Song of the week: 15 November 2013

Song of the week this week goes to Remedy Drive with 'Resuscitate me'. What a rocking way to start your weekend. Enjoy!!

Mat Kearney: City of Black and White

Release date: May 19 2009

Genre: Rock, pop, acoustic, CCM

Length: 50:02

Label: Blackbird studios

Similar artists: Big daddy weave; the Script; the Fray; Cold Play

Rating: 4/5

An artist that has more similar artists than most you have heard, and yet an artist that has his own flow and sound. This, Mat's third studio album comes after his critically acclaimed first main stream album 'nothing left to lose'. Following an album with as much success as that is difficult, but he does his best in this album. 

The general feel of the album is relatively easy to pick up, typical Kearney. The focus of the album is lyrics, the simple instrumentals throughout the album testify to that. It takes guts for a solo artist to rely so heavily on his lyrics and his voice. In 'nothing left to lose', the reason for his success was this, the fact that he could captivate you through his voice. He is still captivating. The album gets slower and slower as the album goes on, with the most upbeat songs in the first four tracks. As the album slows, so does the mood of the songs, the lyrics get deeper and you begin to see deeper into Kearney's soul. 

There was one single from the album Closer to love. The choice of this song as the single was wise. The intro has a synth, which adds another dimension to the song. The flow of the song is tangible and makes for a good fit. 

As a lyricist, Kearney is second to none, 'nothing left to lose' and 'city of black and white' show a mastery in the ability of Kearney to tell a story. He has a lot of help on his records but this isn't the case of too many chefs spoiling the broth, rather, the many people that helped on the album have helped to create a strong final product. The goal of all of Kearney's albums is to tell a story. He does not simply write music to fit into the scene, he focuses his attention in telling a story, and these stories come alive in each and every song. 

The lack of triumphant room-smashing instrumentals does not detract from the album, Kearney's voice lends itself to the music he sings (obviously). Do not think that you will be missing out on the instruments through listening to this album, the music put forward through this album is truly great and should not be simply passed over. 

The bottom line of this album is what music you enjoy. I think that given the chance, everyone can enjoy this music, whether you think you are too old or too young, or even too hipster, I think that this album can be enjoyed by everyone. I do have to add something at this stage, do not just get this album, get all of Mat Kearney's albums, they are all as unique as the last. If you are looking for a good constant in your music, you found your guy.

Song of the week goes to: Fire and Rain

Have a rocking week everyone

J

Connecting the Dots

Welcome back every body, I hope you’ve all had a fantastic week. It’s nearing the end of the year when I often find myself reflecting on not only the past year and its events, but on my life as a whole. See, I don’t wait for December to reflect - I’m far too eager to do that. I like to reflect as soon as my university year is over. It may be weird, but that’s just how I like it. I think that’s mainly due to the fact that in December my brain tends to work about as well as a monkey in an orchestra. So before my brain starts looking like that pink sludge at the back of my fridge let me begin.

For those of you who haven’t seen Steve Jobs’ Stanford graduation speech you should definitely check it out. The quote that I mainly wish to look at goes something like this:

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.”

Steve Jobs may be quite a controversial individual, but there is so much truth to this phrase. Life has a tendency to throw us many curve balls. We often have an excess of lemons and we get tired of making lemonade. We want to know what it’s all for, what it all means. We can only trust in something to see us through. For some people they trust in the concept of “destiny”. Others trust their instinct, their passion and others trust God.

Wherever you stand today I’m here to tell you connecting the dots is definitely easier to do in retrospect, and impossible to do any other ways. I’m no stranger to having to randomly improvise what I’ll do for the year. That’s pretty much how my entire year has been. I applied to do my honours in Industrial Psychology, but didn’t get accepted. This was the best thing that could ever have happened to me since I did my Post Graduate Certificate in Education this year. I have made some amazing friends, gotten closer to my current friends, and strengthened my relationship with my family and God. In hindsight, I think that’s what God wanted me to do this year, and after my reflection I feel that this has been one of the best years of my life.

How has your year been? In retrospect, has it been a year full of worry, doubt and uncertainty? Did you allow that to get the better of you? Or did you face the challenge head on?

Unfortunately, we may never know how certain events will change the rest of our lives, not for a long time at least. I may only know in five years time how certain events this year have shaped the rest of my life, but I will only know in five years time. Perhaps I’ll write another article then to “past Matt” saying ‘what’s up’. Who knows; all I know is that the friends I made more than five years ago helped me get through this year.

The year isn’t over yet though, so there’s still a chance something more epic and exciting will happen!

There’s always a chance that the dots will connect this year, and if they don’t then they will line up eventually. There’s always a reason for everything that happens to us, if we have faith. There’s always a silver lining when we’re willing to embrace change, embrace things that terrify us, and find meaning in adversity.

It takes time, but life is good when the dots finally connect.

Stay awesome everyone.

M

Song of the week: 8 November 2013

Song of the week goes to Gungor with "Wayward and Torn"....what a jam!!

Steven Curtis Chapman: The Glorious Unfolding

Release Date: 30 September 2013

Genre: Contemporary Christian

Length: 47:46

Label: Reunion Records

Similar artists: Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Mark Schultz, Michael W. Smith,

Rating: 4/5

As a whole, this record is a showcase of Chapman’s musical maturity as well as his years of experience both in life and the music industry.

Lyrically the depth of each track contains personal and spiritual aspects that are truly captivating, the record unfolds beautifully into thought provoking layers with each listen. There is a definite warmth and complexity to Chapman’s work; you can feel how each track is another masterpiece created by a master in his art; a diverse, captivating, emotional rollercoaster. This is an awesome record that truly showcases his ability as a songwriter.

It is safe to say that Chapman is a veteran in this scene, and he is clearly still at the top of his game, once again he managed to redefine the contemporary sound that he pretty much created. His voice is one of the best in the industry and his songs can really move the soul, alongside contemplative ballads that provide a strikingly vulnerable view of his soul. This record shows that Steven knows how to produce great songs that are heartfelt, meaningful and honest.

One of the traps he can sometimes fall into is letting his records be too much of ‘the same’, however he has thrown in enough little surprises in this record to avoid that problem.

I believe this is the kind of record that Chapman fans will have come to know and love, as should any fan of the more contemporary genre of music. Ultimately, in my humble opinion, The Glorious Unfolding seems to soar above the rest of the artists in the contemporary Christian music scene, but it doesn't quite maintain the momentum that the first few tracks set off with. Regardless, Chapman has given us another satisfying record.

Song of The Week:  “Michael and Maria”

Stay alive Clive 

D

Comedy concerts

Hello and welcomes to RICS. The place where you find everything from music to faith. Today you will even find some comedy.

Knock Knock...

Who's there? 

Dexter...

Dexter who?

Dexter halls with boughs of holly...

That was just to get you into the Christmas spirit, just like every retailer trying to push the Christmas spirit since the beginning of October. You will be happy to know that the rest of this post will not be as cheesy as that joke was, so if you have stuck around, good on you.

Last week I was privileged to experience an event unlike any I have been to before. The event was put on by LoveSA Music, a company you should definitely check out if you are interested in quality South African music. It was different because the organiser amalgamated two very different genres in an effort to make the night more enjoyable. Taking two of peoples favourite things and mixing them in a cocktail that could go very well or very badly. Comedy and music. Two of my favourite things (did I just quote Sound Of Music?). 

The night comprised of three acts. The opening act was Jacques Moolman who is the front-man for Shadowclub band. Then Ryan Whittal (the comedian for the evening) took to the stage. Finally the headline for the evening was Matthew Mole, who I am sure everyone reading this knows because we promote him like nobody's business. So three acts, two music and one comedy. What was the result?

The result was a performance that brought in two very different genres of entertainment. The result was an evening of fun, good clean fun for the whole family. The result was that I got thinking about how viable this would be as a concert, and the idea for this post was born.

I think that this type of event is something that should be done on the norm. Not every concert should have this structure I agree, but there is a definite market for the experimentation with it. Think about the last concert you were at. You were all excited, you have arrived five hours before to make sure you are the first person to be pushing the next person to make sure you get that spot directly in front of the stage. You haven't gone to the toilet for those five hours because you won't make it back to your spot. So you wait, and finally the MC walks onto stage and everyone loses their minds. In my experience, if the MC has been average, the 'amptness' you were feeling dissipates somewhat. But you let it slide because you are so excited for the music. The opening act then further determines the evening based on their quality. But once again, you can let that slide based on the fact that you are here to see the band you paid the money to see. 

My point throughout that was to say that many things can hinder the quality of an evening. In my experience, I think that if you were to get someone, such as a comedian to come on stage in the beginning to settle everyone down, as well as after the opening act, just for a few minutes at a time, the waiting time will feel less, and your feet won't feel as though they don't exist by the end of your five hour wait. 

How practical is my idea? The practicality of my idea is based on my own thoughts and therefore I would love to hear feedback form you as to what your opinions on this are. Would you want to see a comedian at a concert? Do you think that a concert is no place for a comedian? What are your thoughts? 

Some warnings to people thinking they want to try this... make sure that the comedian you get is funny. If the comedian is not funny, you going to have a bad time, those five hours will feel like an eternity (the non-saved kind). Make sure that you know the comedians material and ensure that you proof read the content before. The last thing you want is for you to bring a comedian to a family event and nothing but profanities are thrown around for 10 minutes. Judge the crowd, if you are hosting a metal concert, perhaps the comedian idea is a bit far? I am not sure, let me know. Most importantly, make sure they are funny. I am repeating it because I am not trying to be funny. Seriously. 

A new pastor was visiting the homes of his parishioners.

At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, Genesis 3:10."

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid, for I was naked."

Have a rocking week everyone

J

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Song of the week: 1 November 2013

Song of the week this week goes to Switchfoot's 'The War Inside'