What makes a song a “shoutin’ song”?
Last night, I was talking with a friend who loves Southern Gospel but is well off the beaten path of the heart of this genre’s circuit. As I was trying to describe that unique breed of song known as a “shoutin’ song,” it occurred to me that we might arrive at a better description with a collective exercise.
First, for other readers off of the beaten path, here are a few examples of local and regional groups singing “shoutin’ songs”:
- Fletcher Family – “Better Farther On“
- Primitive Quartet – “Gloryland“
- Perrys – “Did I Mention“
These songs share a few common characteristics:
- They are slow
- …but they aren’t big ballads – they hold the same dynamic intensity throughout, as opposed to starting low and slow and building to a big, slow ending
- They’re either about salvation or Heaven (or both)
- They’re delivered passionately, and to the right audience
- There is, at least, an a cappella encore (but is this an intrinsic characteristic or a coincidence with these three?)
What other characteristics make a song a “shoutin’ song”?