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Henry Yanney on 'Alone With My Thoughts'

'A New Hero...'
  Heading back to the ‘underground’ gospel
  circuit for our first 'new' reviews, we find that a new
  hero has arisen.

  Nick Brewer aka Brewer (not much of an
  alias considering Brewer is his surname) has
  been around for some time, appearing on
  many Grime Gospel sets as well as playing
  alongside fellow rhymer and close friend
  Guvna B.

  'Alone With My Thoughts’ is the first official
  offering from the guy who - according to his
  lyric on Guvna B's ‘Jesus Is The Reason - 'used to be bait but ain't even about'.

The self-titled intro presents a rather dark opening, a swinging lightbulb in an empty dark room, as Brewer's complex wordplay and flow reveal a full circle turnaround in his life.
 
As expected, the mixtape is filled with Grime-induced beats, mostly provided by The Confectionery production team, perfect for Brew's quick spitting.
 
Accessible
What makes him more accessible than other Gospel artists is his varied subject matter - something many Christians will either embrace or question. From the lethargic, guy-in-a-relationship themed 'Fade', to the reflective 'Fear' (featuring Cadet), we get a much wider look at Brewer, both as a serving Christian and as a young man having to deal with life's norms.
 
Either way, both outlooks provide excellent material, in content, context and delivery. The exceptional 'Breathe' arguably stands as the premier track on the mixtape as Brewer delves into tales of shedding the former 'road guy' image and being content with following the ways of Christ, and his collaboration with Guvna B on 'Swagger' provides a light hearted look at overzealous individuals driven by material gain at a heavy financial cost.
 
Exceeds Your Average Mixtape
Alone With My Thoughts far exceeds your average mixtape standard, and is actually well up there with some of the best debut ALBUMS to come from the Gospel scene.

Brewer is only in the early stages of his career (this is his first 'official' release), and to produce a mixtape of such high quality only serves as encouragement for anyone who wishes to pursue the art of storytelling to a 140 BPM beat.
 
And while it may not be filled with direct quotes from Romans 12, Ephesians 6 or Psalms 23, Alone With My Thoughts will definitely light a fire in young and old Christians to go out and enjoy life for who they are - rather than for what they perceive as being 'cool'.

Henry's Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Bernard P Achampong on 'Alone With My Thoughts'

'Solid..'
I’m writing this review because my disparate feelings about Alone With My Thoughts finally came together after a comment on Premier Gospel's Gospel Breakfast show the other day about female artists in Gospel not being driven enough to compete in the UK Gospel scene (trust me, there is a link. Keep reading).
 
Firstly, the mixtape is solid. I first heard of Brewer on Guvna B’s Season’s Greetings´ mixtape. If you’re looking for music from a Grime/UKG tradition: tick. If you’re looking for a competent emcee who is nice with his depictions: tick. I wouldn’t have an issue with handing this on to anyone who is a fan of music from a Grime/UKG tradition.

PAUSE… That’s the point.
 
(Brace yourself for a politically incorrect statement). In the perpetual debate between ‘music versus ministry’ Alone With My Thoughts is a sturdy example of good music of its genre that doesn’t need the 'but it’s for Kingdom, innit' disclaimer.

Some 'Kingdom music' is straight up garbage (kai!). Let’s admit that now and move on. Some emcees could put down the microphone and run a youth evangelism ministry. Some producers should unplug their MacBooks and take them back to the shop.
 
'Confident...'
Neither of these statements apply to Brewer. I sense that he’s had to work twice as hard to get the opportunity to be heard. As such this mixtape delivers a confident ‘this is me, and what?’ attitude without being self-obsessed, self-righteous or self-conscious.
 
So why female artists in Gospel? Well, the UK’s unique addition to global Gospel music is Grime. The world already has R&B Gospel, Choir Gospel, Hip Hop Gospel, Poetry Gospel… Female artists have all that to compete with. That takes much more drive than going hard in a niche scene like Gospel Grime; largely a ‘man dem’ ting.
 
So if Gospel Grime is the most viable vehicle to get to the mainstream, count on Brewer to be one of those guys driving the movement. What he demonstrates with Alone With My Thoughts is that he can hold his own alongside the Dizzees, Wileys, Tinchys, Plan Bs, Dappys etc. without the 'it’s for Kingdom innit' disclaimer.
 
My favourite tracks as I write this are Breathe, My Mind and Granddad - but I promise you it changes with every listen.

Well done, Brewbagz...

Bernard's Rating: 4 out of 5

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Bernard P Achampong (the P is important) has been in the music and broadcasting industry since the 80s: journalist, presenter, producer, promoter, marketer and DJ.

As passionate for good music as the excellence with which it's delivered, and for that reason speaks freely and frankly about both the music and its industry.

You have been warned.

Follow Bernard on Twitter: @bpach