Song of the Week: Just Wanna Say

Now this is long overdue. My apologies.

It’s not as if there’s not enough good music that I’d love to share. Quite the opposite, really.

And this is one song I’m excited to share. A turn entirely away from the music featured so far (click here if you want more…and believe me, you do: Alphabeat-Fantastic6.mp3), Israel Houghton has loudly revolutionized the face of worship music near-singlehandedly. Standing on the backs of giants like Fred Hammond, he has continued the legacy of bridging the worlds of gospel and worship, with any and every genre spanned in the process. He is the most influential worship leader you’ve never listened to. Need proof? Ever sung You Are Good, Friend of God, Trading My Sorrows…? I thought so.

Fronting his multiracial, energetic group of young singers, New Breed, he has collected two Grammys and multiple other awards in the course of recording monster live recordings that simply beg to be listened to in one sitting.

This year, he’s taking a new direction, departing from his collaborative side to give us a solo album, appropiately titled The Power of One. Even more diverse than anything he’s done yet, this album rocks.

For audible evidence: I give you the first single from the album. If you can listen to this and not dance, or at least move, shame on you.

03_Just_Wanna_Say.mp3

Buy the album here.

I have a theory. If your typical music listener were forced to listen to a style of music different from what he or she was used to, and it was among the best of that style, they just might become a fan. All I’m saying is give these artists a chance. Probably they’ve at least earned that. Sure, I like a lot of diversity  in my music, but even I haven’t branched out as much as I could. Feel free to expand my horizons as I (hopefully) expand yours.

jammin’,

- copernicus