During the Golden Age of Gospel, sermon recordings were extremely popular. For example, noted church leaders such as Rev. C.L. Franklin recorded dozens of sermon sides for the Chess label. Others such as Rev. Isaac Jenkins and Rev. R.E. Easley Jr. had popular recordings on Songbird.

In the past few decades, however, the production of recorded sermons has significantly dwindled, although the spoken word is still being recorded, with series from Bishop T.D. Jakes and others being popular.

There has been a resurgence of the genre of late. In 2002 alone, several Gospel albums that have included significant preaching elements on them have been released (for example, see One Nation Under God).

The release of the Dr. Norman Hutchins’ Battlefield, The Sermon project on JDI Spoken Word marks the debut for the new imprint, a division of JDI Records.

The album consists of a 20-minute sermon titled “How To Survive An Attack From The Enemy”, and serves as a companion piece to Hutchins’ solo project Battlefield. released in 1999.

Recorded live at Bethany Baptist Church in Somerdale, NJ, it flows continually so you can easily play it in its entirety. And yet the CD is actually divided into 20 tracks, each ranging from 30 seconds to under 3 minutes in length. It’s chock full of

Battlefield

After an absence of several years, Dr. Norman Hutchins returned in 1999 with Battlefield, a fiery traditional set from JDI Records which along with original offerings, reprised his hit from the early 90s, "Press Towards The Mark". See album review.

sermonette nuggets, and geared to be super friendly to radio. If this one doesn’t get some serious spins, then there’s something seriously wrong.

Like most great sermon orators, Hutchins delivers the Word in a memorable format, laced with great personal anecdotes and testimony. He calls on his childhood memories (such as preaching to the chickens in North Carolina) and recounts other situations to illustrate the fundamental principles of spiritual warfare. Copious scripture references are provided in the liner notes.

The congregational response is evident throughout the recording, with Hutchins speaking without any instrumental support until the final few minutes, concluding with a ‘Thank You Fit” which is accompanied by sporadic bursts of organ chording.

Proving that the appeal of Gospel music is first and foremost in the presentation of the Word, Dr. Norman Hutchins adds fuel to the argument that good preaching can also be an art form.