The Christian artist that I will be featuring this week is B. Reith, pronounced B. RYE-th.  He is a Christian artist whose musical genre ranges from R&B to hip hop to soul to pop.  Reportedly, when Toby Mac first heard B. Reith's music, he was so amazed that he had to pull his car over to the side of the road.

Quick Bio-
B. Reith (Brian James Reith) grew up around music.  His father owned a recording studio, and helped B. Reith to pursue his music career, starting at age five when he first sang in a commercial.  Gotee Records, founded by artist Toby Mac, signed B. Reith in 2008, and he came out with his debut album "Now Is Not Forever" on September 22, 2009. 

One of the most well known songs by B. Reith is "Go On," a joking song about B. Reith's fight to get people to remember his music and the difficult pronunciation of his last name.  The chorus is catchy and a music video for the song has spread across YouTube.   "Go on, hey DJ, play that funky song that I like, but I can't recall the name.  I think it goes like la-da-da-la-da-da-da-da by some guy named B. Right, yeah, I think that was his name. Play that funky song..." 

Several of B. Reith's songs are lighthearted rap songs, filled with jokes and funny remarks about B. Reith's struggle as an artist, such as "The Comeback Kid" and "Old School."  "U Should Know" is a love song where B. Reith reflects briefly on staying pure before marriage.  "I'm so anxious, but true love's worth waiting for so I'm gonna stay patient.  I can't ignore this feeling inside, but I can control it, so let's take our time and slowly move forward..."  While "Wish That" is a song about B. Reith's hurt after a harsh break up, "Antidote" is an inspirational song encouraging young girls to find hope through heartbreak, self-injury, and drugs.  B. Reith even shares his testimony in the rap song, "My Story," and mentions that he would not be where he is now if it wasn't for God's grace.  "I Know" is a song about finding hope through a "desert" of hard times.  "Just for You" and "Rain Down" are both worship songs.  One of the catchiest songs on the album is "Mess," a song about messing up in your life and finally turning to God for help. 

If you enjoy Group 1 Crew or TobyMac, then you should definitely consider adding B. Reith's album to your playlist.  He is not solely a rap artist.  B. Reith has a beautiful voice that he uses in the majority of his songs, and Toby Mac seems to be almost overly-enthusiastic about the potential of this young artist's musical career. 

"It's amazing when God truly gives someone a gift.  Brian is just naturally gifted from God vocally and his lyrics, when they hit tape, they sort of just ease into your heart... Trust me, B.Reith is a man of character too.  He's a guy that truly walks what he talks."

The uniqueness of B. Reith's musical style is another attractive thing about his album.  His songs do not all sound the same.  His album changes from genre to genre, and each song is worth the listen.  And what does B. Reith have to say about his musical style? 

"God gave me an ear to pick up things.  My style is just an accumulation of what I've heard throughout my life, channeled through the unique talents that God has given me." 

Do you have any critiques or opinions?  Are you a fan of B. Reith?  Has this review helped you?  Leave your comments below.
Credit for the pictures used in this article go here and here.   
 

Danny Gokey was the third place finalist on American Idol last season.  He was best known for his soulful voice and the tragedy that inspired him to audition for American Idol in the first place.  Gokey only recently (on March 2 of this year) came out with his debut album, and so I chose him for this week's secular artist review.

While Danny Gokey professes himself to be a Christian and was once the music director of a church, he still considers himself to be a mainstream artist instead of a contemporary Christian artist.  Many famous music artists today say that they are Christians, but their lifestyles and lyrics profess otherwise.  I decided to review Danny Gokey to help you decide whether or not his lyrics are appropriate to put into your head and into your heart.

Quick Bio-
Danny Gokey actually grew up singing in church and was a music director at his church in Milwaukee for quite a few years.  In July of 2008, Gokey's wife, Sophia, underwent surgery for congenital heart disease and died from resulting complications.  Sophia was a huge fan of American Idol and often asked Gokey if he would audition.  A few weeks after Sophia's death, Gokey auditioned for American Idol in honor of his deceased wife.  Gokey made it to third place and came out with his debut country album last month called "My Best Days."  He will be opening for Sugarland's Incredible Machine tour starting this month. 

While on American Idol, Gokey's musical style ranged in the soul and blues genres, his album is expressly country.  The reason for this change? 

"When I sing, I want to sing something passionately, and I want to sing something that has a lot of meaning to me. I always found that in country. I want to be known as a country singer the rest of my life." 

Passionate and meaningful are two words that can easily describe Danny's music in "My Best Days."  The album's single, "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" talks about the struggle Gokey faced while overcoming the tragedy of his wife's death and his discovery that life is only improving with time. "Be Somebody" is a song about the meaningless fight that many people undertake to become somebody important and successful.  "Crazy Not To" is a lighthearted love song, and "Like That's A Bad Thing" is another carefree song about pushing the limits and staying motivated through adversity.  Gokey reflects on the heartbreak following Sophia's loss in "I Still Believe" and "I Will Not Say Goodbye."  "Life On Ya" touches lightly on Gokey's background in the church in the first verse, and his belief in the importance of living and learning.

A couple of Danny's songs reflect his passion to serve the needy and a deeper relationship with God.  Gokey speaks about the insignificance of a life without love in "Tiny Life," and he reflects on the importance of appreciating the little things in life, such as "the love we make, the dreams we share, the friends we make in our short time here."  He even mentions his faith in the bridge of the song.

"It's knowing God's grace, the touch of a hand, holding a baby, calling mom and dad. It's making the most of the moments we have and getting to live long enough to look back on the years, the sweet tears of joy and laughter..."
 
"It's Only" is probably the most blatantly Christian song on the album.  It refers to Matthew 25, where Jesus says, "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat.  I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in..."

"There's a homeless woman with a shopping cart living on the street.  Lord knows she can't come in here where the pretty people meet.  We're all dressed in our Sunday best and she smiles when she sees us.  Don't worry, it's only Jesus."
 
"It's Only" sounds similar lyrically to Brandon Heath's popular single, "Give Me Your Eyes."  "Lord, won't you open my eyes?  Won't you help me see? A hungry child needs more than a piece of bread, brother needs a job to get ahead, and the homeless need a place to lay their head..." 
 
There is one "iffy" lyric within the entire album, and you can find it in "Get Away," a song about Gokey's longing to escape a hectic lifestyle and take a much-needed vacation.  In the third verse, Danny lightly refers to drinking alcohol and spending time with a "sweet thing."  This "iffy" part is so small that I'm going to trust you to decide for yourself whether or not you're willing to add it to your playlist.  Check it out:  "Yeah, gonna find me a sunset and a cold drink on the beach somewhere. Get lost in a warm breeze with a sweet thing..."

I have studied Danny Gokey's new album, and I give an absolute okay for you to add his music to your playlist. While Gokey would rather put his music out into the mainstream industry rather than into the smaller Christian media, he has managed to touch on his faith in several of his songs and his lyrics are clean.  His goal is to inspire people through his music.  He knows the importance of meaningful lyrics. 

"We want to be entertained, but we also want to be inspired, and music is a universal language."

Do you have any critiques or input to add to this post?  Comment below. 
The credit for the pictures above goes here and here.