Time’s up in the Reach Records free giveaway. And the lucky winner is… drum roll please…
That’s right ‘drum roll please’ has won, no just kidding…
The winner is Jon Brown
Jon gets his mitts on
Lions And Liars by Sho Baraka and Entermission by DJ Official
Thanks to Jon for the awe inspiring photo (winning this comp has obviously changed your life!) & thanks to all the literally several people who entered. Better luck next time! Related Posts: Lions and Liars review
Mark Altrogge is one of the greatest and most prolific worship songwriters alive today. Since writing songs like I Stand In Awe (You Are Beautiful, Beyond Description), I’m Forever Grateful, Faithful God and How High And How Wide in the 80s he’s written hundreds more and is probably one of the most theologically astute songwriters around.
So I’m thrilled to welcome him as a guest blogger at The Beatles Songwriting Academy today and tomorrow as he shares what Christian Songwriters can learn from the Beatles.
Don’t forget you still have 3 days left to win this albumright here.
EnterMission is less an album BYDJ Official and more a sampler or mix tape on the theme of urban mission featuring Reach Records artists and likeminded friends.
There’s a massive variety on display here, which is both a strength and a weakness. If you like hip-hop there’s bound to be tracks you love and tracks you hate. EnterMission serves you up everything from Nothing Without You (think Pink at her most feminine) to Chisel Me (a masochistic sanctification smackdown) to Not My Own (imagine speed reading Wayne Grudem while listening to nu-metal).
So, while they may not be your favourites, let me tell you mine
Some reviewers have described Show Off (Lecrae & Flame) as cheesy. I don’t agree (this, mon ami, is tres fromage). To me the track is just playful and fresh rather than fresh from the deli counter and as fun is not one of Reach’s strong points I say kudos to ‘em.
Streets Of New York (J.A.Z. & Magellan) is one of the best tracks by DJ Official evoking perfectly the knife edge tension of a city at flashpoint. The lyrics not only paint the picture in stark colours but motivate you to get out there.
Go features some insane speed rapping from H.G.A. (who are these guys?) & Tedashii.
Love Fallen (Gems, Jahaziel, BenJah & Dillavou) is the kind of track that shouldn’t work but is easily one of the best on the album. Crossing so many boundaries that you feel dizzy, the blend of UK & Jamacian rappers meeting over a sizzling reggae track is inspired.
On an album full of gritty realism Sho Baraka’s track Chaos is the hardest hitting of them all. The backing is a claustrophobic Prodigy (Firestarter) style track, all alarms and skittering beats representing the moral chaos Sho is rapping about. This track is Huge.
Overall there’s much to like on this album. DJ Official himself doesn’t cast a big enough shadow to give it a cohesive identity but it would make a good first purchase if you’re unfamiliar with Reach Records and want to check out the different artists.
You have you’re Sunday morning set list nailed down and perfect. You may have even rehearsed it. Then your Pastor informs you that you need to cut a song. What do you do?
Jamie Brown has a great post on this. And I thouroughly agree with him on it.
Worship leaders can quickly become territorial and protective of the time of singing as being “their time”. When that happens, requests to cut a song and/or shorten the time can be viewed as personal attacks warranting extreme defensive measures.
Got some much needed link love yesterday for Beatles Songwriting Academy my sabbatical project/mental breakdown/latest geek obsession (delete as applicable) from US blogger Matt Redmond who spends his time as Student Pastor when he’s not being mistaken for the other Matt Redman and lives in Birmingham (the other one).
He said
Whether you are a Beatles fan or not, there is a reason they continue to be so popular. They were great songwriters. Created in the image of God, all four of them reflected that creativity by making extraordinary music listened to the world over.
I cannot remember the last time I recommended a blog to anyone on my blog, so that should tell you something.
That’s downloads not pounds people! Over 350 of ’em!
Yep, The Eglon Song, my Horrible Histories goes to Sunday School song has gone global, with the flabby baddy’s fame spreading faster than the tubby King’s waistline.
Going through my files recently I found this ‘testimonial’ from one of the first listeners, who’s experience has been shared by many others since…
You have unleashed a plague on both our houses!
After spending a couple of months trying to persuade my son not to shout “POO!” all the time he is now singing this song all the time. It is far too catchy and my wife and I have both been singing it constantly.
We have been going to bed singing it in our heads and woken up singing it, my wife even sings it in her sleep and claims it has kept her awake at night.
At times it has got so stuck I have had to resort to singing Hey Mickey by Toni Basil to get the song out of my head! As you know there is no known song that can remove that from your head when that gets stuck.
This is a really good and funny song. Especially liked the voices. I suspect you enjoyed doing that! My son had his bedtime story from the NIV last night, Judges 3…
In the course of studying The Beatles at Beatles Songwriting Academy I’ve come across a number of interesting reinterpretations of the Fab Fours back catalogue.
None more bizarre than the 1920’s jazz parody of The Templeton Twins with Teddy Turner and His Bunsen Burners. Their only album Trill It Like It Was is long out of print but if you’re smart and follow the links you may be able to get your ears on a copy.
and Entermission by DJ Official feat. Sho, Tedashii, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Justin Bieber (just kidding). Watch out for a review next Tues.
What do I have to do?
1) subscribe to this blog by RSS, email or by ‘following’ me. (If you already do one of these things just leave a comment)
or
2) recommend this blog to a friend, link to this post or retweet it.
or
3) subscribe to my other blog by RSS or email (If you’re a Beatle loving rap fan songwriter)
or
Do all 3!
THEN
Leave me a comment here telling me which ones you’ve done. That’s up to 3 chance to win.
Closing date – Wed 26th May 2010 (midday GMT if you want to be all OCD about it)
Small print.
Prize is 2 well looked after ex-review copy CDs. Winner will be selected by a random number generator, then announced on Wed 26th May 2010. When winner has emailed me their postal address, 2 physical CD will be sent anywhere on the planet via some sort of registered post, which is as close to a guarantee that they’ll arrive as I can give.
