San Francisco-based singer/songwriter and recording artist Kate Magdalena releases a soaring new take on the traditional Civil War ballad, the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
The hymn sings “Glory Hallelujah” in the midst of our nation’s great conflicts, such as were witnessed during the Civil War, and again today as our country struggles to unite under a common vision of what it means to be American. The lyrics were written in 1861 by Julia Ward Howe to fit the tune of “John Brown’s Body.” Since that time, the song has evoked and expressed sentiments of real patriotism, as well as religious fervor. Kate took a liking to the song when she first heard it powerfully sung by Judy Garland to honor President Kennedy as the nation grieved his death. She hopes now to rekindle it as an inspiration for America today, as the nation prepares to celebrate the July 4th holiday.
“Battle Hymn of the Republic” is the third track from Kate’s upcoming album “A Larger Dance” which is set to release in September 2019. To date she has released “Take Me to Church,” by Irish singer Sinead O’Connor on country radio stations across the United States, as well as “Be the Lark,” an original. In July she will release “The Streets of Any Town,” a song dedicated to the plight of the nation’s homeless men and women. These songs have been recorded and produced by GRAMMY-nominated-producer Billy Smiley (Johnny Cash, Whiteheart, Clay Aiken, and the Newsboys). “Battle Hymn” features some of Nashville’s finest musicians with Fred Eltringham (The Wallflowers and Sheryl Crow), Byron House (Robert Plant and the Band of Joy), Blair Masters (Garth Brooks) and Brennan Smiley (The Technicolors).
Stream “Battle Hymn” | Kate Magdalena on Spotify
