Bounce legend Big Freedia has shifted gears, melding her Saturday night club sounds with her Sunday morning church influences. Pressing Onward, named after the Pressing Onward Baptist Church in her hometown of New Olreans, is a gospel-saturated offering that places huge choirs next to trap beats with interesting results.
Having joined a choir at the age of 10, gospel music and the church have been a critical part of Freedia’s formative life. With the recent passing of her partner, Devon Hurst, in May, Freedia looked to the church for answers and comfort. Her newest music moves squarely in that direction (and is custom-made for the Gospel Tent headlining spot at next Jazzfest) with fourteen songs dedicated to praising Jesus, as Freeda puts on preacher robes for this album.
The levels of genre mixing shift throughout the record. There are a few direct, modern gospel numbers that stay away from the club, such as the electro keys/organ-based “All I Need” and the R&B grooving opener “Revival” as Freedia urges all to open their Bibles, while spreading love and joy. Big Freedia never gets specific when it comes to quoting scripture, opting instead for a generic message of unity. The raw, gospel hoe-down stomp style of both “Queens” and “Holy Shuffle (feat Billy Porter)” is intense, and while adding trap beats or DJ scratches to those would be interesting, they both stick with classic gospel delivery.
“Church” starts to get a few beats bumping while Freedia exclaims, “We don’t need a preacher to go to church,” insisting spirituality is inside us all. “Celebration” plays more like a modern pop song than anything, while the laser synths and bumping of “PewPew” drive it directly to the club. Both “Take My Hand” and “Never Forget” are full-on bangers with Freedia rapping over trap-like beats before adding huge choir backing and shouts to the lord for accents and flavor.
The tracks that really try to fuse the bounce/gospel genres are the most interesting offerings. “Let It Rain” starts off with literal thunder and lightning before deploying skittering beats and a choir backing to less than stunning effect. However, both “Highway to Heaven” and “Sunday Best” manage to bring together the throw-it-all-out-on-the-floor energy and passion that galvanizes both genres. “Sunday Best” in particular is a fantastic coming together of materialism/spirituality and greed/giving, as these contradictions work wonderfully with Freeda bragging/praising as Tamar Braxton gorgeously sings the chorus.
Another winner is “Praise Dance,” which goes cinematically large with huge, dramatic vocals in front of powerful foot stomping/hand clapping rhythms that bump hard. The church is everywhere in New Orleans and Big Freedia’s life is attached to that city/culture. The artist has confidently moved down a new path, blending sounds while praising Jesus’ name…yet never abandoning the bounce on Pressing Onward.
