What's to like about Southern Gospel

Before I start today's rant, I want to say how glad I was to hear Les Beasley of The Florida Boys came thru his surgery so well. The prayers of the Righteous availeth much!

What is there to like about Southern Gospel Music?

First of all, I LOVE Southern Gospel Music! There is no other form of music out there like it.

The harmony: I'm slightly partial to male quartets, but good trios, mixed quartets, etc. with great harmony really get me going as well. I could start listing groups, but there are so many great ones I would inevitably leave some off. If you want to see a great list of quartets, see David Bruce Murray's list for a great starting point. I might not agree with his order exactly, but he has some good ones!

The accessibility of the artists: For the most part fans of other genres are not as lucky as we are in SG. We can go to a concert and before or after get a chance to mingle and converse with our favorite artists. This is something that should not be taken for granted.

The sheer number of concerts: We as SG fans are blessed to have our favorite artists traveling 250+ dates a year. We in the Southeastern US can see/hear a live concert nearly every week if we want. Some might claim this also as a detriment because of saturation of the market, but for the fan it can be nothing but a blessing.

The Message: Last in my list, but by far the most important, is the message in the music we sing. The Good News of the Gospel of Christ in song! This message is one that needs to get out to the people of this sinful world. (Our methods for spreading this message might be improved, but that's a different article.) There has never been a time when I couldn't go to my CD collection and find a song that would lift my spirits. Also, when I'm happy the music makes my spirit soar to even greater heights.

Those are some of the things I like (LOVE) about Southern Gospel. What about you?