Gospel music, that’s all about praising the Lord and swaying in joyful abandon, has been given a new spin lately. At the United Voices concert in Chicago last December, the people gathered hummed the popular hymns set to the music of sitar, tabla, sarangi, shehnai and the ubiquitous bass guitar. Providing the joyful blend of music combined with the Gospel messages in the Bible were artists from Canada, the US and India. They had been brought together by Canada-based sitarist Neeraj Prem Masih, 40.

Masih, who brought out his first fusion gospel album, United Voices featuring 19 artists from India, US and Canada, said, “We have taken old, forgotten hymns and tunes and set them to traditional Indian instruments. Unlike in India, classical music has a huge audience abroad and the reception was great.”

Currently in Delhi for the launch of United Voices, Masih explains what attracts him to gospel music. “I have been doing a lot of work with churches over the years and news of recent attacks on churches in Orissa spurred me further. Then Bishop Sunil Singh of The Churches of Northern India asked me to do an album in January so I though of doing something for the people in Orissa.”

Two dollars from each CD will be donated to mission services in Orissa. The album was released in Canada in November.

Ask how he built the vast repertoire of artists, Masih, who moved to Canada in 2002, shares, “I have also performed at the Royal Ontario Museum and Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio. Shortly after moving, I formed my seven-member ensemble called Ragaffaire”.

The seven-song album begins with Our Father in Heaven sung by Masih and goes on to My Heart. However, the most remarkable hymn is Blesses Assurance where members of the Bethel Gospel Tabernacle choir from Hamilton floor you with their melodious singing.

The launch in Delhi in November would be followed by a series of concerts. In April, Masih would embark on a 21-city tour of the US and Canada.

Meanwhile, for Delhi-based rock band Cyanide’s lead vocalist Rohan Solomon, 24, chasing the gospel theme was never the idea. After making club walls sweat and audiences clamour for more with their popular guitar riffs, the quintessential rock guy attributes his recent change to the confirmation ceremony he attended in the Centenary Methodist church.

“I am not much of a believer in religion as much as in God. I started going to church recently and one day the pastor asked me to compose an album. And then it struck me that I have never sat down to write a gospel song. I have written about love, drugs, infidelity, parents, kids, everything but not about God,” shares Solomon.

Alongside, working on his solo album that traces his “story over the last 12 years since I started as a musician”— Solomon has composed three gospel songs written in a fresh burst of devotion. The songs are soft and groovy with a sweet feel about it that would make your head snap and swing. You can catch him on YouTube singing Lead the Way: I seek you out lord when I’m scared at night, When I’m losing sight of what’s wrong and what’s right, I call out your name lord when I lose my way. His other song Embrace You seals the deal with its gospel inflection and a casual guitar that makes you sway your head.

“The idea is to popularize gospel at least among the Christian community and support a cause,” says Solomon whose 10-song album with hymns and original compositions is slated to be out by April. “Even with popular hymns, I’d like to retain the basic melody and make it groovier,” he says.

Bringing down the house with her powerful, throaty renditions is Delhi-based singer Sonam Kalra, 35, whose four gigs have so far included gospel, ballads and jazz. “It was Amazing Grace that got me started on gospel and I used to hum it all the time,” says Kalra.

But what she likes about gospel is the fact that it can stir emotions very strongly. “The pieces I choose have incredible lyrics and give rise to emotions. You can see the audience clapping and singing along,” she says. “What makes gospel special is that when you sing to God, it just feels right and you feel your life falling into place,” adds Kalra.