Music-&-Media on A Geek's Life

The Year In A Song (or Two)

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 10:35:00 +0000

In keeping with last year, I thought I’d go through the list of songs Spotify thought I listened to the most from my 2020 playlist to try to tease out some themes and recollections behind them. Here goes:

Fighting For Us - Anthony Evans: I popped into a church end of year event in Croydon at the behest of my friend O, where Anthony Evans did this song amongst others. It turned out that he’d just lost his Mother to cancer which put his turning up at all into perspective. I came back to this song quite a few times over the course of the year.

Life In A Song (Or Two)

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 17:12:56 +0000

\\\* The data is in, Planetshakers were both my artiste of the year and of the decade if Spotify’s number-crunching can be believed. Compared to 2018, I listened to 36% less music, although I suspect that had more to do with listening to a lot more podcasts than I did last year (thanks to switching to an Android phone and Pocket Casts), streaming more radio and the occasional YouTube binge. What would be fantastic would be a service that aggregated my listening across all these platforms and thus enabled me to delve deeper into the underlying trends to my listening.

Dingin Doon

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 11:20:31 +0000

Photo by Thanun Buranapong on Unsplash

\\\* Bar a few days here and there it has been, as we say out here, dingin doon; read wet, cold and windy, emphasis on the wet part. That is is mid-June adds to the slight sense of gloominess that comes with it, a mood which I see replicated in the faces of the people I run into about town, in my view at least. All of that has left me with quite a lot more time on my hands than usual, which for better or for worse has ended up exploring various reddit rabbit holes, chief of which have been the Thinkpad, ChromeOS and SurfaceLinux ones. They have provided the welcome of distraction of providing the inspiration for me trying to replace Windows on my old Thinkpad Tablet 10 with either Linux or ChromeOS. Both have been qualified fails - a debloated version of windows currently serves me passably on the device -but the ultimate goal would be to replace it with something zipper and functional, à la this attempt. I suspect the search will continue, albeit at a hopefully less time intensive pace. In between all of this, I managed to fit in some time out with the guys from work, a decent enough evening the only black mark against it being the aforementioned bucket loads of rain.

Wet Weather Problems, Twittering about Tea and Loving at First Write

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 22:44:16 +0000

All it takes is an extended patch of wet and cold weather for things to descend into chaos on these islands, this latest batch of snow, heavy winds and cold weather culminating in flight cancellations and severe weather warnings amongst others. For the most part, I manage to survive - extra warm clothing, walking gingerly to and from work in the wet slush and almost continuous heating being the sum of the adjustments I have to make. It is at the weekend when the rooster comes home to roost in a manner of speaking. Having turned up at the airport for my 8.20pm flight down to Heathrow, delays till almost 11 pm are announced until at a few minutes before midnight we are advised the flight has been cancelled. Remarkably, everyone who should be on our flight is remarkably sanguine about it all, helped I suspect by the sense that the weather ‘gods’ have been at it again. Between the final announcement of delays and the flight being cancelled, we find (from Flight radar) that the ‘plane designated to carry us away to London has made several attempts to land at the ‘Deen but has failed due to fog rolling in. They eventually get diverted to Glasgow whilst we make an orderly line at the front desk to get our flights rebooked. I move my flight by a week and then head home, not before I find out that the woman in front of me in the queue has family in the same area of Surrey that I’m headed to, and very much like me, she makes this trip every two weeks so. Joking about being four-day spouses, does have a ring of truth to it though. For me, it offers evidence that this thing - having a foot in two different countries - isn’t exactly impossible to maintain, mild weather-induced irritation notwithstanding.

On Repeat: Cover Me

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 19:34:57 +0000

Keep my name on your lips When you pray remember this: I need you to cover me

Cover Me, from the album Total Attention. Gospel Music Royalty right here, if I say so myself..

On Repeat: You Don't Miss A Thing

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 07:30:59 +0000

What a mystery That You notice me And in a crowd of ten thousand You don’t miss a thing

You Don’t Miss A Thing, from the Bethel Music album We Will Not Be Shaken

My Year in Music, 2017

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 17:31:27 +0000

Although according to Spotify I spent the equivalent of 17 days - and then some - listening to music, no one song defined the year for me the way What A Beautiful Name It Is defined 2016, and the Nine Fridays of Summer. Of those that I listened to the most, Todd Dulaney’s Victory Belongs to Jesus, came closest for the sheer number of times I listened to it on repeat, but that lacked the personal connection that joining in with the crowd roaring the chorus to (in my opinion one of the songs of Hillsong Conference 2016) What A Beautiful Name It Is had.

Honour Thy Father

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 04:19:19 +0000

Image Source: (c)Nathan Anderson

–

It is to a stroke of fortune that I owe listening to the final episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast three times over the last week. The first of the series of events which led to that was upgrading to iOs11 which messed up my podcasts, led me to seeking out Overcast as a replacement, and then having to decide on which ones to subscribe to or which to bin. That episode, Basement Tapes, explores a son’s reaction to finding out he has played a part in debunking to some of extent what has been the essence of his father’s work. The son, Robert Frantz is contacted out of the blue by a researcher, Chris Ramsden (Scientific American describes as the Indiana Jones of science), who is looking to acquire raw data from an experiment conducted by Robert’s father, Ivan, in Minnesota between 1968 and 1973. What results from Chris’s analysis of the data is a fundamental questioning of the conclusions of that study and the diet-heart hypothesis which claimed a linkage between a low saturated fat diet and the low blood cholesterol levels it produces and a reduction of the associated death rate (or adverse outcomes, as the study euphemistically puts it).

The Diary: On Flights, Music and The Muddled Lives Of Heroes

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 04:27:30 +0000

Between work and visits to family, I travel quite a fair bit by air each year. Already though, 2017 is on course to be my most airborne yet - love-hate relationship with flying notwithstanding. The thing with S has been a big part of that, more so over the last few weeks, five of the last six of which have been spent down south. In times like this, even I have to admit- however grudgingly - the usefulness of being able to just fly. I shudder to think of how many hours I would have spent on trains or coaches over the last few days if flying was not an option.

On Repeat - Simplicity - Rend Collective

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 17:38:14 +0000

–

Currently on repeat, Simplicity, from the Album The Art of Celebration

I come with my broken song / To You the Perfect One / To worship You / In spirit and truth

A Good Year Of Sorts - A Playlist

Fri, 23 Dec 2016 13:00:59 +0000

It feels like the sort of thing that one knows intuitively; that music and memory are inextricably linked. Finding out that there is a whole slew of science (Google search) that supports this is intensely gratifying, in the same way I imagine that someone who stumbles on a hastily put together recipe for quick delicious food must feel if that recipe ends up being celebrated by what I suppose is the more discerning palate of a Gordon Ramsey or a Jamie Oliver. Time and time again when I reflect on a song from yesteryear, I find that the where, who, what and when are indistinguishable from the song of the time, particularly where it was a song that I had on repeat for what feels in retrospect like days on end.

On Repeat: What A Beautiful Name It Is

Tue, 11 Oct 2016 20:23:44 +0000

Finally pre-ordered the Let There Be Light album from which one of my favourite songs from this year’s Hillsong Conference comes.

Ace!

Do You Remember...

Mon, 11 Jul 2016 20:51:29 +0000

David Dunn and Jordan Feliz cover Jarryd James’Do You Remember?.

#StumbledUpon

Matthew West - Mended

Wed, 29 Jun 2016 02:22:01 +0000

When you see broken beyond repair I see healing beyond belief When you see too far gone I see one step away from home

#Mended

Remember...

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 11:16:20 +0000

#OnRepeat: Where You Belong - Newboys

Mon, 16 May 2016 11:30:44 +0000

When you’re dull from all that glitters, when your thoughts have a hollow ring, when you can’t escape from the fact you are getting it wrong…

Where You Belong/ Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - Newsboys [Spotify]

#99 - On Repeat - Jordan Feliz - Never Too Far Gone

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 11:14:17 +0000

&nohtml5=False

--- There’s no distance too far, that I can’t reach you There’s no place that’s so dark, that I can’t find you

#Reassured

#96 - Forward Motion

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 18:53:14 +0000

From the movie Brooklyn, based on the book by Irish writer Colm Tóibín which I finally saw:

You’ll feel so homesick that you’ll want to die, and there’s nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won’t kill you. And one day, the sun will come out you might not even notice straight away-it’ll be that faint. And then you’ll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who’s only yours. And you’ll realize that this is where your life is.

#93 - Fred Hammond - I Will Trust

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 22:43:54 +0000

#Pondering

#87 - Redemption

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 23:02:30 +0000

What’s done is done. There is no need to speak with Edmond about his past.

From The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - which I just watched again :)

#BeginAgain

#86 - Of Hearts..

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 21:10:08 +0000

Listening a lot to this song, drawn in by all the hope it breathes…

#OnRepeat

#78 - Questions for the Universe 2 - Why Do We Love?

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 21:34:21 +0000

Short answer we don’t know… It sure does make us feel good about ourselves though…

#77 - On Repeat - Even Unto Death

Sat, 19 Mar 2016 22:54:50 +0000

Stumbled upon…

#EarWorm

#67 - What A Heart Is Beating For

Wed, 09 Mar 2016 22:43:35 +0000

---

Why be afraid, no reason to hide Take the chance, put it all on the line Draw in a deep breath and throw open the door ‘Cause that’s what a heart is beating for

#63 - Even Now - Philippa Hanna

Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:45:50 +0000

Stumbled on a Philippa Hanna interview on TBN UK earlier today, which led me to YouTube and a few hours burned.. The linked song is her late 2015 single, Even Now

#StumbledUpon

#62 - Bonding...

Fri, 04 Mar 2016 23:26:30 +0000

In-between solving a convoluted case in the last episode of NCIS: New Orleans, “Radio Silence” (Season 2, Episode 17), Dwayne Pride has to deal with his daughter’s angst at the pressure she feels he’s put on her to explore her musical talents. In the final scene they reach a resolution of sorts agreeing to finish the semester before revisiting her decision to drop out of music school, and then play out to “Under Pressure”. I hope I can be there for my (future) daughter in the same way, being able to relate and resolve any issues she has…

#60 - Questions for the Universe

Wed, 02 Mar 2016 23:28:37 +0000

#Sleepless

#59 - Mosbytis

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 23:09:18 +0000

Spent the bulk of the weekend re-watching Season 9 of How I Met Your Mother, complete with its unsatisfactory ending in which Ted shoots off to Robin’s after all she put him through. Tsk!!! Tsk!!! Before that though, Ted’s summation of his 9 year journey to finding Tracy did resonate with my inner suppressed romantic:

It was at times a long, difficult road. But I’m glad it was long and difficult, because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear. You see, kids, right from the moment I met your mom, I knew… I have to love this woman as much as I can for as long as I can, and I can never stop loving her, not even for a second. I carried that lesson with me through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5:00 a.m. Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon, through every speed bump. Every pang of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way, I carried that lesson with me. And I carried it with me when she got sick. Even then, in what can only be called the worst of times, all I could do was look at her and thank God, thank every god there is, or ever was, or will be, and the whole universe, and anyone else I can possibly thank that I saw that beautiful girl on that train platform, and that I had the guts to stand up, walk over to her, tap her on the shoulder, open my mouth, and speak.

#58 - Worn

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 23:11:42 +0000

Finding myself listening to a lot of songs which are tied to a certain time/ phase in my life… Worn from that darned winter of 2012.. Sigh..

---

Let me see redemption win Let me know the struggle ends That you can mend a heart That’s frail and torn I wanna know a song can rise From the ashes of a broken life And all that’s dead inside can be reborn Cause I’m worn

#57 - When The Rain Comes

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 23:15:08 +0000

–

I can’t stop the rain, but I will hold you ’til it goes away..

#Comforting

#55 - Wandering, Pondering

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 23:21:00 +0000

#Hope

On Repeat - God's Favor - Donald Lawrence

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 21:46:35 +0000

Hold On, Be Strong… God’s got the final say

#OnRepeat

#51 - Beautiful Things - Gungor

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:17:53 +0000

Reminded of how much I heart Gungor by a conversation…

#EarWorm

#45 - On Fasting

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 23:11:18 +0000

Fasting does not change God’s hearing so much as it changes our praying

From The Donald Whitney book I’m currently reading - image by Time Challies

#Apt

#43 - Wait For Me

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 21:02:20 +0000

From the Rebecca St James album Transform, which along with Joshua Harris’ book I Kissed Dating Goodbye ’threatened’ to define how Christian boys and girls related for my generation.. Great ideals though..

#ThrowBack #LifeInASong

#36 - Chasing Me Down - Israel Houghton

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 11:13:37 +0000

Have had this on repeat for most of the week… #EarWorm

#35 - A Simple Way To Break A Bad Habit

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 18:15:06 +0000

https://www.ted.com/talks/judson_brewer_a_simple_way_to_break_a_bad_habit?language=en

A fascinating talk by Judson Brewer on habits and how we form them. Apt, given I am looking to embed 12 key ones this year. The key to tweaking our trigger-behaviour-reward cycle is being mindful and curious, focusing on what is really happening to us in the moment of behaving, apparently.

#Timely

#31 - Of Movies and Etiquette

Tue, 02 Feb 2016 21:37:15 +0000

At the movies with L to see The Revenant - as much an endurance test for viewers who have to sit through all 2 hours 36 minutes of it as it is for Leonardo Di Caprio’s character, stumbling through the frozen lands he must to reach home and find a closure of sorts - I find myself wondering what the etiquette for movie watching is these days. Given how the action drags, I am tempted to try to make small talk, keen to not miss the opportunity finally getting a chance to catch up at the 8th or 9th time of trying affords.

#29 - On Repeat - Your Presence Is Heaven

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 22:31:10 +0000

Heard after a long time during worship today

#Ace

#22 - Be Still My Soul

Sun, 24 Jan 2016 21:34:45 +0000

From time to time, my rather loud, Pentecostal church goes back to basics and sings a communal hymn in place of a choral presentation. Days such as these - I feel - lend themselves more to the more contemplative (or less engaged some would argue) worshipers such as me. The hymn today was particularly apt, particularly the 3rd stanza given the disturbing news my friend B shared overnight about her loss.

#9 -Back to Black

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 20:00:39 +0000

Overheard on the airport lounge’s public address system, Amy Winehouse belting out the lines to Back to Black.

A bit out of left field but enough to unleash a flood of memories from that summer of 2009.

#LifeInASong

On Repeat: Good Good Father

Sun, 22 Nov 2015 12:43:55 +0000

You’re a Good, Good Father It’s who you are, it’s who you are, it’s who you are And I’m loved by you It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am

On Repeat: Mercy - Casting Crowns

Sun, 13 Sep 2015 10:42:53 +0000

--- Healer of my brokenness My weary soul will find its rest You are my strength, the lifter of my head You’re greater than my yesterdays You hold me close today You’re the Lord of my tomorrows

Mercy, from the Casting Crowns Album Until The Whole World Hears (2009)

A Good Year of Sorts - A Playlist

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 09:56:26 +0000

\https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PLYbuHzHoxFuCf8ksItOz6ZdGAL_L8PR1W&w=800&h=315\

The continuum: loss, numbness, turmoil, (self induced) heartbreak, surrender and (finally) finding a peace of sorts.. Here’s to Beginning, Again…

The Playlist

Mad World - Gary Joules
Wish - Lighthouse Family
This Too Shall Pass - Yolanda Adams
Shadowfeet - Brooke Fraser
Father Me - Rick & Cathy Riso
Read All About It - Emeli Sande
Airplanes - B.O.B
Love Alone Is Worth The Fight - Switchfoot
Volcano - Rapture Ruckus & Jonathan Thulin
Redemption Days - Josh Ojo
Something New - Axwell Ingrosso
Shake - MercyMe

On Repeat: Jonathan Thulin (feat Manwell Reyes) - Compass

Sun, 17 May 2015 19:34:00 +0000

---

I know that you’re my constant Even if I lost it, I’m chasing after you like a Com Pom Pom Pom Pass (compass)

Compass, from the album Science Fiction

Shake - MercyMe

Sun, 10 May 2015 11:35:49 +0000

Brand new looks so good on you So shake like you’ve been changed

From the album Welcome to the New which I found eminently enjoyable, and danceable…

On Repeat - NF (feat Jeremiah Carlson) - I'll Keep On

Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:00:00 +0000

--- It’s like I’m standing in the rain and you offer me a raincoat But I would rather stand there and get wet than take the handout

On Repeat: Broken Together - Casting Crowns

Sun, 05 Apr 2015 19:36:25 +0000

---

Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete Could we just be broken together If you can bring your shattered dreams and Ill bring mine Could healing still be spoken and save us The only way we’ll last forever is broken together From the Album Thrive

On Repeat: Hawk Nelson - Drops In The Ocean

Sun, 22 Mar 2015 12:30:00 +0000

---

If you could count the times I’d say you are forgiven It’s more than the drops in the ocean…

On Life, and a Song

Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:30:21 +0000

The end of the day Remember the days When we were close to the edge And we’ll wonder How we made it through the night The end of the day Remember the way We stayed so close till the end We’ll remember it was me and you

On Repeat - No Longer Slaves - Bethel Music

Sun, 15 Mar 2015 19:01:00 +0000

&t=253

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You split the sea So I could walk right through it All my fears were drowned in perfect love You rescued me So I could stand and sing I am a child of God

Right up there with my other Bethel Music favourite - You Make Me Brave…

Freedom Is...

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 18:00:00 +0000

.. A deep work (what happens in you is greater than what happens to you, and is deeper than the workings of the circumstances and situations that frame our daily life), a quick work (God takes a long time to do something quick - as long as it takes for us to turn away from what ever else we look to for help on to Him) and a lasting work (what happens through you is meant to outlast you, and true success is measured by how much it empowers the next generation to extend the work that we do). Or so says the phenomenal Joel A’Bell whom I stumbled on in today’s Hillsong London pitstop..

The Playlist #1

Mon, 02 Feb 2015 11:00:01 +0000

Veridia - Furious Love

But You say I am beautiful I don’t need the world’s approval Only you madly pursue me And jealously tell me I am worthy of Furious love

---

Rapture Ruckus - Volcano (feat Jonathan Thulin)

Can’t hold me down Can’t hold me back Bout to blow like a volcano It’s not the end, time to begin Bout to blow like a volcano

Promise Keeper - Fred Hammond

Sun, 23 Nov 2014 11:05:40 +0000

&safe=active

♫ I can hold You to Your Word, You’re never wavering,You won’t turn, For I am sure, You are the Promise Keeper

Dan Bremnes - Beautiful...

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 04:23:47 +0000

Sleepless… :(

---

Every day I rise I wake up to find You’re surrounding me with endless mercy You renew my mind You’re bringing me to life Oh God

On Repeat #21 - All Things New - Hillsong Worship

Sun, 06 Jul 2014 13:39:00 +0000

All Things New has quickly become my favourite song from the 2014 Hillsong Worship Album - No Other Name

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My faith is in things unseen Bringing life where it has not been Speaking things that are not As if they were I am alive in You

On Repeat: #20 - Planetshakers - The Anthem

Sun, 18 May 2014 20:44:31 +0000

&feature=kp

On Repeat: #10 - Thousand Foot Krutch - Forward Motion

Sun, 09 Mar 2014 21:13:50 +0000

---

Let’s keep it moving in a forward motion, If we can hold on, we can cross this ocean, There’s no sense in lettin’ our emotions, Get in the way, until the door keeps closin'

On Repeat: #9 – Avalon (feat. Aaron Neville) - By Heart, By Soul

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 23:21:56 +0000

---

If You were a Star.. I’d follow you home by Heart

On Repeat: #8 - Tenth Avenue North - Worn

Sun, 23 Feb 2014 21:31:26 +0000

--- I wanna know a song can rise From the ashes of a broken life And all that’s dead inside can be reborn Cause I’m worn

On Repeat: #7 – Emeli Sande - Abide With Me

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 20:00:55 +0000

For O, who bailed too soon…

---

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

On Repeat: #6 – Hawk Nelson – Faithful

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 13:29:29 +0000

---

… No matter how many times I break You promise always to keep me safe You’re my rescue when I’m spinning outta control…

On Repeat: #5 - Hillsong - With Everything

Sun, 02 Feb 2014 22:35:46 +0000

It has been a weird week of sorts at mine - death and a bloke I knew fairly well, and a not quite friend zoning by LK... Thankful regardless…

On Repeat: #4 - Pharrell Williams - Happy

Sun, 26 Jan 2014 18:32:27 +0000

Because this fits in right with my mood just now… And got an airing at Hillsong London too :)

Intersections - On JRR Tolkien

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 19:48:06 +0000

Rebooting... Small Change #4: Keep a food journal

Sun, 06 Oct 2013 23:49:29 +0000

It is very nearly a month since I gave the #52SmallChanges project any kind of intentionality. I could blame a mini season of depression occasioned by my fixation on S, or the fact that I have upcoming exams I am freaking out about, or work - which I have had loads of.

Bottom line is I haven’t been on the money with regards to the small changes I was meant to be progressing through till the next birthday. The barely there silver lining though is besides the ‘get more sleep’ change, I’ve pretty much kept up with the new habits I have picked up in the first three weeks.

The Story Behind The Song: I Could Sing of Your Love Forever - Delirious?

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 21:24:41 +0000

Back in ‘94 when Delirious was still the house band for The Cutting Edge, a local youth event run by the Arun Community Church in Littlehampton, doing music full time didn’t look feasible, nor was the possibility of multiple Dove Awards and a Grammy nomination. In fact between leading worship at the cutting edge events and keeping up with a hectic schedule of gigs across the UK, the group that would become arguably the UK’s greatest Christian contemporary music exports had to hold down day jobs to keep things ticking.

Glorious Ruins

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 19:30:09 +0000

The lyrics:

---—- When my courage ends Let my heart find strength In Your presence

Selah

#11 - Carry Me - Josh Wilson

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:00:54 +0000

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9huooelamNA&w=540 ] Carry Me - Josh Wilson ————————– ♫ I’m at the end of myself/ I know I’ve got nothing left/ Feels like I’m stuck in the valley of the shadow of death/ And I’ve been down here so long/ I just can’t find my way out/ Oh God I don’t stand a chance/ Unless You carry me now ♫

#10 - Colton Dixon - You are

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 11:00:25 +0000

American Idol alum (Season 11) Colton Dixon’s ‘You Are’

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM8hxE-j4T8&w=540 ]

---——————————————————————————————————————– ♫ When I can’t find the words to say how much it hurts/ You are the healing in my heart/ When all that I can see are broken memories/ You are the light that’s in the dark ♫

#5 - Worn - Tenth Avenue North

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:04:41 +0000

Worn - Tenth Avenue North ---———————– ♫ Let me see redemption win /Let me know the struggle ends /That you can mend a heart that’s frail and torn /I want to know a song can rise /From the ashes of a broken life /And all that’s dead inside can be reborn /Cause I’m worn ♫

#4 - On My Own - Ashes Remain

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:00:29 +0000

The fantastically named Ashes Remain - and their back story.

#3 - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - Amy Winehouse

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:00:12 +0000

Uplifting and depressing in equal measure..

#2 - Hope Will Lead Us On - BarlowGirl

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:00:12 +0000

Pity it’s their last song.. Lyrics here.

#1 - Steady My Heart - Kari Jobe

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 11:00:45 +0000

My favourite part:

And I will run to You And find refuge in Your arms And I will sing to You Cause of everything You are

Lyrics Here.

On Repeat: When The Tears Fall - The Newsboys

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 15:31:35 +0000

For the good, and the not so good ….

On Repeat: Outta My Mind - Anthem Lights

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:05:43 +0000

Rediscovered thanks to UCB Radio

Lyrics here:

The Day Before You - Matthew West

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:22:53 +0000

On repeat.....

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:30:31 +0000

iLike…

Beneath Your Beautiful - Labrinth ft. Emeli Sande [ Lyrics]

The Sunday Song: When You Believe - Whitney Houston ft Mariah Carey

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:57:45 +0000

From the Prince of Egypt soundtrack:

The Sunday Song: I Won't Go Back - William McDowell

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:41:34 +0000

Audio only:

CCM Sunday: Mender of Broken Hearts - Fred Hammond

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:12:02 +0000

The very first Fred Hammond single, I think… Memories.

CCM Sunday #2: Blessings - Laura Story

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:42:07 +0000

More here.

CCM Sunday: Save a Place For Me - Matthew West

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:32:20 +0000

More on the truly touching backstory on his blog here.

The Sunday Song: With Everything - Hillsong

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 04:41:06 +0000

Days like these make me miss NCLC more and more… Sigh…

The Sunday Song: Waiting for Tomorrow - Mandissa

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:07:52 +0000

For memories which refuse to lie down and die…. But for which we cannot hold on for forever.

[…] I don’t want to look back and wonder If good enough could have been better Every day’s a day that’s borrowed So why am I waiting for tomorrow […]

The Sunday Song: What A Heart is Beating For - Chris Rice

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:15:25 +0000

Pity the blog’s no longer updated…

The Sunday Song: Just Another Mountain (Jamie Slocum)

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:00:59 +0000

Lyrics here

The Sunday Song: Yet Still I Rise (Yolanda Adams)

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:08:05 +0000

Brooke Fraser’s ShadowFeet ended up becoming MY song in 2009, it is looking like Yolanda Adams will have that honour this year.

The Sunday Song: In Better Hands (Natalie Grant)

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:03:39 +0000

Its hard to see this just now, but I really wish this were true for me right now.. Sigh

The Sunday Song: Moving forward (Israel Houghton)

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:49:08 +0000

Choreographed by the young lads in church today… Relapsed faith or not, these songs still tug at my heart strings.. Sigh..

From the Album: Power Of One [ Amazon] [ iTunes] [ Lyrics]

On Repeat: History - Matthew West..

Fri, 06 May 2011 21:21:41 +0000

Just because it’s one of those days….

On repeat...The Letter Black

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:00:51 +0000

Awake into the wee hours of the morning…. With only The Letter Black for company… The part where they start off as a Praise and Worship Band in church before morphing into this group still has me scratching my head though. Their official bio’s here.

On Repeat: Long Distance..

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:46:15 +0000

One of those so apt songs that leave one kinda depressed….. Sigh..

On repeat: No weapon...

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:31:35 +0000

Another one of those songs that defined a season for me.. 1999, 300 level, juggling a ton of issues, looking for somewhere to read one of those Saturdays and I stumbled on the CFI choir practising for a music fiesta..It was my first Fred Hammond song. And I was hooked..

On repeat: Iya Basira...

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 08:31:37 +0000

One of the unintended consequences of my little 10 day holiday was rediscovering some styl-plus music from back in the day (and being made to watch Nigerian home videos ad nauseam). I somehow have been unable to remove the Iya Basira one from my head…. :(

On Repeat....

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 04:10:32 +0000

Recently rediscovered via the wonderful gift of shuffle on my iPod…

On Repeat: Josh Wilson

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:18:41 +0000

Currently on repeat: Josh Wilson - Before the morning…

On repeat.....

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 08:30:44 +0000

We still await the promised Lauryn Hill rebirth….. I’ve had these two on repeat all day……

Can’t take my eyes off of you

Tell Him

Running Back to You

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:16:33 +0000

Stumbled on Heather Headley’s cover of a well known (at least to chaps from my age) Commissioned song.. Still love it!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6DRkPGs8pc]

Musings: Male/Female Duets...

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:55:57 +0000

They say life is about simple pleasures - everyday things which we are wont to make light of - which taken together serve to generate an ambience of normalcy around us. Each week, I will attempt to identify one simple thing I have grown to delight in… from my otherwise uninteresting life.

When the subject of music, and my taste with regards to it comes up, I always declare unequivocally that my taste is eccletic. In the past week for instance, I have listened to Eminem, Donnie McClurkin, the Backstreet Boys, Kenny G and today Heather Headley.

For the First Time....

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:19:06 +0000

I’m finding myself increasingly enchanted by The Script….

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLJv57zE2To]

Nostalgia: The summer that almost was

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 19:46:20 +0000

The Script’s Break Even just came on the radio, and as usual it brought back memories. In the main they are somewhat pleasant memories, even though the lyrics to the song are particularly sad.

Capital FM played the song ad nauseum last summer, and in a way it became the signature tune for that summer of my life - blighted by so many could haves and would have s. Summer started ok; my days being filled with the boringly mind numbing task of completing my dissertation. In between, I threw in attending a wedding across the Atlantic in Houston, planning my move back to my old Nigerian job and being very good friends with TheB. Capital FM was my constant companion at the time, as I stayed awake into the wee hours of the morning slogging things out. In an uncanny way, it seemed the song became a self fulfilling prophecy - Bisi and I never progressed beyond the friends zone, the Nigerian job fell through, and I missed a first on my degree….

What I have been listening to....

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:22:31 +0000

Mary J Blige’s Stronger and Carlos Whittaker’s God of Second Chances

Lea Salonga..

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:37:18 +0000

I just heard this song.. and it blew me away.. Lea Salonga’s One Voice..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT5E7LMu2ks]

A fitting end..

Fri, 21 May 2010 22:45:28 +0000

To a fabulous week that is…..

It is 11.41pm, and I am as clear eyed as I can be. I have just returned from the Muyiwa & Riversongz concert. It was fab, If I say so. Apparently the concert was designed to signal the commissioning of a ‘gospel’ choir in the city. The music was great all round - a throwback to my days back in University as an undergrad. Surprise, surprise, the bloke who leads the choir was also quite an active bloke on that same campus and was involved in plotting planning various musical events campus wide. The added benefits of catching up with blokes number 10 and 11 (the numbers refer to the number of close friends and acquaintances I have been re-united with since I made the move across the Atlantic) was fab and far outweighed any misgivings I might have had about shelling out 10 pounds to attend (and the 10 pounds I paid for a CD/DVD of Muyiwa’s album.)

Spare me some nostalgia...

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:26:55 +0000

I think things tend to look either worse off or better off in retrospect.. There must be a technical term for that - like nostalgia bias, or retrospection bias or warreva… (Help me out one of you psychologists)… Bottom line is i think when we look back at the past, we either think its much better than it actually was, or much worse…. I just had such a moment.. Thankfully, Me the pragmatist won - eventually….. Blame insomnia, the wacky DJ over at Capital FM, and nostalgia….

In Retrospect...

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:13:33 +0000

This has been one hell of a ride. There was change aplenty - the good, the bad and the iffy. In hindsight, maybe some decisions in 2008 were hasty, maybe they were not…Bottom line is that I survived..

Call them random occurrences, put them down to luck or whatever – I think it was Divine Providence that pulled me through some really difficult times. It had to be – from getting THE opportunity after it had closed, to significant delays on bus timings that enabled me catch the train that got the ball rolling, to having a friend leave her house at the just the right time I needed a new house to stay in a new city (P you totally rock!), to getting Brooke Fraser’s Shadowfeet at the time things felt the bleakest, there had to be some orchestration behind it all. The plus side is I learned a few hard lessons - still learning even newer, harder ones.

Neighbours

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:12:00 +0000

I really would shoot someone if I could. The neighbour decided to have a party and proceeded to deliver an extra loud one - music blaring at obscene levels, people shuffling in the name of dance and setting off vibrations in the entire house. They live above my flat, so I was forced to be privy to the wacky selections the DJ put together. They didn’t even have the courtesy to pre-inform us of their intentions. Thankfully my days here are numbered! Can’t let anyone rain on my parade!

Don't waste...............your mugging!

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:20:00 +0000

I heard John Piper tell a story in a message today from his “Don’t Waste Your Life Conference” based on the Julio Diaz story…

Apparently the guy’s a social worker and, like all chronic Bachelors, frequents a particular diner for his evening meal on the way back from work on Fridays. On this day, he was ambushed by a would-be mugger. Rather than attempt to struggle, Diaz proceeded to offer his coat, and then dinner to the teenager.

Name dropping........ By T-Bone and Eric Dawkins...

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:10:00 +0000

Have been listening to a bit of rap music in the past few weeks – decided to explore some other music genres for a change - instead of the rock-esque stuff I’ve largely listened to in the past… Stumbled on this song by T-bone and Eric Dawkins… While the beats are OK, what caught my attention was how he incorporated the names of a number of other Christian peeps into the body of the rap. The words in full CAPS are the names of contemporary christian musicians….. Enjoy…