Somewhere in my search for blues music a few years back, I stumbled on The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers. I love the rich gospel sound of the vocals that I don’t hear much in contemporary music. My love of that sound led me to find three singers (one male, two female) to provide backing vocals for my song ‘Free’.
The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers were originally a much larger collective of 11 people, singing gospel covers. This evolved into a band of 4, creating a blend of blues, alt-country, indie rock and folk. For me, the lyrical content doesn’t necessarily sit with my personal beliefs about spirituality, but I like how the band use music as a way to deal with their emotions and find some peace.
‘Wilderness’ is taken from 2020’s album I Will Rise. I love how instantaneous everything is, no guitar riff or drum fill intro, just an acoustic guitar, those gorgeously layered vocals, handclaps and a tambourine. We begin with a double chorus, which is super catchy, and although I couldn’t find any lyrics online for it, to my ears it sounds like:
When I meet my maker
There in the wilderness
Imma get on in that rhythm
Cross on over the hill
The second time through the chorus, an electric guitar builds up, with these long, held notes that sit under the acoustic. On reflection, it could be bass, but it’s too hard to tell.
In the verse, we get a little honky sounding piano peeking out. All the instruments work together to build up into the chorus, where a harmonica makes an appearance. I love all of these elements separately, and together they make a great bed for the vocals.
After 2 verses and choruses, there’s a bridge with just the female singers, so it feels new and fresh. I can hear some drums, which I didn’t feel were missing throughout the whole song, as the other percussion keeps the rhythm.
The instruments get more involved during the second repetition of the chorus, with an electric piano. The best part, though, is the gorgeous gospel ad libs and the repetition of ‘cross on over the hill’. It feels like the song has hit the height of its powers during this last chorus and it feels really uplifting. I think you’d find it hard not to tap your foot and get into it.
Recently the band released a live version of ‘Wilderness‘ which is a slightly different take on the original but feels really solid. It just goes to show – no matter what your spiritual leanings, good music transcends everything.