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| Sunday, March 01, 2009
Music > Songwriters Showcase 6 by CSMusic Writer: Annabelle BokDay/Date: Thursday, 4 December 2008 Time: 7pm Venue: Saint Andrew's Cathedral Open Amphitheatre Click here to view CSMusic's photo gallery from that night. The evening actually began at 7.52pm after a long and frustrating delay caused by the day's intermittent showers. After having moved all the equipment and instruments indoors earlier in the afternoon, the CSMusic crew had the unenviable task of shifting everything outdoors again and rushing through the various sound checks.  Jessica and EstherThankfully, it was all uphill from the moment Jessica Wa'u opened the night with her multi-talented backup singer/musician Esther, who played percussion, keyboard and violin! Sun-Filled Sky, her first song, had a conventional praise and worship feel and was not intrinsically impressive, but Kenyan-born Jessica exuded a sweet innocence that lent attractiveness to her performance. With its imaginative arrangement, How Long? was a surprising leap into alternative/indie CCM. While a little unpolished in the delivery, Jessica's voice carried a raw "genuine-ness" that intensified her heartfelt call to the lost and stray sheep of our generation. This carried over into the intimate devotional feel of Forgiven, an interesting piece that rose in its later sections into what has potential to be powerful congregational worship. The buoyant melody of Morning And Night was a lovely finish to the night's first segment.  Pastor Neli leading from the keysPastor Neli's third song was a prayer for revival in our nation, and raw emotion was tangible in his musical cry of "Lord I stand in the gap". The band then flowed into a short time of free worship where I felt God's presence like gentle rain. But the real surprise came when the music took on a hip-hop dance groove and Pastor Neli launched into a rap conversation, an "open letter", with God. It was an awesome end to the night's second set. Before the third set with Deb Fung and Alarice Thio, CSMusic conducted a short interview with Pastor Neli and Jessica. Pastor Neli made two points that I felt were particularly important for those of us in the arts: That we must always remember to "take our eyes off our songs and our music and look at Jesus", and that "lamentations are OK, as long as we make sure they're directed to God."  Alarice ThioThe third and last set opened with Deb Fung's Fool For You, a song inspired by ups and downs experienced in the music industry. Her melodious voice was the perfect accompaniment to her lyrics, which were were open, honest and heartening. "…I reach out for the one I trust… In asking for the impossible/I just might be a fool for You/But I'm reaching for a higher prize," she sang, with the confident conclusion: "I have got some news for you/I am more than able through the One who lives in me." Alarice then took over the lead vocals with a newly-completed worship piece with a focus on surrender, her deeper, rich vocals a welcome contrast and complement to the lilting purity of Deb's near-crystalline melodics. I really enjoyed Away, Alarice's next piece, as well as her evening closer Faith, but I was deeply impacted by Deb's second offering, Do So Much. Not only did the song bring across the message that a unified Body of Christ can really make a difference if we "dare to believe in the power of 'we'", it also revealed its writer's revelation that with Jesus, all things are possible; the lyrics reflected that "afraid that I won't be enough" because "one girl can only do so much", however, "You [Jesus] and me, we can write history". Coupled with a killer two-guitar instrumental, these lyrics were what really made 4 December 2008 an evening to remember. Closing the night with a prayer was something that I really appreciated, and I look forward to more such events in 2009. Surely the Lord's Kingdom has no lack of talent, and it’s high time that His people start to aggressively gain ground in the music industry -- CSMusic deserves recognition and thanks for their efforts and contribution to this cause!
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