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That shift in approach began in 2001 with Spirit of the Century. How does it feel to get that kind of attention now, in your seventh decade as recording artists?

Carter Well, it makes us feel good because, as I said, we're trying to get young people involved with our music. We're trying to bridge the generation gap, and I think we've done that. Some of them had never even heard of the Blind Boys.

Your newest album, Down in New Orleans, was recorded on location. Why the decision to head to the Crescent City?

Carter For two reasons. One, we've never been to New Orleans [to practice] with that particular kind of sound. The second reason, we were trying to bring hope back to the people of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. So we told them, "We can't help you rebuild New Orleans back—we can't use a hammer and a nail—but we can bring hope with our music. We can bring hope and let you know that everything's not lost. There's always hope when there's life."

The Blind Boys (in red) performing with some of the classic musicians from New Orleans.

The music is almost anachronistic. Why did you decide to go back to that classic Dixieland sound?

Carter That was the producer's idea. That was his goal—to kind of go back and get the more solemn-and-upbeat sound with the horns and the different instruments. We tried to go back and get a little more classic.

A number of artists in recent memory have visited New Orleans to record music there as a tribute to the city. Do you feel people might think you're jumping on a bandwagon of sorts?

Carter I don't think so. I think we have our own place in that respect.

What kind of reception did you get once you actually went there?

Carter I think we were received very, very well. We went down there, got together with the musicians, created the record, and everybody seems to like it. So I hope it'll bring Grammy No. 5 to the Blind Boys—we've got four, you know.

How were people's spirits?

Carter Those that I met, they know they have a long way to go. They seem to [want] to work and build and work and build. They have a long way to go. New Orleans was in very bad shape, and it still is. Some lost everything they had. It'll never be the same as it was. But I think in time it will be another great city.

Despite the suffering of the aftermath, do people there still have sensitivity toward the things of God?

Carter They do, they do. Those I met knew God. He's their hope, and they trust him for hope. They are determined to bring New Orleans back to being a great city. Some still question him, but you have to understand that he knows their heart. When disasters strike like that, sometimes you have to question him. But God knows, and he always brings things home.

Is there something about your time in New Orleans that struck you as particularly interesting?

Carter One thing I remember, they've built a community that is called Musician's Village, where they have all these houses that no one lives in but musicians. There's a bunch of them. And that was something that I won't forget.

What was it like with working with some of these New Orleans legends, like Allen Toussaint?

Carter It was great. I had never met him, and to think that he would do something with us was an honor. He was a really nice gentleman, too.

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