Greg Stamper is a thoughtful and talented young artist. He blesses listeners weekly with the 'story behind the song' from his blog on Reverbnation. It seems to me that One With You is a great story made up of intriguing characters and told in 11 parts. Each track tells a different story, but all of the stories have one central theme. That theme is divinity. This is not some inaccessible divinity but one that calls to us from familiar places. These familiar internal places are like happy memories buried in our bones, muscles and tissues.
God You Are My Joy does not tell the story of the God of a particular denomination. This track is the love song from the vocalist to the God who blessed him with the voice. God is not found solely in a church but in each of us and this track sends us on an inner journey to connect with the divine that is lodged deep inside! This song puts me in a meditative frame of mind where I can just reflect on how good God has been to me and how lovely that gift is. When I listen to this through my headphones, my head begins to nod and my eyes close and I am transported to a place of private audience with God where my gratitude can just pour out like the notes of this song. My heartbeat and my breath are slowed down by the beat and repetition in the background sounds. The simplicity of the melody pulls me in and then sustains me as the song continues and the music becomes more complex. This song is the ideal meditation cushion!
Never Giving Up is a melodic journey out of the places where we might be stuck. (Great music to play while sending out resumes! It keeps me going when I'd really like to toss the computer out of the window and go to the mall to pout instead!) When the time comes for throwing up our hands and screaming, "I QUIT!" the chorus kicks in and we remember that we are not alone and that there is a destiny for each of us! The piano behind the lyrics calls me to a quiet space of prayer and thanksgiving even in the midst of my chaos. I imagine the piano being played in a small jazz club that provides me with a special kind of prayer closet. From within my own musical bubble, my eyes close so that I can absorb every note, every rest, every change and every nuance. Inside the bubble, the music becomes a prayer, the chorus a mantra (Can't stop, won't stop, can't stop) and the lyrics sermonically remind me that the only thing to give up is hopelessness! There comes a point when the music changes and the mantra comes back to remind us that not only will we move forward, but we will not stop moving! The Can't Stop, Won't Stop (around the 4:01 mark) has that timeless Stevie Wonder quality but it also calls me out of my bubble and puts me back into the community of the faithful who are also repeating the mantra of determination and "press-on-full-ness"! (Not in Webster's yet, but I'm working on it!) This is a modern version of "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" - but with a collective 'me' that includes all of us who are going through tough times!
Peace.Love.Joy slows things down a little bit. Even if you have never felt that which we churchy types call 'peace that passes all understanding', as you listen to this track, you suddenly become aware that it is this peace that pushes you to appreciate peace and also to work for that peace. He sings not as a seeker, but as one who can testify to the beauty of peace, love and joy. This is a wonderful tool of evangelism that shares the good news of the gospel - as I hear it. He does not sing of what he thinks you need. Rather, he sings of what he has found and makes it clear that it is also available to anyone who desires it. He sings of what he has found and his voice has a pure and clean quality that does not coerce...it simply states the good news and welcomes the seeker on the wings of a gentle melody. Notice that this track follows the one about not giving up, so there are no illusions about a life free from struggle. It complements the decision to keep on keeping on no matter how hard it may seem right now. The song is appropriately titled because it simply oozes peace, love and joy with its catchy melody and comforting lyrics. Again, I hear the influence of Stevie Wonder in the background music but that only serves to make it sound sweeter and more familiar to me. This piece demonstrates original creativity influenced by great artists without the stealing or sampling that is heard all too often in today's music.
Toward Our Wholeness is a wonderful follow-up to Peace.Love.Joy because it continues to tell the story of the wealth of life that is available to you and explains the beckoning that you might have felt while you listened to the previous tracks. This one has a slightly churchy sound that can be recognized in the four notes that come before he sings the words "all of life is a movement toward our wholeness." This is the track that makes me stand up and sway back and forth while holding my hands in the air. This song moves me from theological thought to full-body worship. I would use this song at a baby dedication as the minister prays words of dedication over the child and parents. The song speaks of a wholeness of life that is not confined to a number of days lived but instead recognizes the power of the Divine in each of our lives. The lyrics are clear and what I love most is that the music does not drown out the beautiful simplicity of the thought that our lives are the vehicles taking us into a state of wholeness if we would only allow that Divine spark to catch fire and burn out fear and spiritual poverty. Speaking of a spark, this is the one that would make me raise my lighter at a live performance...or use the flashlight app on my smart phone!
God-Is-I-Am is the song that made me coin the term Pentecostal-WorldBeat! I can easily hear this beat in the uninhibited worship of a North American Pentecostal church but there is also a flavor to the rhythm that moves it beyond the states and into other parts of the world where people love to sing songs of adoration to God - with or without music, amps, instruments or the other comforts of modern worship. It has the call and response quality that makes music and preaching so much fun! You can't help but be involved in the music and the message. This song reminds me of the songs that we heard in church when we were young and we knew that the choir would have to sing until we were hoarse because it has that 'can't let go' quality. This is one of those 'can't let go' songs. But the sweet spot is in the message that not only is God great...but because of the Divine in each of us, we can be and are also great! (And it wasn't until 2:45 when Greg says, "Put your hands together" that I realized that I was already keeping time with my hand tapping on my leg as I listened! Warning: this song may cause spontaneous singing and dancing, so please listen responsibly...or perhaps you should listen responsively!)
These are my thoughts on the first half of this CD. Stay tuned for my review of the second half! I can only hope that by the time I return with part two of my review that you will at least listen to the free version on Reverbnation. You can also purchase the CD on Amazon and iTunes! I can't think of a better investment in your own joy and happiness!
Shalom!
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