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Gospel

Death can’t touch me now: John Leckenby sings with great faith on the Christian anthem, Promise

Posted on 19 July 2023

Knowing that his life is safe now despite the traumas of the world, John Leckenby is covered by the blood of Christ and has found his purpose now on the hugely motivating new single, Promise.

John Leckenby is a Fresno, California-based indie Gospel artist who shows us that he acknowledges the resurrection and sings with such love and care.

“It’s like an anthem for my life,” said Leckenby. “It’s about the one promise that can sustain us in our lives, and that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Promise from Fresno-based worship leader and songwriter John Leckenby is a stunning song which shall help many find welcome warmth on a cold planet. There is so much drive and honesty here which is so heartening to see as we’re treated to a delightful soundtrack, by an artist who guides us into his current mindset.

Showing us the way to living a meaningful existence, this is the perfect song for anyone who wants to believe again.

If love is all that you need to live happier, surely belief helps fuse everything together.

Listen up on Spotify.

Find out more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Spotlight Feature: OTH€LLO introduced the future of Afro Fusion with his debut single, SZA 4 NGAZ

Posted on 17 July 2023

The Montreal-born, Harlem-based Afrobeat innovator OTH€LLO took gospel out of church and implanted it firmly in his ethereal dream of an Afrobeat RnB debut single, SZA 4 NGAZ.

Fittingly, after his music journey began by being introduced to Congolese gospel and secular soukous tunes by his Congolese immigrant parents, the sensuous single, which celebrates staying true to your roots while practising radical acceptance, finds plenty of room for religious imagery and tonality.

After a sensuously ambient RnB intro complete with saturated in warm delay indie guitars, SZA 4 NGAZ starts to tease hip-hop elements with the fiery canter of his verses before winding it all back down in the dynamically versatile hit that reached the pinnacle of Afro-Fusionist authenticity.

SZA 4 NGAZ is a sublimely promising start to OTH€LLO’s career. His carresively pure vocal lines paired with his down-to-earth lyrical style are enough to kickstart a new revolution in soul.

In the words of OTH€LLO:

“This song is an exploration of how growing my dreads again after cutting my first set was like falling again. It sonically narrates the process of self-love and self-acceptance through a fiercely Afrocentric and sexual perspective.”

After releasing SZA 4 NGAZ, OTH€LLO is back in the studio orchestrating his debut EP. If the forthcoming material is as arcane as his debut, you’ll want to save plenty of room on your radar.

SZA 4 NGAZ was officially released on the 1st of July; hear it on Spotify and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Keep your RnB playlists pious with Freedom Worship’s single, I’m Gone

Posted on 17 July 2023

Keep your summer RnB playlists pious with ‘Summer Vibes The EP’ from Freedom Worship; the collaborative sun-soaked EP was created with the vision of providing the ultimate soundtrack to the summer while keeping gospel at the core of the soul. It is safe to say the passionate group of enthusiastic artists who banded together from a range of backgrounds succeeded in their mission.

Driven by their belief that they can positively influence the direction of culture, the limitless artists and innovators orchestrated one of the smoothest RnB releases of 2023. The standout single, I’m Gone, featuring vocals from Charlie Hill, is the perfect reflective soundscape for chilled summer nights. With lyrics that show you the way to humbled and emboldened gratitude and vocal lines so consoling that the single becomes a sanctuary, I’m Gone delivers endless solace to faith followers and those who find their own path alike.

Stream I’m Gone with the rest of the 5-track EP via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Reverend James Elmore Jenkins keeps the devil at bay in his blues rock jam, Diapsalmata Blues

Posted on 16 March 2023

Few artists do bluesy rock n roll as reverently as Tennessee-born, South Carolina-residing artist Reverend James Elmore Jenkins, as proven by the unadulterated groove-driven swagger in his latest single, Diapsalmata Blues.

His red-hot vintage overdriven tones make The Black Keys sound like cultural appropriation while he’s blazing through the raunch-laced jam riffs that any blues rock fan will want spread across their speakers. If you can tear your attention away from the audible smoky beguile, you’ll hear the minister’s intent to push sermonic gospel through his root-wrapped hits. I may be of the impious inclination, but the uplifting soul entwined with worldly well-intentioned wisdom in Diapsalmata Blues did more than hit the wholesome spot. For your own sake, hit play.

Diapsalmata Blues will be available to stream from March 16th. Hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Christian & Gospel sensation Remilekun radiated redemption in her latest single, WORTHY

Posted on 5 March 2023

80s-ESQUE Pop-rock and Christian & Gospel rarely converge, but the up-and-coming celestial soulstress, Remilekun proved that spellbindingly redemptive things happen when they do in her latest single, WORTHY, which officially released on February 24th.

With guitar solos that will stir the souls of anyone pious for Prince against the salvation-soaked high harmonic stretches and the lyrics that work with the sole aim of reaching out to anyone feeling the sting of self-perceived worthlessness, the single is an essential extension of hope.

Feeling unworthy is a dangerous trap to fall into, but one that depression and unlucky circumstances can dangle a carrot in front of and allow us to plunge into the murky depths of, but as so elevatedly exhibited by Remilekun, stepping into the light is always an option. No matter who you are, where you have been, or what you have done.

Stream the official lyric video for WORTHY by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Want You To Lose: PreacherMan drops heavenly new track Stay Saved (feat. The Fro)

Posted on 27 February 2023

After learning his craft on the car show and underground nightclub floors, PreacherMan shows us the church influence as he flies high on the outstanding new single Stay Saved (feat. The Fro).

PreacherMan aka Martin Powell is an elevated Christian/Gospel artist who preaches the word of God to the world and includes anyone who is willing to open their mind to his eloquent words.

Lighting up the self-enlightenment for us, this is a single all about rather wanting to head to heaven than be paid out of blood money. PreacherMan has our hearts listening up with full attention on this gem. There is so much to be guided by here, from a wise soul who has left the small-minded behind for good.

Stay Saved (feat. The Fro) from the Memphis-based Christian/Gospel artist PreacherMan is a rather impressive soundtrack to play on repeat. Soaked in so much class and with tons of lyrical flow reserved for the best, this is the kind of track to play when we need to remember what is most important.

In a world filled with so many tempting corners, we find an answer to so many questions.

Hear this fine song on Spotify. View more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Gonçalo Santana penned a reflectively compelling RnB memorandum with ‘Note to Self’

Posted on 6 February 2023

Swiss RnB visionary, Gonçalo Santana, has spent the last two years spilling soul onto the airwaves with his distinctively potent approach to the genre. At the start of 2023, he released his debut EP, Brainless, which concludes with the reflective philosophy in Note to Self.

Note to Self keeps 90s RnB at its core while elevating the multi-sensory experience with elements of gospel, which will easily leave you pious to the singer-songwriter’s poetic graceful beguile. The neo-classic-ESQUE piano melodies also go a long way in implanting gravitas within the soul-stirring intimate memorandum.

Like the best things in life, there’s a bitter-sweet emotionally complex sentimentality to the quiescent RnB ballad, delivering the definitive proof that Gonçalo Santana is the real sincere deal.

Note to Self was officially released on January 27th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

He Rescued Me: Chicago-based Gospel artist Tiffany Daniels-Hudson feels so free again on Jesus Reigns

Posted on 7 January 2023

Taken off her brand new 6th-track project called Forever, Tiffany Daniels-Hudson tells the story of true faith so well on the glorious church-powered new single to hold hands with called Jesus Reigns.

Tiffany Daniels-Hudson is a Chicago, USA-based indie Gospel singer-songwriter, recording artist and worship leader who also teaches social studies.

”Tiffany desires to use music as an avenue to connect with people through her life story and to tell the story of the gospel.” ~ Tiffany Daniels-Hudson

Sometimes in life, you just need to close your eyes and listen to a song on loud. Tiffany Daniels-Hudson leads the way in Christian music with a striking anthem to mend sad hearts with the outstanding Jesus Reigns.

Jesus Reigns from Chicago-based Gospel artist Tiffany Daniels-Hudson is a soul-healing soundtrack for anyone who needs hope right now. Sung so excitedly and projected with tons of magnificent power, this is a graceful effort from the top drawer.

Classy and serene, we find a truly soulful single to embrace while the storms brew outside.

Listen up on Spotify. See more on the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Folarin & Keziah modernise Christian & Gospel in their fusionist soul-stirrer, Everything to Me

Posted on 30 December 2022
Folarin & Keziah

Christian & Gospel duo, Folarin & Keziah shared the love through their single, Everything to Me, which casts aside the traditional aural archetypes to bring in the new school of contemporary gospel. The eclectic fusionist style allows gospel instrumentals to evolve around the shimmering dualistically balanced harmonies. Soul-stirring scarcely scratches the surface of the emotions that flood to the surface while their sonic poetry is in motion.

The soaring electric guitar riff towards the outro of this compassionately enlightening single, which could have come from Prince himself, proves how serious the Nigeria-hailing, Canada-residing duo is when it comes to the modernisation of gospel. Yet even amidst all of the innovation, the original utility of Christian & Gospel resounds.

Everything to Me will officially release on December 30th; check it out via the artist’s official website. Stay tuned for their 2023 full-length LP, which will be followed by a Canadian tour.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spend your ‘Christmas Mornin’ with the slick RnB debut single from Jaai.

Posted on 23 December 2022

Channelling the timeless soul of Ella Fitzgerald and the slick impassioned style of Sade, the Atlanta-based gospel RnB singer-songwriter Jaai. helped her fans to celebrate ‘Christmas Mornin’ with the chilled jazzy vibe in her debut single.

The smoothly uplifting single, released on December 2nd, proves just how much Christmas music has evolved since Mariah Carey started topping the Christmas charts every year. Jaai. is on truly sublime form in Christmas Mornin, which flows to the subtle seduction of boom-bap beats and her celestially elegant vocal timbre that would leave you with a shiver if it wasn’t so warming.

The single takes away any sense of novelty away from Christmas music and strips commercialism from the holiday itself, as it reminds you that Christmas is a day like every other, where joy revolves around the people that light up our lives. The artificial lights, no matter how bright, could never compare.

Christmas Mornin’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast