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Jason Morant was in Nashville on business when Hurricane Katrina struck. He found it somewhat surreal watching his own neighborhood on TV in the days that followed.
Growing up in New Orleans is to be immersed in a thick gumbo of jazz, blues, and a variety of spiritual influences. Morant always gravitated toward music, but he fine-tuned his sound while leading worship at his church, until national attention came with his 2004 release, "Abandon." But his burgeoning stardom didn't give him special dispensation from the Katrina storm. He gathered friends from Rocketown and World Vision to travel with him to Slidell, LA., where his sister lived. Her home, like his is Nashville, had been destroyed, and he focused on helping her and her community the best way he could: through music. They recorded a six-song EP and sent all proceeds to the American Family Assistance Fund. "City of Two Rivers" was an independent record, although his label, Vertical Music, helped them to get it out. New Orleans slowly getting back on track, Morant is free now to focus on his ministry of music, and "Open," his latest from Vertical, will be available on May 30th. It promises to be as colorful and textured as his beloved hometown. "There's an atmosphere of different expressions in my music," explains Morant. "I've done concerts where in parts it's a worship service, then we'll play instrumental songs, other times we're just cracking jokes, and then I'll do original material and everyone sits around and listens. I love that." Open demonstrates this diversity through its rich instrumentation that includes ambient strings and horns, much of which Morant arranged himself, along with piano, dobro, banjo, and accordion. Lyrically, the songwriter exposes his range too, delving into personal subject matter and addressing the Church on issues near to his heart. "There are moments of desperation and pleading, and there are moments of rejoicing," Morant says of his new work. "I always strive for honesty in my lyrics and try to focus not just on what I think people want to hear but on what I believe we need to be confronted with. As a Church, I think we've tossed aside the key elements of loving people and left it up to evangelists and alter calls. I'm learning to open up more to the things I tend to boycott or hide from," he says. Sounds like "Open" comes straight from the heart, doesn't it?
The copyright of the article New Jason Morant CD in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish New Jason Morant CD in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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