Have Your Way - Deitrick Haddon

Listen to Deitrick Haddon's new Song -" Have Your Way."

Artist Profile: Brandon Heath

A great song can carry us to another place and a well-crafted album can introduce us to a whole new world. Welcome to Blue Mountain. With his latest collection, Brandon Heath opens the door to an intriguing locale, populated by saints and sinners, perpetually overflowing with powerful truths and soul-shaking observations on life and humanity.

There could be no better tour guide through Blue Mountain than Heath, one of Christian music’s most beloved and respected artists and songwriters. A two-time GMA Male Vocalist and five-time GRAMMY nominee, Heath has delivered some of Christian music’s most thought-provoking anthems, including the 2009 GMA Dove Award-winning Song of the Year, “Give Me Your Eyes” and “Your Love,” which topped the charts for an amazing eight weeks. A Nashville native, Heath began writing songs in his teens and gained a national audience with the release of his 2006 Reunion Records debut album, Don’t Get Comfortable. His warm, expressive voice and intuitive songwriting have earned him an enthusiastic fan base and the respect of his peers. 

He follows his chart-topping 2011 album Leaving Eden with the vibrant landscape of Blue Mountain, his fourth studio record. The album is filled with the type of signature story songs that have made Heath an influential voice of his generation, yet sonically he fuses his engaging pop template with the rootsy sounds of his childhood. “When I was a little kid, my grandparents lived outside of Knoxville, Tenn. Every time we would go to visit them, we’d go to Cades Cove and Gatlinburg,” he says of soaking up the sights and sounds of Appalachia. “I always remember being struck by those mountains and my imagination would run wild and think they were the backs of dinosaurs. I’ve always just been intrigued with those mountains.”

Most of all, Heath has always been fascinated by people and it’s his penchant for exploring human foibles, triumphs and challenges that provides the foundation for Blue Mountain. “I wanted to get out of myself a little bit on this one,” he says with a grin. “I like to write story songs and I like characters. I wanted to create some characters, but I needed a framework. In a conversation with my friend Al Andrews, who I always get a lot of song ideas from, he commented that he had read somewhere that some people can be like Blue Mountains. In the distance, they are mysterious and majestic and you can’t touch them, but when you get up close to them, you realize they are just brown and green. They aren’t blue at all. For some reason, that got my mind going. So, I started writing songs about different characters---the coal miner, the farmer, the guy who is on death row.”

Yet, even as he was indulging his imagination and creating a vibrant cast of characters, Brandon had an epiphany. “I realized that while I was writing this record about other characters, really it’s about me,”
he says.

One of the most personal songs on the record is “Paul Brown Petty,” a lyrical portrait of Heath’s maternal grandfather. “He’s just always been one of my heroes,” Heath says. “You never heard him complain. He worked in his garden every day. He was an elder at his church. He sang in the choir. He fought in the war.

When things were really rough here in Nashville with my parent’s divorce, I could always go back to Waverly, Tenn., which is where my grandparents lived. I always felt at ease around him. A lot of people will never know who he was, but he made a big impact on me. He was a part of building my character and my story; through this song I hope to pay tribute to him.”

Another mentor that Heath tips his hat to on his new album is Bob Goff, founder and CEO of Restore International, a non-profit organization addressing the injustices committed against children. “Love Does” yields a warm, engaging melody and compelling lyric that encourages believers to make a difference. “Bob is a world changer,” Heath says. “He liberates people and I don’t know if there’s anything more noble than that; than getting people out of bondage. He’s dedicated his life to that and he’s been such a great role model to me. He’s written a book by the same name and now more people are hearing his story.”

The first single from Blue Mountain is “Jesus in Disguise.” “Jesus isn’t always in the obvious,” Heath notes. “But from busy city streets to the rural roads of ‘Blue Mountain,’ Jesus is always there to be found. You just have to know what to look for and be willing to look for it. It’s been a burden; it’s still a burden for God to open my eyes, so much so that I’m still writing about it after all these years.” 

In recording Blue Mountain, Heath collaborated with some of his favorite Nashville songwriters, including Lee Thomas Miller, Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Deana Carter. Once he crafted the songs, he hit the studio with producer Dan Muckala. “I wanted to take on a whole new flavor,” Heath says of fusing pop, hip-hop beats and Appalachian roots music. 

The album was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studio in picturesque Asheville, N.C. “We rented a cabin and we lived there for 10 days while we worked on this record. It’s a cool place,” says Heath of the studio where Dierks Bentley recorded his Home album and MercyMe recorded its current disc, The Hurt & the Healer. “Dan did MercyMe’s record, so that’s how he knew about the studio. He said, ‘We need to take your Blue Mountain idea to Asheville; I know a great studio that’ll give us the 
perfect setting.’”

The album is as inventive lyrically as it is sonically. One of the most poignant tracks is “Dyin’ Day,” the story of a death row inmate. “I wanted to write about a guy who had led a life so evil that it ultimately put him in prison where he’s since lost his identity – he’s been reduced to his prison number. The redemption is it’s here that he finds a level of forgiveness that most of us don’t even allow ourselves,” Heath explains of the fictional character. “He’s a man who has been cut off from the world and hasn’t seen forgiveness from his family or society, yet he understands forgiveness so deeply and that’s amazing to me.”

Forgiveness, servanthood and the power of grace are topics that have been woven throughout Heath’s musical repertoire, but never have they seemed to coalesce into a more potent musical offering than on Blue Mountain. “I want people to feel loved and comforted because that’s what I feel I can offer through the songs on this record,” he says. “I hope listeners will take a journey with me; that they’ll step out of their lives for a moment to explore Blue Mountain and its’ characters. My hope is that they’ll find themselves there.”

source : brandonheath.net

The Experience Lagos : Special Command Edition

The Experience has come again, This year’s event is going to be a Special Command Edition holding on Friday 2^nd of December, 2011 from 5pm to 1am. This is very different from the 5 previous editions that was held at the Tafawa Balewa Square(TBS) . The Experience has been known as the world’s largest gospel music concert and the largest music event in Africa with last year’s edition recording over a million people in attendance.

 The Experience has featured artists such as Don Moen, Kirk Franklin, Ron Kenoly, Cece Winans, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin, Kurt Carr, Bebe Winans, Tye Tribbett, Lionel Petersen, Panan Percy Paul, Papa San, Phil Driscol, Mary Mary, Micah Stampley, Judy Jacobs, Mike Aremu, Isreal Houghton, Sammy Okposo, Fred Hammond, Chevelle Franklyn, Lara George and the Chosen Treasure Choir and a lot of indigenous gospel artistes.

This year’s event will be holding at the New Expo Hall of the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island Lagos which is limited in space hence the need for tickets for attendance. The tickets were however given out free. This was achieved by giving codes upon registering on a ticket portal. These codes were later used to redeem tickets for the event. The codes were limited and therefore ran out in a short time. Its not easy trying to compress an event that has about a million people in attendance into 6000.

This year, there are also many ways to experience The Experience. There will be live-streaming of the event on The Experience website and on these other pages:

1.       Facebook:  http://facebook.com/theexperiencelagos

2.       HiBuzz:  http://hibuzz.com/live or download Hibuzz to your Symbian, Android or Blackberry phone

3.       Liveway TV:  http://liveway.tv/theexperience

It can also be watched at the satellite viewing centres in these locations in Nigeria and London:

London

House on the Rock, London

The Rock Tower

Abuja
The Citadel & Towers,
James Wolfensen Drive,
right turn before City gate.
Abuja

Enugu
House On The Rock Auditorium
Hotel Presidential
1 Rangers Avenue Presidential Road,
(Behind Ministry of Culture Building)
Independence Layout
Enugu

Port Harcourt
Field of Music
Hotel Presidential
Birabi Street, GRA
Port Harcourt

Just like last year, I'll be working with the electronic media team for live updates and streaming, live blogging, Facebook updates, twitter, i-reporting, etc.

I'll be tweeting live at the event so you can follow me @9jaboyb

You can also follow the event on Facebook , @theexperiencelg and  #TheExperience2011 on twitter 

Would you like to attend? Lemme know at the comment segment you might just get a ticket.

Artist Review: Beckah Shae

I recently came across this Artist and her music on TheHouseFM. Her voice, the sound and her lyrics said so much about her.

in her own words:
“What one generation tolerates, the next embraces, and I will not be held accountable for being silent about the things that I know are offensive and harmful not only to God but also to my children.”
Shae regrets that there aren’t more alternatives available to counteract the negativity found in mainstream music but is doing her part to provide a healthy supplement with a relevant sound. “People are only listening to what’s being handed to them,” she says. “It’s up to us to give them something more to help renew their minds. We are a desperate people, starving for truth, and it can only be revealed by the living God through the power of His Holy Spirit.”
“I believe the most necessary thing in order to share God’s love, is to first truly receive God’s love… to spend time in His presence where He can remind us of who we are and how He sees us. That’s where I find my strength to share. We can’t pour out anything unless we’ve first been poured in to,” says Shae

Listen to one of her songs.....

Here I go, I’m on my way

With my Love glasses on

Here I go, I’m on my way

I see more clearly and I feel strong

More, More, More, More

There’s got to be so much more to this life

My heart is racing just to know what it is like

More than I could expect

Anticipate or imagine

I’m willing to believe

Amazing things are still happening

I’m going to live the rich life (rich life)

The full and blessed life (blessed life)

So if you all know what I mean

Put your hands up and declare with me

Love In full effect, chaim

I’m going to live the good life (good life)

Beautiful and glorious life (glorious life)

So if you all know what I mean

Put your hands up and declare with me

Love In full effect, chaim

Here I go again on my mission to give it all

(Give it all, give, give it all, all)

Cause I’m aware that what I share

Will come back good measure

Pressed down, shaken together and running over

Life is whatever I receive it to be

Why not jump over doubt and dive into belief?

More than I could expect

Anticipate or imagine

I’m willing to believe

Amazing things are still happening

I’m going to live the rich life (rich life)

The full and blessed life (blessed life)

So if you all know what I mean

Put your hands up and declare with me

Love In full effect, chaim

I’m going to live the good life (good life)

Beautiful and glorious life (glorious life)

So if you all know what I mean

Put your hands up and declare with me

Love In full effect, chaim

No eye has seen nor ear has heard

My faith is breathing only because

I hear these words

Exceeding and abundantly

More than we could even ask or think

Surpassing all human understanding

I’ve been given this amazing peace

(This amazing peace)

I’m going to live the rich life (rich life)

The full and blessed life (blessed life)

So if you all know what I mean

Put your hands up and declare with me

Love In full effect, chaim

I’m going to live the good life (good life)

Beautiful and glorious life (glorious life)

So if you all know what I mean

Put your hands up and declare with meLove In full effect, chaim

lyrics courtesy newreleasetuesday

Song Review - Suitcases by Dara Maclean

Dara Maclean- Suitcases

How can you move when they’re weighing you down
What can you do when you’re tied to the ground, yeah
You carry your burdens, heavy like gravity
Just let them go now, there’s freedom in release

You can’t run when you’re holding suitcases
It’s a new day throw away your mistakes and open up your heart
Lay down your guard, you don’t have to be afraid

Just breathe, your load can be lifted
There’s a better way when you know you’re forgiven
Open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don’t have to be afraid

Can you imagine what it’s like to be free
Well, send those bags packing, they’re not what you need
Abandon your troubles on the side of the street
Just let them go now, believe me

You can’t run when you’re holding suitcases
It’s a new day throw away your mistakes and open up your heart
Lay down your guard, you don’t have to be afraid

Just breathe, your load can be lifted
There’s a better way when you know you’re forgiven
Open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don’t have to be afraid

There’s nothing hold you back now, just run

You can’t run when you’re holding suitcases
It’s a new day throw away your mistakes and open up your heart
Lay down your guard, you don’t have to be afraid

Just breathe, your load can be lifted
There’s a better way when you know you’re forgiven
Open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don’t have to be
You don’t have to be afraid

Artist Review: Francesca Battistelli

Francesca Battistelli (born May 18, 1985) is an Italian-American Christian musician from New York City, New York. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, My Paper Heart, was released on July 22, 2008. According to the Free To Be Me Songfacts, “Free To Be Me” was released as the second single from the album and it shattered records in becoming the most added song by a female artist in Christian radio history and holding the #1 slot for ten consecutive weeks.Battistelli received her first Grammy Award 2009 nomination for “Best Gospel Performance” for the single.

Between the release of her debut album My Paper Heart and its follow-up Hundred More Years, Battistelli married Christian band percussionist Matthew Goodwin and gave birth to her first child, Matthew Elijah. According to the Hundred More Years songfacts Battistelli chose to title her sophomore record after the track “Hundred More Years” because the tune’s subject matter of a couple falling in love and having their first child mimiced her own life. Hundred More Years, was released on March 1, 2011.

Francesca Battistelli is no stranger to the stage. Raised by parents immersed in the arts and Broadway, she developed a love of music, theatre, and performance at a young age. But instead of using these talents for applause and accolades, Francesca prefers to point people to something beyond herself—towards hope in Christ. Her soulful piano-pop sound resembles a blend of her music interests—jazz, rock, gospel and R&B woven beautifully together with themes of trust and risk-taking.

culled last.fm

Francesca Battistelli - Lead Me To The Cross

Francesca is one of my favourite artists I love this 2010 single.... Lead me to the cross

Chorus

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, lead me to the cross