Advice for singing African-American spirituals

HI, all.

I'm a high baritone and have been chosen by my choir to sing the tenor solo for Hairston's arrangement of In Dat Great Gittin' Up Mornin'. Excited, but also slightly nervous about tackling this kind of repertoire and just looking for some general advice on how to approach. I'm a pretty experienced choral singer here but mainly in more classical and church repertoire, so would appreciate any pointers or resources so I can deliver a respectable interpretation. TIA.