‘go by’, ripped that from a friend, but still makes for good writing, yah?) I found out that a few people really rated this song and some brave souls would still be doing renditions of it 20 years after it was made.  (Brave in the sense that their heart was in the right place, but their voices …)

The sentiment of the song means a lot more to me now than it did to the little whipper-snapper hearing the voice of an angel.  I hope as you read and listen to those sentiments yourself, you likewise will be immersed in a similar soul desire.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd