Spirituals emerged from the crucible of slavery. They inspired enslaved African Americans to risk their lives for the chance to be free. Wade in the Water celebrates these spirituals as an art form and as unique and powerful cultural expression. For those with little knowledge of the tradition, it provides a wealth of information. For those who know and love the spirituals, it offers a fresh perspective and an invitation to deeper understanding, spiritual transformation, and social renewal. - Back cover.

In "Wade in the Water," Jones juxtaposes songs like "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" with historical accounts by former slaves of watching anguished mothers beg slave traders not to separate them from their children. He also decodes the language of resistance in songs used to signal uprisings or share information about escape routes. And he describes a music that blends Christian themes from the West with themes, rhythms and the call-and-response pattern from Africa, linking the slaves who created it to a tradition and identity that predated slavery. - Donna Bryson, Associated Press.