It’s not the kind that has you stomping at the altar with a shout of Hallelujah; it’s not on the “strong” side of gospel music. It’s rather on the more gentle side, it’s the silky, sleek side that tricks you and sneaks up on you, and by the time you realise it’s a gospel song, your heart is being satiated by the warmth and craft of the music.
We’ve heard it said that Sundays are for lovers; it’s become a popular social media catchphrase. A friend of mine has also recently been saying “Sundays are for the Muse” in celebration of the blog. And as we know, the most timeless phrase of all is this: “Sundays are for church,” or if your faith doesn’t hinge upon religious tradition, you would say, “Sundays are for the Lord.” And for the first Sunday of the year 2026, I had to do it right – with a piece that celebrates versatile and genre-bending gospel music.
This is the music that hugs my heart, perfect for Sundays if you’re a person of faith, even for those who aren’t – the craft in the music is just too good to resist.
1. The Past – Paulade
Paulade’s ‘The Past’ is objectively one of the most enjoyable songs I’ve listened to in a really long time. Every chord and harmony falls into each other in such an affectionate fashion, and if you listen at full volume, that exciting sensation you feel in your stomach as you are being enveloped by a pleasant feeling attacks you due to the joyride you’re experiencing through your ears. At first, I thought it was a song about a lover from the past, and him saying “I can’t get enough of your love, this heart is yours” kept fooling me as I had this song on a repetitive loop from the first day I heard it. Turns out, he’s singing about God’s love that he says ‘carries him far’ and ‘it carries him up’, he knows from his past that he needs the Lord and won’t be letting him go because he can’t get enough of God’s love. It’s a beautiful, open-hearted conversation where Paulade declares his love to a loving heavenly father. It’s truly one of the most stunning songs you’ll ever hear.
2. Chosen – Madison Ryann Ward
Madison Ryann Ward has a way with sound, when her voice meets with the music, it sounds like it was made to be in tune with every good chord. Her music has a calming and healing effect, perfect for long drives, relaxing activities and as background music when cooking, cleaning or reading. She writes music that feels like God’s handwritten notes to bring our souls healing, if you like a good, long and warm hug – Madison is here to deliver you one that’s heavenly and that sounds angelic in a non-smothering way. Perfect for morning affirmations or to remind yourself that you are chosen by God to be here on earth, chosen from a place of love and chosen for beautiful things.
3. Beautiful – Mali Music
My first time coming across Mali Music was through his most popular song ‘Beautiful’, a couple on instagram had done a highlight reel of their relationship milestone after about 7 years of being together. This would remain the light in which I would see and experience his music – as music that celebrates life moments and human experiences through the lens of the love of God. Mali Music’s core message with his music is to share the heart of God, His compassion, His pain, His laws, and His teachings; doing it all with such smooth passion that’s as gentle as it is powerful. One is guaranteed a moment of reflection, compassionate thoughtfulness, and inspiration to live a beautiful and blessed life when they listen to Mali Music. He’s also a musical genius; his catalogue boasts different sounds that he always manages to turn into a masterful piece of really good music. His music also offers such a distinct cinematic experience that belongs in movies and series. What an exceptional musician.
4. I Will Trust In The Lord – Kirk Whalum
Known as one of the ‘Fathers of Smooth Jazz’, Kirk Whalum makes worshipping God feel so, so, so good. I don’t know if anyone also experiences this when listening to Jazz but I always feel that the beauty and joy that enters my ears always has nowhere to go or no way to leave my body as we can’t always dance to it so I feel like it sometimes creates a flood of butterflies in my stomach whenever I listen to a song that is so achingly beautiful. One of those many achingly beautiful songs by Kirk Whalum is ‘I Will Trust in the Lord’ – it also doubles as my insomnia magic wand, it’s always there to lull me to sleep when I need it most. Sometimes, when the evidence for why we should trust God seems to be missing in action, it’s the wonder and magic of His creation that always wins me back. I always think to myself – if God created people who could make music so good, He must have thought that I would need this music to survive, that I would need evidence of His love and so He said “let there be Kirk Whalum” and “let him have insane musical talent” and “let him think of making a song as good as I Will Trust in the Lord”. I’ve convinced myself that this must be the intentionality that went into this song when God dropped it into Kirk’s heart one fateful day.
5. This Song – Bebe Winans
Sunday’s best song, a creation of the king of gospel RnB – Bebe Winans ‘This Song’ is the greatest of the smooth gospel hits throughout time. Bebe Winans is known for writing love songs that embody vulnerability with a charming essence. The way he sings to the heart, undoing you with that glorious, gentle first line, “all I wanted was to be loved,” as the harmonies enclose you, smothering you into soft awareness of the love within you and the love you long for. This is what had 12-year-old me thinking it was the perfect song, and as I grew older, so did my appreciation for Bebe Winans. His ability to speak to God so directly and so intimately, approaching Him with the reverence He deserves, yet also with the simplicity that we can manage with our humanity. He sings love songs to God in such a heart-to-heart manner, and ‘This Song’, alongside many other songs of his, which sound like just another great love song at first but turn out to be an offering of love to God, show why Bebe is a psalmist of our time. Like David, he writes to show how his heart is after God’s own heart.
I hope you had a lovely first Sunday and that you’ll be enjoying these songs and more on Sundays to come 🙂
Muse Journal 
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