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Garland Headley - Dimensions of Faith Reviews "I recently attended the Prairie Music Awards dinner in Edmonton and in the process discovered a remarkable young Saskatchewan singer in the process. Garland Headley sang during the Industry Awards Dinner and made quite an impression. Performing unaccompanied, he stepped up to the mike and soon had the crowd eating out of his hand. His rich warm voice, his brilliant sense of rhythm and his infectious smile won over this crowd of industry insiders and made them forget the no-nonsense, official side of this event. People smiled, clapped and cheered to Headley's energetic performance. It was truly refreshing. Bravo!" "It was fresh, it was new, it was exciting. Garland Headley's performance at the Prairie Music Industry Awards gala started off on a traditional note with Headley singing a gospel tune in his clear, strong voice. Had it ended there, people would have been satisfied. But just when you thought you had the Saskatoon singer pegged as a devout member of the choir, he veered into a wild gospel rap segment, strutting with cockiness and urging the audience to clap along. It didn't take much doing. People were whipped into a froth and blown away.'' "When Garland approached the stage, we all waited... then he started his song, without music! Just him and his mic. I felt his mood as I'm sure everyone else in that room did. A mood that only a professional at his craft such as Garland is, could create. Taking us from a soulfully inspired song to "old-school beat-box" and rap, all in one smooth rhythmic progression. Garland made us feel his conviction, his truth and sincerity. To me that's an artist!" "At the Prairie Music Industry Awards held in Edmonton at the end of September, Garland Headley, with only a microphone, walked out on stage and proceeded to enthral, entertain and emotionally stir an audience of several hundred music industry professionals. With the quiet of his opening song the audience went still and was transfixed until his slow, acapella gospel changed to fast, pounding gospel-rap, and the room came alive at his performance, stomping and clapping, and swinging along. One man and one microphone. Very impressive, this Garland Headley." Number 1 Hit Song "You've got to love her" "I have listened to your music "did i hear someone say" and loved it" "undoubtedly sanctified, impressively versatile, biblically solidified, that's the music of Garland Headley." "before the beginning of time, the universe was mapped in the blue print of God's creative thought... a part of that architecture is expressed in garland's 'dimensions of faith'" ".....I guess in one word I would say Impressive!!!!!" I've had a chance to hear some of your music and it's AWESOME how "GOD CAN USE PEOPLE." |
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Garland Headley - Dimensions of Faith Bio Although Garland Headley is releasing his first album, Dimensions of Faith, at the age of twenty-six, he is no stranger to the world of gospel music. Headley credits his father for much of his musical influence, remarking that he was 'just born into the music.' Headley started with the piano at the age of four, and by the time he was eight, he was writing songs and playing with his father's gospel band, The Advent Messengers. 'When my dad's band started, it was definitely the hottest thing that happened to Trinidad for a long time in terms of gospel music,' he explains. 'I mean, as a result of the band, drums began to be played in the church, and before that was kind of like a sacrilege.' The differences between the gospel music Headley spent fourteen years playing along with his father and the hip-hop-esque Dimensions of Faith are numerous. 'My father's music was, not in a negative way, definitely a timely sort of thing,' he says. 'And in a lot of ways my music is timely too, but it's of this time. People will listen to it for as long as it's of the time.' Headley's musical influences are varied, including both gospel artists such as Take Six, and secular artists as diverse as Alanis Morisette, Brian McKnight, and Maxwell. Dimensions of Faith is exactly what the title suggests, a musical exploration of modern Christianity via the forum of hip-hop music. 'I'd like to reach everyone,' Headley explains. 'If they're willing to listen, I'm willing to perform.' Whereas a more traditional gospel singer may be limited to a church-oriented setting, Headley's mission goes beyond preaching to the converted. 'That's one of the reasons I included the love song,' he says in reference to the album's twelfth track, "You've got to love her," a song written by Headley's parents on is father's anniversary, but which they have yet to hear. 'A lot of preachers give the impression that when you're not saved you're nobody, and once you're saved you become somebody, and I don't believe in that theory at all. So what I'd like to do for the non-Christian is offer an alternative perspective. Instead of ending your life or turning to drugs, here is another way to look at the problem.' And certainly, Headley's music is accessible. 'I think there are a lot of songs people can relate to,' he says, citing the last song on the album but the first he ever wrote by himself, "Thank You Lord." as an example. 'The song was born out of a very hard experience when I was the leader of a gospel acapella band. One of the guys in the band got this girl pregnant, and the church decided to censor him so that he couldn't sing with us anymore. Than a couple of weeks after, a good buddy of mine died.' "Thank You Lord" was written between two and four in the morning, and isn't precisely the kind of song one would expect from such an experience. 'We have to thank God that we made it through,' he explains. 'We're the ones alive. In spite of the church censoring him, he didn't lose faith, and we were there for each other. We were just really grateful that we were still here.' All of the songs on the CD are written, composed, and arranged by Headley except for "My Jesus Took These Tears," which was originally a love song written by his younger brother, but which Headley modified to be a gospel song. His favourite tracks are those that 'just groove', notably "What This World Would Be," "Did I Hear Someone Say," "Jesus in the Wind," "Today," and "A Better Way." However, Dimensions of Faith in its entirety is about groove, about the sound and faith and rhythm entwined into an unlikely but exceptional example of modern gospel music. Headley is breaking ground for a succession of talented musicians unhappy with the limitations of traditional gospel music, those seeking to share their faith in a new and exciting way. Dimensions of Faith is unprecedented, it is accessible, but most of all is it just good music. Garland Headley had discovered something, and fortunately for the world, he has come to share it. GARLAND HEADLEY: finding a better way At a Garland Headley concert you may be spiritually fulfilled, but as he says, "don't expect praise and worship, because you get that already on Sunday morning." It's not the typical approach to gospel music, but it's exactly that original attitude that is directing attention to Headley. Saskatoon's Garland Headley was nominated for a 2001 Prairie Music Award in the category of Outstanding Christian Recording for his album, Dimensions of Faith. The nomination is an accomplishment he describes as "taking two years to get to, and twenty years to prepare for." Garland won his first singing competition at age 6, and wrote his first song at age 8, when he began performing with his father's musical group. His training is largely informal, with his dad passing down knowledge from his own professional courses through a strict musical regime in the Headley home. Garland is quick to point out that music was entirely a voluntary pastime for him as a child, but adds that his father made it his duty to make musical talent and interest a natural occurrence within the family. "There was almost every instrument in the house and we weren't forced to play them we just took naturally to playing them. Instruments were pretty much like furniture. Singing also became a very popular pastime in our house. And it wasn't just limited to background singing; we sang anything, anywhere and it didn't matter what!" Formally, Headley took short courses with leading vocal artists in Trinidad before travelling to Canada. "It's been quite a process when I look back on it now. That's why I say it took me 20 years to prepare for it; to develop the ability and the mental agility that you need for a project like this." That project, Dimensions of Faith, echoes the musical freedom of Garland's childhood. In both style and message, he resists traditional categorizations in favour of his own forms of expression. For starters, he's added hip-hop to gospel music. "Being from the Caribbean, we are exposed to a lot of styles of music. Two are hip-hop and reggae, and that is the approach I've taken with the album." Dimensions is all about the variety in people's ways of worshipping God that Garland has had the privilege to experience. He has been able to describe how Christians feel about worshipping God in their own ways, as unique as those ways may be. Ironically, many of the album's songs were born of a resistance to the traditional ideas of worship. "A lot of it came out of my teen rebel days and only because I hated to conform to standard issues. Why do we have to do this the same way every Sunday? There's no point...the humdrum continues and then you lose the essence." He adds that the days of God meaning 'to sit down and shut up' are over, and that worship music should be allowed to spread beyond the church. It is, perhaps, these rebellious thoughts that appeal to Garland's young fans. His music has been a welcome alternative for Christian teens in Canada. "The response I've been getting has been tremendous. I have been approached by a lot of young people at the churches I've been to, and their consensus was that this was the kind of music they've been looking for all along. They were tired of hearing SO much rock and pop and country in their music and this was the alternative they needed." He also found an unexpected fan in his father. Garland was nervous about presenting the project to him, given its unique and untraditional style. "I was a bit timid to let him have a listen to the style of music on the album, only because his style is a lot more structured, like the old time gospel stuff, and he prefers that. And he shocked me by saying, 'Wow, this is good, this is awesome. I'm really proud of you.' So I thought it was pretty cool of him to support me." Garland¹s musical journey is also supported daily by his biggest fans his wife and new baby boy. Maintaining a healthy relationship with his wife and playing a big role in his son¹s life are very important to Garland. "That's the main part of my challenge, only because a new baby is always demanding and means no sleep. And between no sleep and demanding, you still got to find time to practice. We try to work a good schedule and work ourselves in properly. I think, above all, human life is a lot more important that any achievement an individual can attain, so I would like to be around as much as I can for his first few impressionable years. That doesn't mean I'm going to forsake my audience, my fans, because they helped me to achieve the kind of lifestyle I have. So its mutual respect on both grounds." Garland speaks very passionately about the message he would like his music to carry not one strictly of Christianity, but of something bigger. "There's no need for arguments or debates on the issue of worshipping God. If we want to take international you can't tell a tribe in Africa (who's worshipping God) they can't play their drums, that he rest of the community is using them for spiritual invocation because that's their culture. If you come to my country in Trinidad, most of the music will be geared toward a version of Calypso we call Soca. The variety of ways that people worship belongs to them, and we underestimate God by trying to limit people in their forms of worship. I think that ought to stop, and (we should) allow people to express themselves in God the way they know how. Everyone has a different spiritual growth. Let's let people grow." Garland recently carried that message to Edmonton for Prairie Music Week, planning to network with industry contacts and meet up with several workshops last year in Saskatoon, including the Cowboy Junkies' Internet session and a songwriter's workshop. Garland found the writers session especially interesting, as his personal approach is not what would be expected. "Taking lengthy periods of time to conceptualize a song is not something that I am used to. Songs come to me (music and Lyrics) in one go, and the song is usually done in an hour. Now I can appreciate the fact I have that ability, and I think of it as something very rare, very precious. In terms of getting the idea together, I basically get to the studio and toy around with ideas until one works to express the song." Prairie Music Week culminates in the annual awards ceremony, and this year he will attend with a nomination. Garland is not a stranger to the Prairie Music Awards, however last year he volunteered backstage, assisting talent to and from their seats. "Last year, being a backstage volunteer, I thought that was just totally utterly cool. And I'd feel a lot more comfortable now being front stage." His confidence and faith is clear as he compares his music to the competition. "Outright, I feel it's much more intense. Intense in terms of the arrangement. Intense in terms of lyrical construct. Its hard to say the five nominees, we're all pretty good and I think the jury had their hands full with us." Regardless of the outcome, the nomination gave Garland a sense of accomplishment at this point in his career. "I feel very comfortable and confident that we deserved this nomination." Editors note: Garland performed acapella at the Prairie Music Industry Awards, and wowed the audience with his brand of hip-hop gospel. For more information on Garland, visit www.5-starproductions.com/garlandheadley Music for the millennium: They say a prophet is never understood in his own land, but Christian hip hop Artist Garland Headley says people are definitely into what he likes to call millennium music. "Music has its own evolution and that's what I'm here to express," Headley said recently. This is the blueprint. This is where millennium music is going to go." Headley is staging Dimensions of Faith, a live show at the Broadway Theatre. "It's going to be the first Christian hip hop show that's ever hit Saskatoon. It won't be country, it won't be rock it won't be a lot of R & B, either. It will be to-the-point, in-your-face kind of music." Headley, who released his Dimensions of Faith CD earlier this year, has been pleased with the response to hi music in local churches. It's particularly popular with young people. Too often they're offered a style of music they're not into, he says. They feel saddened and totally ignored or they're told to "go have a youth group." Christian hip hop, on the other hand reaches them. "Everyone who's heard it has said 'this is what we've been looking for all along'" Headley like to tell the story about an area pastor who was playing Dimensions of Faith recently when his son walked in and asked what the music was. "Christian music" his dad said. "No, Dad, that's not Christian music," the boy insisted. Christian music isn't that cool." Headley has also converted some sceptics from older age groups. "I've had quite a number of older folks. They're groovin' to it just as well That's what surprised me." Headley tell people his own story but sticks mostly to music and stays away from sermonizing in his show. "It's not going to have a lot of that at all. They already get a lot of that on Sunday morning. "My intention is not to choke someone with Christianity." Opening for Headley are Sarah Pannell and Christopher Fehr. Gospel With Hip Hop Twist If your idea of gospel music is four guys in bow ties singing How Great Thou Art, you haven't heard Garland Headley. The Trinidad-born musician, in the middle of an extended visit to Saskatoon, decided to record a CD of contemporary Christian music with a whole new sound - hip hop. The album, Dimensions of Faith, adds a new dimension to the genre. "I don't think anyone has approached the gospel market from the hip hop style so I'm really looking forward to the response to it," Headley said recently. He's been into music all his life. Headley's father, Horace, was a part of the Trinidad gospel group The Advent Messengers. Growing up in a musical household, Garland was destined to follow the same path. "All the instruments were in the house so I eventually did learn to play to a sufficient standard." By the age of eight he was playing and singing in the band, and going on long tours of the Caribbean islands and North America. Audiences were no doubt impressed by the youngster but he was oblivious to the impact. "They were pretty stunned about it but quite frankly it never occurred to me that it was a big issue." As the band started winding down, Headley began thinking more about the songwriting techniques that his father had taught him. A tragic pair of incidents in which one friend died and another was punished by the church after getting his girlfriend pregnant got Headley up and writing at 2 am one night. The result was his first song, Thank You Lord. Since then, the music has continued to flow. Agonizing over a song is a concept foreign to Headley. "One night and the song is done," Headley says. "People say I'm gifted and I truly have to appreciate that." Even so, recording Thank You Lord was a struggle because Headley had to conjure up the same feelings that inspired it. "A lot of emotion is shown in the song." Headley gives credit for developing his style to Miles Yohnke who, along with Rob Palacol, produced the album at their own Inner Ear Studios. "Miles saw it coming and I went with the flow." Headley says his mission isn't to preach to the converted - or even to convert those he sings to. It's just to perform and let things grow from there. "It's not about conversion. I'm willing to sing it for whoever will listen." Under the slogan Gospel for the New Millennium, Headley hopes to perform several times before turning to Trinidad this summer. Coinciding with the CD release set for Tuesday is a tentative date at the Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church. A website is also planned. May 25/2000 Garland Headley Poetry I'll Remember So here's the deal my child remember what I was talking about But I'll remember when we used to fly across the skys Copyright ©2001 Garland Headley Contact: you are visiting part of the 5-star productions website © 2006 all rights reserved 5 Star productions |
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