Pop music doesn’t always come to us with the most positive of messages, but that’s not the case in the melodic work of Brian C. Turner, whose new record God’s Gonna Bless Ya and its lead single “Let’s Party (Holy Ghost Party)” center on his personal devotion, and moreover, a celebration of life. Turner’s funky cocktail of hooky rhythms, empowering rhymes and good old fashioned harmonies is laced with an emotionality that is hard to come by anywhere in pop these days, and it definitely makes for one of the most uplifting songs I’ve heard this summer in “Let’s Party (Holy Ghost Party).” You don’t have to be the biggest gospel fan in the world to dig these beats, which are definitely the smoothest you’ll discover on Turner’s studio debut.
SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/album/55arENSYEwkVqNaMEFCKil
The hip-hop elements in this single are a lot more subtle than the funk influences are, but to be fair, this really isn’t the easiest track to categorize in terms of genre. Other than the overtly Christian imagery that the lyrics contain, there’s nothing here to tether “Let’s Party (Holy Ghost Party)” to gospel over R&B, funk, hip-hop or even urban pop. Turner makes it possible for us to embrace the grooves that he throws down in this track in addition to the inspired words that he so carefully discharges, and that could be part of the reason why his message is all the more palatable in this setting. He doesn’t have to oversell the theme with his singing; it’s present in almost every component of the song.
Lyrically speaking, “Let’s Party (Holy Ghost Party)” is a lot sharper than the status quo in American gospel music has called for in some time. It’s definitely a nice change of pace from the super-politicized fodder that some of Turner’s mainstream contemporaries have been releasing in 2019, which, as I see it, goes against the very aesthetics from which gospel music was created. Turner doesn’t have time to play the typical pop games with us in this single; if anything, he goes out of his way to be as concise as he can, leaving all the more room for the grooves to work their magic and cast an unbreakable spell over anyone who happens to be within earshot of their luster.
AMAZON: www.amazon.com/Gods-Gonna-Bless-Brian-Turner/dp/B07TV9495P
Brian C. Turner has still got some room for compositional growth, but considering that this is his debut release, I think that he couldn’t have done a much better job of introducing himself to a world that is hungry for a different strain of gospel pop. “Let’s Party (Holy Ghost Party)” is a very inviting song that doesn’t repel listeners with a lot of excessive virtuosities. It’s a stripped-down, back to basics sort of R&B single that makes us want to dance as much as it makes us want to connect with the substance behind Turner’s blunt narrative. He’s got my stamp of approval for sure, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he develops this sound further in the next couple of years. Regardless of how you look at it, this is a great jumping-off point for his budding career.
Clay Burton
The music of BRIAN C. TURNER has been heard all over the world due to the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Records. Learn more – musikandfilm.com