Written By: Shaamora Harden –
I am always amazed at how someone whom I’ve never met can write a song that just speaks to me. It’s as if they are listening in to my phone conversations, hacking my emails, or even reading my thoughts. You feel me right? I’m talking about THAT song. You know, the one comes on at the moment you when you really need to hear it.
Well, the new track from Bishop Larry Trotter & Sweet Holy Spirit Combined Choir, “I Know A Man” is THAT type of song.
First off, let me preface what I’m about to write with this disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of the choir genre of gospel music. Sorry… I know this is weird and I may have lost some of you at this point but I have to be honest.
Of course there are some exceptions (i.e. Donald Lawrence) Plus, I love to hear the classic choir songs during Sunday morning service…love it. In fact, listening to the choir is one of my favorite things about going to church. But…when it comes to purchasing music for my iPod or choosing songs to listen to in my car, I generally just don’t gravitate towards this type of music. I can probably count on one hand the number of choir songs that I’ve actually bought in the past few years.
So when I tell you that “I Know A Man” is a song that you MUST check out, please believe, you will not be disappointed.
Bishop Trotter starts the track off and provides a good set up for what’s in store. In the song, he explains that he’s met many great people in his life, but there is one Man who stands out.
The choir then comes in describing seemingly unsolvable struggles that we all have or will face in this lifetime. Quick sidebar: I must mention before I move on. Vocally, the choir sounds awesome. If you are not familiar with the Sweet Holy Spirit Combined Choir, there are a lot of people in this chorale. While I’m unsure of the exact number, trust me, it’s a lot of folks. So it’s no easy feat to make hundreds of voices blend together this well in unison.
Now back to the review: the choir then goes on to describe the attributes of this “Man” that we really must get to know. Check out some of these lyrics:
“He’s Sovereign, Holy, Faithful, Mighty”
“Our awesome Creator, my God, He’s my Savior”
“I know a Man who can fix anything…”
At this point in the song, if the choir hasn’t convinced you that Jesus is someone you really need to know, keep listening. If you don’t already know Him, you certainly will want to by the end of this track.
The lyrics from verse one pretty much repeat for the second. This time around however, Bishop Trotter adds that extra emotional factor by throwing in exhortations and testimonies on top of what the choir is singing. The cool thing is that he doesn’t overdue it in a way that is distracting. His vocal fits in really well and adds that extra spark.
Singer Todd Rasean brings it all home with a nice lead vocal; which provides a break from the repetitiveness of the lyrics while keeping momentum of the song going until the end.
I highly commend Calvin Rodgers & Phillip Feaster (the writers & producers of this tune) along with James Lott for putting together a song that is both uplifting and very well crafted. The simple yet relatable lyrics, the mid-tempo groove, and smooth vocals really complement each other in a beautiful way. Though the lyrics essentially repeat throughout the song (which is standard for choir music) each verse offers something new to the listener. This too, is not an easy task but yet they make it seem effortless.
“I Know a Man” does not feature slick production, a big name guest artist or any of the flashy things that constitute a Radio Hit nowadays. Bottom line: it’s just a great song. Period.
My personal rating system for music goes like this:
Skip It – this song is not worth your time. Save your ears.
Stream It – It’s good but I wouldn’t rush to purchase it
Buy It – This is pretty self explanatory, right?
“I Know A Man” is definitely a “Buy It” song.
Don’t just take my word for it, click to LISTEN for yourself below.
Written By: Shaamora Harden
