Quantcast
Channel: The Gospel According To Torrence | BET.com » Torrence
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 54

Yes, No, Maybe 2014

0
0

nope

Yeah… I couldn’t do it. Sorry. What do you mean you couldn’t do it Torrence? Let me explain. As most of you know, for the last few years at the end of each calendar year I would recap gospel music released within that year and give it a Yes, No or Maybe designation so in case you were Christmas shopping or maybe just didn’t know whether you missed a release that year and needed that extra push to pick it up or worse that confirmation that it was just as bad as you thought it was. Last year I almost didn’t do it but so many people asked me where my list was that I gave in and did it even though I had a hard time with it. This year? It’s come up again and this time, as much as I love y’all I really can’t and here’s why?

2014 overall was “No” musically for me. I know I’ve developed a reputation for being outspoken, truthful and even a big “edgy” and none of that has changed but as I started to compile my list I got a bit sad and depressed at what I was writing and listening to. I’m not one of those industry people lamenting the sales slump and how little people are buying records, etc. It’s a problem across the board and not just in gospel music and the music industry at large is suffering in that way. Gospel music is the slice of a larger pie so of course it looks worse when you take a subset of a thing and look at its numbers individually. I’m not saying we shouldn’t work on addressing the issue, it IS still a problem and if gospel as a business is to sustain itself we do in fact need to work on gaining more financial and commercial success for the music.

But that’s not what had me sad. I was more upset because so much of the music was just… blah. The only worse than bad music is just OK music. When something is bad you can actually justify it. So and so can’t sing. So and so can’t write. So and so can’t play the piano worth a dime. But when so and so has the goods and just didn’t deliver? That’s the real tragedy.  And in the words of the great Walter Hawkins, tragedies are commonplace… still… in 2014. Was every record bad? No. Did every song suck? No. There were actually some bright musical moments this year, mainly from independent artists and local choirs who despite the industry implying to them they don’t want them, put out projects anyway and they were pretty great. But I gotta say, most artists just didn’t bring it. So before I bore you (and myself) with a long of list of No’s, Maybe’s a yes here and there, I decided to let it go this year. Chalk it up to something in the water. I’m moving on but not out.

I haven’t lost hope though. We have it in us to be great again and as 2015 rolls around I’m really hoping we get it together. So for what it’s worth, here’s some advice on how to make this next year better.

1. Make music YOU would REALLY like in real life. (I refuse to believe that many artists even like some of the foolery they put out.) And after you’ve decided that you really do like it, for real real and not for play play.

2. Play it for somebody else and see what they think. And not another musician who only gets your eccentricities and tells you you’re the dopest all the time.  If it passes both tests, you’ve probably got a great record/CD/song/album/EP/LP/BLT/MBA/Big mac/Or whatever you’re putting out.

3. Don’t be ashamed of who you are. It’s easy to turn on the radio or look at the charts and think “I’ve gotta sound like that.” If you’re churchy, be churchy. If you squall, squall then. If you like to comb Jesus’ hair with a mink feather in deep worship then do that. Just make sure it’s real and if you!  Don’t be tricked by someone else’s success, style or situation. One size does not fit all. Leave the formulas to math class and newborns. The charade only lasts for a while. Do what God told you to do. You’ll sleep better at night.

4. Record when you know it’s right. I know there’s a lot that goes into scheduling a release but hear me. We can tell when you rushed it. We also can tell when you were over it  and/or your label and you just threw something together to fulfill your contractual duties. But guess what you and we are left with? Your old “angry at the label” CD!

5. Lastly, lay off some of these effects! I know gospel can have a bunch of different styles and sounds but I do think it all should at least sound “human.” .  In 2014 autotune, melodyne and pitchwheels made music sound extremely robotic.  That note you can’t reach? That blend your bgv’s can’t match. That run that fell off? Re-evaluate it before you look to the engineer to make it work for you. If you couldn’t feel it, neither can we.

Well, that’s that and thanks for everything. I’m actually looking forward to next year’s music… Let’s do it!

Torrence


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 54

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images