Album Notes

Alan Glover’s Sonship was recorded in 1993 after a thirteen-year absence from the music world. The cassette release, which sold out soon after its initial pressing, showcases the spiritual side of Glover’s musical practice, and finds him joined by an inspired lineup of church musicians. The centerpiece is an extended four-part setting of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (7:7), which weaves together gospel excerpts with additional texts written by Michael Carter and Glover himself. By building a sequence of musical structures, Glover conveys his interpretation of the passage, progressing from a slow blues lament, through a stormy representation of self-questioning, and concluding with a spirited gospel revival. By providing this narrative, Glover’s piece transfers the role of preacher onto the music itself – not only to read the text, but to provide interpretation and explanation through the use of cues from the African American music tradition. This digitally re-mastered CD marks the first time the album is available in over a decade.