If Bob Dylan recited Bible verses to music, I imagine it'd probably sound something like this.
Posted February 21, 2024
By NathanOswaltMusic,
Who is Brandon James Fields?
He's an aspiring independent singer/songwriter from the Pacific Northwest (and a friend of mine from our church's weekly young adults group). His soulful voice reminds me a little bit of Keith Urban's, with a hint of "Fire and Rain"-era James Taylor mixed in for good measure, while his plaintive style of atmospheric, acoustic-guitar-driven worship music seems to draw at least a hint of inspiration from similarly-minded music legends Bob Dylan and John Mayer. It's this aforemetioned sonic formula that Brandon utilizes to potent effect on his debut single, "The Lord is my Shepherd".
The track pretty much consists of Brandon reciting the iconic Bible passage of Psalm 23, nearly word-for-word (with a couple of ad-libs and creative liberties thrown in), on top of a softly ambient and charmingly peaceful musical soundscape. I'm not 100% sure what translation he's using (my first guess would probably have to be the New King James Version), but he definitely does a fantastic job of conveying the timeless truths found in this particular segment of Scripture by combining the genres of spoken-word, instrumental study music, and folk-oriented contemporary worship. Brandon's use of Psalm 23:6 as a de facto chorus - "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" - is, in my opinion, the strongest and catchiest part of the whole track.
One defining element of Brandon's music that I quickly noticed after listening to "The Lord is my Shepherd" for the first time is the deep sincerity and authenticity with which he worships. The feeling of praising God in spirit and in truth is remarkably palpable here, which might be largely due to the fact that the song's structure doesn't fit that of a typical congregational worship song - or even an old-school hymn, for that matter. While it likely wouldn't be considered "hit material" for Christian radio, there's plenty of beauty to be found in the raw simplicity of this unorthodox tune.
When Brandon informed me that not only did he write and perform the song, but he also recorded, produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered it completely on his own (not to mention, he pretty much had zero experience mixing or mastering entering the production phase and learned how to do both on the fly while finishing the project), I was even more impressed. The track certainly sounded as if it had been produced and engineered by a much more experienced individual. The ability to achieve an almost professional level of sound quality on one's first attempt at producing and engineering a song is certainly a remarkable one, and it provides a great deal of credibility to my assertion that Brandon may well have a bright future making music for and to the glory of the King.
Overall, "The Lord is my Shepherd" is a solid foundation for the burgeoning musical endeavors of Brandon James Fields. I strongly recommend giving him a listen on Spotify, and I look forward to seeing whatever the LORD has in store for his artistry.
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