Kanye West Releases Gospel Album 'Jesus Is Born' on Christmas
Kanye West and his Sunday Service Choir released their new album “Jesus Is Born” on Christmas.
West had told DJ Zane Lowe that “Jesus Is Born” was going to be released on Christmas Day during his Beats 1 interview back in October.
Critics doubted that West would have the album out on time in light of the multiple delays that moved back the release date of his previous gospel album “Jesus Is King.”
According to Forbes, West initially planned to release “Jesus Is King” on Sept. 27. The album was actually released on Oct. 25.
However, the rapper made good on his promises about “Jesus Is Born” and released his Christmas album on Dec. 25.
https://t.co/S6LFIK5KDv pic.twitter.com/siQxZHOXSs
— ye (@kanyewest) December 25, 2019
According to Pitchfork, Kanye was the executive producer of the album. The Sunday Service Choir is listed as the album’s artist.
“Jesus Is Born” features 19 songs, ranging from about a minute and a half to just over seven minutes in length. The album can be listened to on Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora and a few other music-streaming platforms.
Some of the songs from “Jesus Is Born” draw upon tracks that West had released previously in his career. “Follow Me – Faith” includes part of West’s song “Fade” from his February album “The Life of Pablo.” “Revelations 19:1” has a “hallelujah” melody that is very similar to “Selah” from his “Jesus Is King” album.
Other songs from “Jesus Is Born” closely resemble other famous spiritual songs. West’s “Balm in Gilead” is a nod to the hymn “There Is a Balm in Gilead,” a traditional African American spiritual song. “Count Your Blessings” shares some of the same lyrics as the hymn written by Johnson Oatman in 1897 with the same name. “Revelations 19:1” shares lyrics with Stephen Hurd’s song of a nearly identical name from his album “My Destiny.”
Songs such as “Ultralight Beam” and “Follow Me – Faith” were performed live by West and his choir during his Sunday Service tour.
West has been touring with his Sunday Service Choir in various churches and venues across the nation for months. They performed at Coachella in April, in Utah in October and in Louisiana in November.
After West released “Jesus Is King,” the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
West announced on Nov. 18 that he and Dr. Dre were collaborating on “Jesus Is King Part II.”
Ye and Dre Jesus is King Part II coming soon. pic.twitter.com/wTKFgXQQXQ
— ye (@kanyewest) November 18, 2019
West has also released two operas. “Nebuchadnezzar” and “Mary” have both debuted in recent months.
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