Upon This Rock

Earlier today I was listening to a track I'd not heard before on Dave Simpson's CrossRhythms radio show. My daughter was with me in the car as we listened and we both agreed that the voice was extraordinary. Then there was a section of rapping, and my daughter said - 'that sounds just like Nicky Minaj.' I promised I would look up the artists and find out who they were. It turned out to be a song called I'm Getting Ready, performed by Tasha Cobbs Leonard , a gospel soul singer from Atlanta, Georgia. And yes, my daughter was correct - the rap artist featuring on the track is none other than Nicky Minaj . I'm Getting Ready deserves a lot of mainstream airplay if it hasn't already begun to break through. It's an incredible soul song. It was recorded live with plenty of atmosphere from the audience, and it's taken from Tasha's new album Heart, Passion, Pursuit. Check out this amazing track on the YouTube channel below: Photo credit: Wik...

If you like rhythm and blues, or jazz, or soul, or even funk.... then you'll love Out of the Ashes . They are a duo, or a five piece, or even a big band, depending on where they play. When I saw them perform at Creation Fest 2018 I saw them as a five piece, and even then they created a very full sound. Husband and wife team Kevin and Penny are at the core of the act, he as lead guitarist, and she as lead vocalist. The band is colourful, eclectic and dynamic, their vocal harmonies are tight, and as you listen you can't help but join in with the fun as you move to the wonderful rhythms and swing/jazz/funk tempos the band generates. Out of the Ashes' music is cool, clever and captivating. The band goes beyond the music though. When I caught up with Penny and Kevin backstage at Creation Fest 2018, I talked to them about their inspirations and their message. They are keen to tackle cultural and social issues, especially around ageism and marginalisation in society. Many of t...

Question: What do you get when you cross Soul and Beatbox? Answer: Soulbox! And for the uninitiated.... Soulbox are two guys who blend soul, rap and beatbox into a funky mix that just has to be heard to be appreciated. They perform anywhere they are invited, and work alongside the Message  with other bands such as Amongst Wolves (of which more in a future blog post). I caught up with Ben and Jon at Creation Fest to talk to them about their motivations and inspirations, their mission to evangelise schools and youth through their music, and also to hear a bit of live beatbox. Click on the red and white arrow below to listen to the interview: Soulbox by  Steve Wheeler  was written in Washington, England and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License .

Image from the Lily-Jo Website Spending time talking with Lily-Jo at Creation Fest was a real treat. She is a soul/R+B singer from Manchester in England, and infuses her music with messages of hope and salvation. An EP released by indie label LIGHT called Unstoppable epitomises her stance on the mental health, self-esteem and identity challenges faced by today's youth. She knows what she is talking about, because Lily-Jo is also a fully qualified counsellor. Her  Lily-Jo Project website was set up to provide mental health resources for people battling with eating disorders, self harming, low self-esteem and childhood trauma. It is a useful, high quality and regularly updated set of resources that is being used well. The project has opened doors for Lily-Jo to speak on BBC TV and radio and through other mainstream media. It has been nominated and shortlisted for several awards, and in 2017 won a Premier digital award for ‘best use of digital media in youth work’. Sh...