Rachel Baiman Writes a Hymn for Music Lovers on “Let Them Go to Heaven”

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Music can bring about religious experiences for many. Nashville’s Rachel Baiman, known for her work with 10 String Symphony and for playing fiddle for artists like Kacey Musgraves, counts herself among those for whom music can be a spiritual experience. In a new song, “Let Them Go to Heaven,” from her forthcoming album Shame, she explores that very phenomenon.

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“‘Let Them Go To Heaven’ was inspired by an Ishmael Reed poem called ‘When I Die I Will Go to Jazz,'” Baiman explains. “As someone who has always struggled to understand religious belief, but never struggled with an irrational life commitment to music, the poem really hit home for me. I love the juxtaposition that Reed creates between the traditional concepts of heaven with the gorgeously imperfect, human-created context of sipping vodka at a jazz club in New York. I’ve enjoyed singing this one live. It always feels like a hymn of sorts, maybe one for the music-worshiping crowd.”

Shame is out June 2. Watch the live video for “Let Them Go to Heaven” below.

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