Original image by There Stands the Glass.
One of my uncles died on Black Friday. Adding insult to grievous injury, news of the Omicron variant spread global panic, the stock market responded accordingly and my injured foot ached something awful. I was less than enthused about the prospect of spending Friday night in a church.
Yet ten minutes into the sublime collaboration of Oleta Adams and Isaac Cates & Ordained, wild gesticulations, involuntary shouts and uninhibited dances broke out- and that was just my response. Other congregants among the audience of about 400 at the fundraising event for the Lupus Foundation of America shared my passion for the sanctified music.
Several members of Ordained possess voices as glorious as Adams’. The fervency they invested into the sacred, secular and seasonal songs was infectious. Cates’ splashy solo piano segment heightened the devout intensity. I left church refreshed, inspired and hopeful. But my foot still hurt.