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Indie Greg Sczebel’s sound is hard to categorize, and that’s a good thing. Suffice it to say it’s soulful, hooky, and fresh. Back against the wall, I’d call it neo-soul.
If his sound is eclectic, the message of debut "Here to Stay" is direct. It's straight ahead Jesus, presented without cliché and often with dance beats that won't quit. Even if dancing isn't your thing, you're going to love Greg Sczebel, winner of the 2005 Juno Award for Best Contemporary Christian Album and the grand prize winner of the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2005. I knew he was something special as soon as I heard the Hammond B3 humming below the surface of the opening title track (I'm a sucker for the mighty B3). Sczebel's R&B side comes through quickly, as does his equally penetrating message. In this case, it's a warning against the dangers of compromise, strong lyrics that ride atop the smoothest of grooves, as "by God's grace he keeps it real." And real it is. His silky vocals croon through "In the Pocket," calling out the materialistic to look at what it is they really need. "Lights Are Comin' On" is one of several dance tracks, fresh enough to sound like club songs, but packed solid with challenging truths about risky behaviors and their real motivations. "Perhaps" is one of the album's highlights, a quiet piano ballad, presenting one of life's question's in the most tender of tones: God, do you know what my pain is like? Sczebel answers movingly as the Lord with blues-soaked compassion. The intriguing "Unlisted" pleads for our attention, and there's Sczebel on that Hammond again, nicely done. He wrote every song but the one co-written with father Jerry, the closing "Thank You," a soulful slow burn that positively drips with sincerity. It's the perfect windup for this innovative and captivating album. I don't know where this white boy from Canada got his soul, but he's workin' it. You have to hear Greg Sczebel.
The copyright of the article Greg Sczebel Here to Stay in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Greg Sczebel Here to Stay in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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