Category: Music

I Will Never Hear Adele’s New Album

 When I heard that Adele’s new album would not be released to streaming sites like Spotify, I had one thought…

Well, I guess I’ll never hear Adele’s new album.

I am an all-in Spotify user. I figure, for the cost of one album on iTunes per month, I can listen to almost anything I want on any device I want. I don’t listen to pop radio, so if it isn’t on Spotify, I won’t likely hear it.

I understand why artists like Adele and Taylor Swift would opt to keep their music off streaming services – they feel that they are not adequately compensated by these services, and I can’t necessarily argue against that view. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I (nor folks like me) won’t hear their music until (or if) they change their minds.

Why Do We Sing?

This post originally appeared in The Loop, newsletter of Lexington Baptist Temple.

Why do we sing? Why do we lift our voices in praise and adoration? When you stop and think about it, it’s a strange concept – talking with pitch and duration.

Sure, some instruments have strings. Some you hit with a stick. Some use air from the musician’s lungs and the vibration of their lips. But the voice is very special. Personal.

And it’s the only instrument God Himself made. Continue reading “Why Do We Sing?” →

Learning Licks vs. Chord Progressions

acoustic closeupKey of G. I – IV – V – vi – IV – V – I.

If you play acoustic guitar in most youth praise bands in churches today, every song with the above chord progression will sound EXACTLY the same.

Well, sorta. Continue reading “Learning Licks vs. Chord Progressions” →

Gungor, Middle School Choir, and The Greatest American Hero

When I taught middle school choir, there were times that I had my students sing music from other cultures and religions. I stressed the fact that, in some instances, a musician is an actor. I told them that, when they sing about God, they don’t have to believe in Him.

But the audience needs to believe they do. Continue reading “Gungor, Middle School Choir, and The Greatest American Hero” →

Kentucky All-State Choir Gone Viral

I am a three-year alumnus of the Kentucky All-State Choir, so I was very pleased to see this video of the participants singing the National Anthem a capella from the balconies of the Louisville Hyatt go viral. I have fond high school memories of singing like this before the advent of cell phone cameras. Enjoy!

You Have An Interesting Voice – Part 2

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIn a recent post, I delved into an aspect of modern culture that works against the training and maturation of this generation as singers and musicians in our churches – the importance of having a distinctive, unique, and/or interesting voice

What do we have going against us in this fight for quality? Television, as I’ve mentioned. But today’s youth also possess a certain sense of entitlement. Continue reading “You Have An Interesting Voice – Part 2” →

You Have An Interesting Voice

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADo you watch American Idol, or America’s Got Talent, or The Voice? It never fails. I don’t really watch these shows, but whenever I do, there is always one or two singers that, according to the judges, have “distinguished” voices.”Interesting” voices.”Unique” voices.

What that means is that their tone, style, and phrasing are not typical of a singing competition. There have been times that I have watched these shows and seen singers that I have liked that have not had what I would call a typical singing voice. An indefinable quality that just seems to work.

Now, the problem. Continue reading “You Have An Interesting Voice” →