to listen or purchase
Tim Spady is the kind of artist often found in gospel and jazz music, but rarely seen in other genres these days. Spady recently celebrated his 23rd birthday, and he's been developing his skills as a pianist, arranger, composer and music director since his childhood. Spady directs the gospel choir at Franklin & Marshall College, where he is a sociology student. Spady has taken music theory classes and composed over 100 songs.
Tim Spady is the kind of artist often found in gospel and jazz music, but rarely seen in other genres these days. Spady recently celebrated his 23rd birthday, and he's been developing his skills as a pianist, arranger, composer and music director since his childhood. Spady directs the gospel choir at Franklin & Marshall College, where he is a sociology student. Spady has taken music theory classes and composed over 100 songs.
The new CD by Spady and his choir Inspiration, Songs From My Heart, consists largely of the songs that Spady wrote since he was a teenager. The one exception is an unaccompanied piano version of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." The piano performance of "Great Is They Faithfulness" does more than showcase Spady's skills on that instrument; it marks the artist as a gospel music traditionalist. Songs From My Heart is a record that counters the move toward the convergence of gospel and the contemporary secular sounds of R&B. Songs From My Heart doesn't include auto-tuned vocals, lyrics featuring pop culture references or cameos by rappers. That choice will warm the hearts of gospel traditionalists. One advantage of going the traditional route is that local church choirs can perform the tunes on Songs From My Heart. Songs such as "You Are God" lend themselves to the complex choral arrangements while the lyrics make the track an ideal as a praise and worship song.
Songs From My Heart contains a few songs such as "Can't Make It Without Your Love" that definitely have a neo-soul feel, but Spady clearly marks himself as someone who has respect and a comfort level with what many would call the mainstream gospel sound. Spady's adherence to a more traditional sound (the gospel music of the 1980s and early 1990s) is commendable because it shows that he's not a guy who will chase trends. Spady is a young artist, and his biography leads me to believe that he is a musical sponge who soaks up from a variety of sources. The story of this young artist's career will be whether he sticks to the traditional path or seeks to conform to his artistic and spiritual vision to a more contemporary sound.
Notable Tracks: Come In, I Need You, Hold On, Can't Make It Without Your Love
Vocals: 3.0
Lyrics: 3.0
Music: 3.5
Production: 3.0
Soultracks call: Recommended
By Howard Dukes