This year, NPR Music is celebrating Black Music Month with a series of all-new Tiny Desk Concerts. Recently, Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin performed.
Nearly 30 musicians, choir members and staff members from the contemporary worship music collective Maverick City Music entered the NPR lobby and stormed the security office to submit to COVID protocols. Even through the boring process of checking vaccination cards and test results, there was a real sense of excitement for what was to come.
Some of the choir members were excited not only for the next Tiny Desk concert, but for later that evening, when they were scheduled to perform at a sold-out 20,000-seat arena nearby. A few of them had only previously played with Maverick City Music only in small venues and were eager to move from the Tiny Desk to a big stage. Once upstairs, the group’s enthusiasm grew during editing and sound check. Even the NPR production team was buzzing because we hadn’t recorded such a large set in our office in over two years.
Once the show begins, Maverick City Music did what he always does. The band members became one voice, sharing beautiful music and spreading the good word with messages of hope, change and love. The group describes itself as a voice for community of creatives who have been pushed to the fringes of the church music industry. Even for those who are not fans of the gospel music or for those who don’t believe, it is possible to still enjoy the comforting and uplifting sound of this music.
Most of the songs performed here are from the collective’s new album, Kingdom Book One, which was produced in collaboration with gospel legend Kirk Franklin. It was a blessing to see him perform here alongside the talented singers Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore on the final song, “Kingdom.” -Suraya Mohamed
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Author: Jessie Clarks
