John Reuben - John Reuben

“There’s always something to get nostalgic about” sings John Reuben on track 9, Looking at Now. I remember sitting in the lounge of a Uni dorm in Illinois, two hours outside Chicago back in July 2000 and my friend from Ohio hands me a CD with a grayscale photo of a beanie wearing man staring at me on it. My friend was keen for me to hear it, the artist was a fellow native of Ohio and had just released their debut album two months before. It was of course John Reuben, and once I first heard “Do Not” I knew the first thing I’d be doing when I got home was buying that CD! 

John Reuben has always had a tongue in cheek style, he just has funny bones it seems. He sees the world slightly sideways, and enjoys it. But that’s not to say that he’s a comedy rapper - far from it. The guy has bars, and knows how to write a hit record that’s for sure. Which brings us onto the track I linked in the video above - Secular Music. It’s classic John Reuben, it’s funny, but it’s also got some cutting insight into the Christian Hip Hop scene. “How you gonna front when the church nursery's your green room. And the set time's early cause the kids got curfews?” Good question John, good question. At a time when some artists seem to carry themselves with a slightly self important air, John Reuben is a breath of fresh air. His self awareness and willingness to say what others are not saying makes this whole album a joy to listen to. 

But don’t go thinking that this album is all style and no substance - that would be a mistake. Other people (featuring Alon) is an excellent example of John tackling big issues with just as much skill and deftness of touch. He and Alon ask the question: “who are my people?” To be honest, I found the song pretty moving and really appreciate the honesty both artists show. 

If you hadn’t already guessed, for me the three tracks which have stood out over the first week of listening would be:

Secular Music

Other People

Looking At Now

Those are the tracks I’ll be adding to our TOP3 playlist. I’d also like to give an honourable mention to Highlight Reel. But don’t take my word for it, dig into the Spotify playlist below and pick your own TOP3.

Before I go I can’t help but get nostalgic and say… basically John Reuben was ahead of his time. Do yourself a favour and go and check out his back catalogue. His old music videos are gold! Watch: Good Evening, Doin’ & Word Of Mouth for your homework. 

Check out these lovely links:

instagram.com/johnnyreubonic/

twitter.com/johnreuben

youtube.com/JohnnyReubonic

#MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

Guvna B - Battle

‘Hands Are Made For Working’ marked a shift in gear fro Guvna B. It was an album born out of hardship and heartbreak, but it was the Guvna’s best album to date by a country mile. It reminded me of Romans 5: 

3 ...but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

The perseverance Guvna B has shown with his music during the tough days has taken him to a new level artistically and lyrically. This is on full display in Battle. 

Battle goes hard with the beat, with a distinctively London flavour to the sound. The bass line rolls over the beat tipping it’s hat to the UK Garage roots of the track. Wookie’s ‘Battle’ from 2000 is the sample which the track is built around. 

If this is an indication of what the next album from Guvna B is going to sound like, we’re looking forward to it! 

Check out these lovely links:

www.facebook.com/guvnab

www.twitter.com/guvnab

www.youtube.com/guvnamusic

#MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

John Mark McMillan - Peopled With Dreams

Let me tell you why I like Peopled with Dreams, but first let me copy and paste how John Mark McMillan announced its release on his Facebook page. ““Peopled with Dreams”, my hot-mess-of-an-existential-pop-record and 8th original studio album is officially in the world today. It’s a journey back into faith. It’s a collection of songs about joy, gratitude, and God in an attempt to honestly consider our place among the cosmos.” Why do I like it? Because it really is everything he says here. 

As I listened to this album on repeat (during a pointless two-and-a-half-hour round trip drive which had nothing to do with the album or this review) I realised that despite all the questions these songs left me happy and hopeful. Other artists might tread a similar path and sound jaded but this was joyful. The iTunes store has the album labelled under ‘singer/songwriter > alternative folk’ but it is a pop record. The production is slick and it sounds fantastic. This certainly contributes to it being a joyful noise. But it’s deeper than that. 

I’ll leave you to go and try and wrap your head around tracks like Cousin John or Bright Abyss on your own. But I can’t let you go without talking about The Road, The Rocks, and The Weeds. It deserves a prize for how much thought it packs into just over three and a half minutes. This is good…

“And what to tell my daughter When she asks so many questions And I fail to fill her heaviness with peace When I've got no answers For hurt knees or cancers But a Saviour who suffers them with me”

But this is what really sold it to me…

“So shall I plant sequoias And revel in the soil Of a crop I know I'll never live to reap? Then sow my body to my Maker And my heart unto my Saviour And spread me on the road, the rocks, and the weeds”

There’s something about the perspective in this picture that got me. Yes, these are songs to enjoy but, if you let them, these are songs that will get you thinking and maybe even change your outlook on life. And who doesn’t need a bit of that?! So let me recommend you my top three tracks from Peopled With Dreams.

Pilgrim

The Road, The Rocks, and The Weeds

Everything New

As I quoted Mark as saying, Peopled With Dreams is his eighth original studio album, so if you like this he has an extensive back catalogue you can dig into. 

Check out these lovely links:

facebook.com/JohnMarkMcMillan

twitter.com/johnmarkmc

youtube.com/johnmarkofficial

#MusicWeLove by Matt Hellyer

Joshua Luke Smith - Beats And Pieces Vol 1.

The promo text reads: “I locked myself away for a week and created a new mixtape, fuelled by the pursuit of falling back in love with the basics; making beats and writing bars. The result was this mixtape: Beats and Pieces Vol 1″.

Although it may have been a painful process for him, I for one am glad that Joshua Luke Smith found himself in this place, because he produced his best work to date in my view.  

I first heard the tracks of the mixtape at BCDO 2019, he performed a set on the Illuminate Stage and absolutely knocked it out of the park. I absolutely love the blend of old school hip hop vibes with really thoughtful vocals and his fearless approach which leads him headlong into some of the biggest topics and discussions out there. 

Watching Joshua performing I Am live was a bit of a moment really. It’s a feel-good anthem about self image. It’s great to hear such a serious topic being taken on in a way that you want to listen to over and over. Speaking of serious topics, Turning Tides has to be up there! Renaissance is just a joy to listen to. The guitar, bass and stripped back drums all compliment each other excellently. The same could be said for Ode To The Dreamer.

We love getting stuck into new music, and if you’re considering jumping into Beats And Pieces Vol 1 can I recommend you start out with these three tracks - My TOP3 are: 

Renaissance

I Am

Ode To The Dreamer

Check out these lovely links:

Facebook.com/JoshuaLukeSmithMusic

Twitter.com/JoshuaLukeSmith

YouTube.com/JoshuaLukeSmith

#MusicWeLove review by Dave Hellyer

Kanye West - Jesus Is King

I have always had a soft spot for Kanye’s music, but found myself in the “I miss the old Kanye” camp as I’d loved College Dropout, Late Registration and Graduation and then began to lose interest as his music grew and changed. Having heard Kanye was going to release a gospel album I couldn’t help but be intrigued, which Kanye was going to turn up? Was this just a stunt? Nobody hypes a new album better than Kanye, so was this hype for real, or just paper talk? 

Safe to say you can count me among the amazed. The album wasn’t just a step away from his more recent music style (which I appreciated), but it was full-on Christian lyrically. My spotify account has the profanity filter switched on - which means that when I visit Kanye’s profile I cannot listen to a single record of his from his entire discography until Jesus Is King. That’s a genuine change. 

But it’s not as simplistic as “Kanye’s album is good because he didn’t swear”...I only mention that because it’s so hard to describe the change you can see in him. From watching his interviews (like the one with Zane Lowe and his appearance on James Corden’s carpool Karaoke) you can see that he is a changed man. Even they way he physically sets up the stage at the Sunday Services is a massive shift. No longer is everything about Kanye. And this is reflected in the music too. 

Lyrically you get the sense that Kanye has changed. This is perhaps most clearly demonstrated on Jesus Is Lord. You couldn’t get further from a self-promotional lyrics if you tried. 

If you want to get technical, is the album well produced? Is the instrumentation the best? Are the songs perfectly well formed and complete packages? In many ways no. In fact on my favourite track (God Is) Kanye’s voice is straining and even cracks a couple of times. But that raw, and unpolished feel is precisely what makes me love the album. He has let you feel like you were in the room when they recorded it. Even the coir, who sound incredible live and on the tracks don’t make you feel like the album is glamorous and over-produced. It has the feel of an album which was rushed, in a good way. Rushed in the sense of they were on a roll and just kept going with it without stopping to overthink everything. I’d even go as far as to say in a couple of cases the songs are so short you could almost call them unfinished if you were being uncharitable. And this is the point at which you have to play the context card... heard in the context of the album what I have just written makes sense. However heard in the context of the Sunday Service experience - the songs sound rich, full and sit perfectly. For me the album didn’t make sense until I’d seen a Sunday service. Having heard the songs in the context of how they are performed live, I was totally sold. I love it. 

We always pick our TOP3 tracks (partly because that is what populates our TOP3 playlist on Spotify) so in keeping with tradition, here goes:

God Is

Use This Gospel - featuring Clipse & Kenny G.

Selah

Why not check out the album yourself on the playlist below and pick your own TOP3:

Check out these lovely links:

twitter.com/KanyeWest

www.youtube.com/kanyewest

#MusicWeLove review by Dave Hellyer

Lily-Jo was back at BCDO, these photos are from when she was on the Illuminate stage. It’s always a pleasure to hear Lily-Jo’s soulful vocals. Lily-Jo 

Not only is Lily-Jo a musician she is also a qualified Counsellor and has a passion to see people living their lives to the full whilst embracing their true potential. In early 2016 Lily-Jo launched an online self help resource called The Lily-Jo Project. The web resource features information, interviews, videos, practical tools, on the most common mental health issues including; Low mood, anxiety, self harm, eating disorders, childhood trauma, low self-esteem, grief and loss.

Check out these lovely links:

facebook.com/jo.fidler

twitter.com/lilyjoproject

youtube search ‘Lily-Jo’ 

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

John Mark McMillan wins the prize for having the funniest write-up in the BCDO event guide. The opening line is that he is a genius, and we can only assume he submitted this bio himself - fantastic!

Hilarious bios aside, his band was fantastic and his music is brilliant. We truly enjoyed his set, and look forward to reading his bio in future to see how he can possibly improve on being a genius. 

facebook.com/JohnMarkMcMillan

twitter.com/johnmarkmc

youtube.com/johnmarkofficial

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

Faith Child is a brilliant performer... and this year at BCDO he handed me my favourite photo that I took over the whole weekend. Possibly even one of my favourite photos I’ve ever taken at BCDO! 

That seriously impressive mid-air splits that you can see in the first picture is a moment which I have failed to capture on a couple of previous attempts. Do yourself a favour and make an effort to see Faith Child live! 

Check out these lovely links:

facebook.com/FaithChildMusic/

twitter.com/FaithChildMusic

youtube.com/user/faithchildtv

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

LZ7 are the closest thing to a house band that exists at BCDO. They are always there, and always massively popular. The weekend acted as a preview for their latest album called: These Are Better Days. They had released 4 singles off the album already, so it felt quite familiar... and in fact LZ7 announced on Instagram this week they’re already heading back into the studio in the hopes of getting another album released before the end of the year! 

Check out these lovely links:

facebook.com/LZ7UK

twitter.com/LZ7Official

youtube.com/user/LZ7MTV

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

Guvna B came on as a guest in Andy Mineo’s set at BCDO this year to perform their collab Keeping It Movin’... which has done crazy numbers (over 1M streams on Spotify in just 2 weeks!)

Let’s hope we get more of these collabs between artists from both sides of the pond, it’s been a while. 

Check out these lovely links:

Facebook.com/AndyMineo

Twitter/AndyMineo

Instagram/AndyMineo

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

It’s always a pleasure to see a born performer like Andy Mineo perform, his main stage set at BCDO was superb! He has explosive energy and carried the set effortlessly with just himself and DJ Ray Rock for support. 

Fro just one track Andy had a guest appearance from Guvna B, which we have a separate photo-set for (coming soon). He also closed the Illuminate stage later that night as well - again photos coming soon.   

Check out these lovely links:

Facebook.com/AndyMineo

Twitter/AndyMineo

Instagram/AndyMineo

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

Joshua Luke Smith - BigChurchDayOut 2019

I had heard a few tracks from Joshua Luke Smith before BCDO,  friends of mine had put me onto him... but I’d never heard him live before. Joshua Luke Smith was performing tracks from his Beats and Pieces EP, and I absolutely loved it! 

He has a brilliant mix of rich lyrical content, very thoughtful production and an irresistible groove. 

Ironically he states on the EP that the project wasn’t about landing tracks on a playlist - but that’s exactly what has happened! We’ve added quite a few of his tracks to our ‘noteworthy singles’ playlist on Spotify. 

facebook.com/joshualukesmithmusic

twitter.com/JoshuaLukeSmith

www.youtube.com/user/joshualukesmith

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

Social Beingz - BigChurchDayOut 2019

This was the first time we’d seen Social Beingz since they became a two piece, having previously been known as Twelve24. 

Josh and Ryan we’re on top form, they always bring a tonne of energy to their shows, and if anything in this new format they pack even more punch.  

Social Beingz are putting out great new music and well worth following them online:

facebook.com/socialbeingz

twitter.com/socialbeingz

youtube.com/Twelve24OFFICIAL 

Photos for #MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer

Switchfoot - Native Tongue

Switchfoot returned from their hiatus to kick off 2019 with the release of Native Tongue, their eleventh studio album. What is our native tongue? The title track explains: “Back before we learned the words to start a fight. Back before they told us that the haters were right. He spoke the truth, "let there be" and there was. Love is the language, love is your native tongue.” What is Native Tongue, the album? Lyrically, it’s a reach back to the very beginning and an attempt to grapple with the tension between what God created and the world we’ve made for ourselves today. Musically, this is Switchfoot showing a pop sensibility with a few hints of the seventies. 

There may be some long-time fans who think these songs lack a little of the guitars that so many of Switchfoot’s earlier recordings revolved around. Stylistic preferences aside, I think Jon Foreman deserves credit for continuing to sing songs that say things that need saying. And singing them like he means it. And the guitars haven’t gone completely. Take My Fire only manages eight of bars of drum loop and sparse piano intro before a huge fuzzy riff crashes in.  

Take My Fire is a great example of a Switchfoot song that defies a simple musical categorisation. By now I think it is enough to say it is Switchfoot. If you don’t know what that means I really recommend you take the time to find out. Prodigal Soul is probably my favourite take on the album. It’s a song of devotion that says, “I am yours and yours alone. Forgive me for my wandering on my own."  The chorus opens out with an aching vocal and the anthemic line, “I'm a prodigal soul. And I want to come home.”

Digging into the songs on Native Tongue will help you think through where you are and where you should be. These three songs are a great place to start.    

Native Tongue

Prodigal Soul

Take My Fire

If you are new listener who likes what they’ve heard on Native Tongue the good new is there are ten other Switchfoot albums to check out. I would work back from Native Tongue to Where The Light Shines Through, then jump to Vice Verses and then The Beautiful Letdown en route to New Way To Be Human. Longtime fans probably already know all of the back catalogue. For us, we just have to hope the wait isn’t too long until album number twelve!

Check out these lovely links:

facebook.com/switchfoot

twitter.com/switchfoot

youtube.com/switchfoot

#MusicWeLove by Matt Hellyer

for King & Country - Burn The Ships

I remember seeing for KING & COUNTRY at Big Church Day Out in 2018. In amidst the instrument-throwing, stage-set climbing theatrics of their set they also took time to reassure us that we would not have to wait too much longer for their third album. Listening to that, now released, album on ear buds is not quite the same as hearing the songs in a festival field. The album has a smooth pop polish that takes some of the edge off the live energy. However a good song is always going to be a good song, and this album has a few of them.

joy. (not a typo!) is the lower-case carrying opening song from Burn The Ships (if we overlook the atmospheric instrumental Introit).  It could have legitimately been titled in ALL CAPS. “The time has come to make a choice, and I choose joy.” Then the chorus drops. “Let it move you, let it move you!” You would have to be in a particularly stubborn mood to not be moved!

God Only Knows takes the tempo down but cranks the word play up to eleven as it twists the title around. “God only knows what you’ve been through. God only knows what they say about you. God only knows how it killing you. But there’s a kinda love that God only knows.” As you nod your head to the beat you find yourself agreeing with the truth of this uplifting anthem.

Amen is a sparse, rhythmic track with a big vocal chorus which, perhaps unsurprisingly, goes “all the people say Amen!” As the bridge builds back towards the final choruses the brothers sing “and if the world is listening this is my confession, you are my obsession.” We can’t promise the whole world is listening, but we know we are and we are thankful for the encouragement and the inspiration.

So if you aren’t already listening to for KING & COUNTRY jump on YouTube and get listening to…

joy.

God Only Knows

Amen

For KING & COUNTRY have had big songs off their previous albums. If you like what you’ve heard hear then check out “Fix My Eyes” and “Shoulders” from Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. Or go back to their debut release Crave and give “Busted Heart (Hold On to Me)” a listen.

Check out these lovely links:

youtube.com/ForKingAndCountryTV

facebook.com/forkingandcountry

twitter.com/4kingandcountry

#MusicWeLove by Matt Hellyer 

Citizens - Fear

If there is one thing I fear when I back an album project on Kickstarter it is that I’ll end up disappointed. I’ve only ever backed albums by bands I know and love, but they haven’t all been winners. However, half way into my second listen to Fear, I realise I had nothing to fear in backing the latest release from Citizens. Backers get to hear the album ahead of its general release; you may have to wait a bit to hear these songs but there’s no need to tease out this review. Fear is a great album.

Citizens have achieved that elusive fusion: an album that is the same but different. Everything that made me a fan of their previous releases is still here. The sounds, the textures,  Zach’s voice. But the album doesn’t feel like tired rerun of where they’ve been before. The songs take twists and turns. Unexpected. Unpredictable. When I say Fear is a great album, it’s not just that it has good songs. It’s a great listen from start to finish. A proper album.

So what of the songs? Here are a few of my early favourites. I love Looking Up for its guitars and synths and for the way it has a long, slow build towards it’s soaring hook line: “Time to look on up, I’m looking up!“ The Wait’s Not Easy opens with the questions: “Have we had enough, telling everybody they’re wrong? Does it build us up, tearing down the ones we could love?” It goes one to ask: “Have we given up, living like there’s nothing to lose? Will we ever stop, fighting like there’s something to prove?” The song is a poignant, downbeat, reflection on the questions we must wrestle with between this life and the next. Past has perhaps the most experimental arrangement on the album, with a dirty riff and shouty vocals. It’s a song about time and how quickly it passes. I hope the line “Don’t want to spark then just fade out” is also a sign we haven’t heard the last of Citizens!

My top three songs to check out here are.

Looking up

The Wait’s Not Easy

Past

Hunt around the #MusicWeLove site and you’ll find reviews for all of Citizens’ (aka Citizens & Saints) albums. If you like Fear then I’d definitely recommend you check out A Mirror Dimly, which is the closest in feel. But all their releases get a thumbs up from us. 

Check out these lovely links:

facebook.com/MUSIC.CITIZENS

Twitter: @CITIZENS_SAINTS

youtube.com/CitizensSaintsVEVO

#MusicWeLove by Matt Hellyer 

Joshua Luke Smith - The Revolution Is Within

Born in London and raised in Pakistan, Joshua Luke Smith has a unique tone and flavor to his music. Somewhat of a poet, Joshua Luke Smith has an incredible ability to craft lyrics together over a musical landscape with overtones of hip hop and atmospheric, piano-driven soundscapes.

‘The Revolution Is Within’ is Smith’s 2nd EP and follows ‘Dead Man’ released earlier in 2018. I first came across Joshua Luke Smith through 24/7 prayer’s ‘The Vision Film.’ I was so drawn to the passion he spoke with and took the words written by Pete Grieg written all those years before and made them accessible to a new generation. Noa and I were so touched by this video we had it played at our wedding!

‘Ache’ is my favorite song on the EP and features Dani Miché, an artist from Smith’s own label ‘Orphan No More.’ One thing I love about Smith’s music is his ability to get that ever so difficult balance of being a Christian artist trying to share the message with the world in a unique way, while not compromising on that message. Poetry, story and music are Joshua Luke Smith’s tools to do this, and he’s doing a great job!

My TOP3 tracks are: 

Ache

Paradise

Oh Hope

Pick your own TOP3 by checking out the EP on Spotify:

Check out these lovely links:

Facebook.com/JoshuaLukeSmithMusic

Twitter.com/JoshuaLukeSmith

YouTube.com/JoshuaLukeSmith

#MusicWeLove by Fraser Newman