Spirituals have intricate harmonies, and require sight singing and knowledge of classical music - training that few public schools provide today. Gospel, in contrast, rides the wave of popular music, adapting itself to contemporary tastes. It borrows from and informs the blues, jazz, rap and hip-hop. The message of traditional music is more personal. Montgomery says that gospel recording artists like Kirk Franklin, Richard Smallwood, and Karen Clark are turning back toward traditional music, such as the songs sung by gospel great Mahalia Jackson, and those penned by Thomas Dorsey.
Traditional gospel is from the truth of the heart.
You could tell, Mahalia Jackson, she lived those words. Thomas Dorsey wrote personal messages. I can reach out and testify to the congregation. As for the folks in the congregation, they do more than just listen. They sing along, they dance.