‘Young Messiah’ Tour Taps Into the New Soul of Gospel

Trying to introduce a biblical message and text to Generation X is a challenge that gospel music is approaching with real vigor these days. The effort came to the Universal Amphitheatre on Wednesday in the form of the annual “Young Messiah” tour, a bill that included several young Christian recording artists.

The program, based on Norman Miller’s 1989 album of the same name, was inspired by Handel’s “Messiah,” but it applied a soulful, ‘90s spin to that classical work and other traditional holiday standards. Between numbers, pitches were made to the less-than-capacity crowd to donate money to World Vision, a charity familiar to any insomniac who’s watched late-night TV.

Singer Carman really embodied the changing face and style of gospel. Asking the audience if it loved the Lord, he jokingly added, “You’re not a bunch of fanatics, are you?” Carman has such a smooth, ‘50s Rat Pack persona that he seemed likelier to launch into a finger-snapping version of “Mack the Knife” than a gospel hymn. But the approach worked--he drew the kind of feminine squeals generally reserved for hunky pop stars.

Margaret Becker connected solidly with the audience, as did Russ Taff, a singer with a roughhewn, emotional delivery. But the runaway favorites of the night were Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber--computer-animated characters from “Veggi Tales,” a popular video series in the Christian children’s market. Projected onto a large screen behind the stage, they had star power to rival Barney’s, judging by the screaming youngsters in the crowd.