Tyler Childers took the independent country music world by storm when he announced his gospel album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, and releasing two versions of the lead single “Angel Band,” the Hallelujah and Jubilee versions.
“Angel Band” is pretty unique, considering it feels like your traditional Southern Baptist Christian gospel song, but the lyrics have a much more universal approach, accepting all religions, from Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and more, and it appears to be more of a message about harmony and co-existing.
Childers and his band “The Food Stamps” recently sat down with writer and author, Silas House, at Dragline Studios to discuss the purpose behind Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, along with “Angel Band.”
“I hope that people take, it doesn’t matter, race, creed, religion, and all of that, the most important part is to protect your heart, cultivate that, and make that something useful for the world.”
House then talks about how the album does have that traditional gospel sound, but also touches on every religion, like the Heaven Childers displays on his music video for “Angel Band,” and asks Childers how it’s a good anchor for the album.
Childers responds:
“It’s an anchor in the way, especially being the first foot out the door, I think it helps people know what this album isn’t intended to be. It’s much more so, coming from a place of harmony and welcoming, and this idea that we are all in this thing together.
Now, throughout the album, you know there’s a lot of talk about the way the ‘Triune God,’ like the Holy Trinity, being a very Christian thing, an idea and talk about Jesus, and that’s just you know, from my raising.
The great beyond and the almighty is this massive idea notion, and that’s my filter, the one that I’ve grown up being taught and toying with that idea. It’s just how I talk about it I suppose. But it’s still just one way of talking about the same thing in my eyes. I think that ‘Angel Band,’ especially being the first song out the door, lets people know that God is bigger than all our gods.”
Check it out:
And of course, “Angel Band:”
