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Why Does the Soul Tremble by the Water? A Deep Journey into Spirituals, the True Roots of the Blues, Begins Tonight, swirling the ice in my cheap whiskey with a finger, I find myself daydreaming. Why is it that we blues heads can drink our whole lives away to just a three-chord I-IV-V progression? Even if a doctor ordered us to "cut back on sodium and 12-bar repetitions," it's an incurable condition we could never quit. Yet, if you trace the origins of the blues—where the guitar wails more rawly than any human throat—you inevitably arrive at one massive headwater. That’s right: Spirituals. *No Depression*, the legendary media outlet dedicated to digging deep into American roots music, has launched a major feature series diving straight into the very origin of that soul. Penned by Santi Elijah Holley, a writer selected for the outlet's Reporting Fellowships, this ambitious four-part series kicked off with the release of its opening article, "Trouble the Water: The Birth of the Spirituals". With the fellowship project set to unfold through 2027, it’s well worth settling in for the long haul. …