好男兒沒有孔子眼。

為這個世界讚頌美妙的福音,點醒魂識裡的不安與困頓
「Let's do this together, Let's not do this alone」
 向神借法力的歌手,Brandon Heath...

為何會衝動的迷上這樣的音樂,其實我也很意外,不過好聲音配好音樂是討喜的組合
就算喜歡也不需要任何原因!!

"Contemporary Christian Music(當代基督教音樂)"在音樂領域中,這個簡稱CCM的歸類
超乎我接觸所及的任何音樂,這輩子除了經過教堂時,偶然聽到教友們虔誠的在齊頌聖歌之外
還有那些直到懂事後才知道的聖誕節歌曲,不光是用來應景的裝飾品,而是帶有點故又具特殊意義
的宗教歌曲,這跟來自田納西州,那什維爾的Brandon Heath一樣,都被我好傻好天真的混淆了。

如果不說,會以為Brandon是個隨心情起伏來寫有聲日記的民謠歌手,事實上,他是個感性又溫柔的
福音歌手。他的音樂被定義為「Gospel」,就字面上的意思為"福音.信條.和真理",但在音樂領域裡
這類型的音樂其實就跟宗教音樂或宗教歌曲是一樣的,只是有美名襯托,意外讓它增添了幾分輕鬆與灑脫。

他的人生注定要與基督結識,成為詩人,為祂傳送福音。為了遺忘父母離婚的憂鬱,他虔誠依尋信仰的力量
藉此面對父母婚變的痛苦。13歲那年的聖誕節,他得到了一把吉他作為禮物,並加入學校的唱詩班
隨後開始創作福音歌曲,不過2000年那年,他的吉他被偷了,為了重買新的,他只好忍痛變賣掉他創作的
歌曲demo,這首歌曲也成為他第一張獨立製作的專輯名稱"Early Stuff (2004)",同年又發行了第二張
獨立製作專輯"Soldier",05年的單曲"Don't Get Comfortable"釋出時,碰上貴人Dan Muckala
於是在06年推出了第一張個人專輯"Don't Get Comfortable",這首EP也納入這張專輯中。

08年的專輯"What If We"是真正讓我迷戀的一張,會聽到他的歌也是純屬意外,不過單單聽到一首
"Sore Eyes"就能讓我生起想研究整張專輯的好奇心,這個人必定有什麼未知的魔力。
Brandon的音樂中,都有幾分流行歌曲的韻味,就算不把它當成宗教音樂來聽,也能當成民謠或R&B專輯來收藏
這種符合大眾胃口又兼具傳教意義的做法,能托引出他不凡的個人特色,這也是最近讓我對Gospel專輯
深深著迷的原因。整張專輯其實都很耐聽,可說是毫無冷場,更沒有推薦主打或歌曲之分,其中,"Sore Eyes"
是我最喜歡的歌曲,這首歌有別於專輯中的其他曲風,是最輕鬆也最愜意的一首,會邊聽邊搖頭,還有想拉身邊的人來
合力舞蹈的法咒。Give Me Your Eyes這首主打也很棒,比較沉重一點,有點醒世人頓悟的震撼力,也有Gospel類別
最具代表的感染力。另外最讚的琴聲慢歌"London"更是絕美,把對情感的思念寫在整座城市中,或許London本來就是
個讓人詩情畫意的地方!這種孤單淒美又樂觀的正面思考,是整張專輯的最大特色,沒有誤化人性的扭曲,只有揭開人性
真實與最溫柔的本性,才會因此讓人莫名的想掉淚。這就是福音專輯的感染力,有魔力和法力的加持,這樣的專輯問世
真的要好好珍惜才對!!

獲獎無數的Brandon,也在今年獲得基督教福音盛會"聖鴿獎"所頒發的"最佳男歌手獎"及"最佳年度歌曲獎"
等四座大獎,也搬走葛萊美"年度最佳福音專輯獎"及"年度最佳歌曲獎"兩座大獎,證明了這張專輯脫穎而出的
實力與魅力!

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原文介紹:

個人介紹(轉自allmusic.com)
 

Christian pop singer, guitarist, and songwriter Brandon Heath was born and
raised in Nashville, TN. After receiving a guitar as a Christmas gift,
Heath's musical future was sealed, and he was writing songs by the
time he was 13 years old. After attending a Young Life outreach camp,
his spiritual and religious path was also set. Heath began hanging
around the Bluebird Cafe, Nashville's legendary hot spot and proving
ground for songwriters, and learned and honed his craft as a writer.
He also expanded his spiritual horizons by going on faith and help
missions to India and Ecuador. After his guitar was stolen in the
spring of 2000, Heath put together a demo CD of his songs to sell
and help pay for a new guitar. The CD, which Heath eventually released
as Early Stuff in 2004, introduced his soaring, impassioned tenor voice
to the world. A second privately released CD, Soldier, produced by
Chris Davis, also appeared in 2004. Heath then signed with Reunion
Records and his official debut album, Don't Get Comfortable,
produced by Dan Muckala, appeared from the label in the fall of 2006.

專輯介紹(轉自Brandon Heath官網)

It’s a simple but powerful question. What if we? What if we take a risk?
What if we choose to follow our hearts, what if we don’t? What if we
sit in the quiet and truly listen to God’s voice,what if we continue to fill our
lives with noisy clutter? What if we look at others through the eyes of Jesus?
Singer songwriter Brandon Heath continues to inspire the possibilities on the
follow up to his Dove nominated Song of the Year “I’m Not Who I Was” from
debut album Don’t Get Comfortable. What If We features “Give Me Your Eyes”,
“Love Never Fails” and “Sunrise”, Brandon’s latest offering is an honest,
heart-spoken journey that further solidifies his voice in our community of believers.

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歌曲欣賞:

Sore Eyes
這首歌是整張專輯的最愛,感受他的法力吧,泡爾~!

 
"Give Me Your Eyes"
這首歌是這張專輯的首波主打,話雖如此,但MV拍的實在有待加強
不過歌曲動聽最重要!

"London"這首搭配鋼琴兒一語道盡思念情的歌曲,也是我很愛的一首
歌曲中有很多的轉折,也不是一首很好唱的歌,光是抓住淘氣的key就累的我一身大汗
誰叫音痴愛上了,沒法度!

順帶附上歌詞,靜靜聽這首歌,可以感受到倫敦下雪的寒冷
 
  

My train pulled in to Waterloo
I found myself wishing you
Were here with me in London
Standing on the river Thames
Taking photographs of Parliament
And old Big Ben was ringing

You know it's everything that I imagined it would be
I had no idea that it would feel so empty

[Chorus]

Where are you tonight
While I stand here and cry
Watching double-decker buses pass me by
And to tell you the truth
It's all that I can do
to keep from jumping on a plane that's headed home
To you

I took a stroll down Abbey Road
Tried to peak inside the studio's
And somewhere along the way I bought you flowers
And a pocket map of the Underground
Cause You and I both know I get turned around
I'm so lost without you
Though it's everything that I imagined it would be
I had no idea that it would feel so empty

6 long nights and seven days I'll cross the pond back
to the states I can't wait

Where are you tonight while I stand here and cry
Watching all the black umbrellas pass me by
And to tell you the truth it's all that I can do
To keep from jumping on a plane headed home
So I'm jumping on a plane headed home to you

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總之,最近就是瘋狂的迷上福音歌曲,雖然信佛教,不過能感受到獨特的力量
也算是神的旨意.....!