TBGB Pick of the Week: September 11, 2005

“Prayer Hater”
Shontae
from the Danbla CD I’m Determined
Danbla Records

North Carolina’s Shontae Henry Hill is a young singer with an aggressive but melodic voice. Her debut CD, I’m Determined, includes an energetic track called “Prayer Hater” with lyrics that are a breath of fresh air in an industry suffocating from too many milquetoast “He-is-worthy-to-be-praised” lyrics.

Written by Denver Wright (who also produced, arranged, and mixed the track), “Prayer Hater” paraphrases an unforgettable line from Kenneth Morris’ 1944 “Yes, God is Real”: “There are some things I may not know/There are some places I cannot go”.

Whereas Morris wrote the line in part as a social commentary about Jim Crow laws, Shontae uses it to repudiate her former worldly lifestyle and to confirm her newfound relationship with the Savior: “There are some places I can’t go now/There are some things I cannot do…/Different pleasures I have found now/There are new things I adore.”

The main point of the song is to encourage individuals who make fun of, look down upon, or simply disregard the saved to reconsider their position on the power of prayer.

In addition to its smart lyrics, “Prayer Hater” has a catchy tune and arrangement that showcase Shontae at her best. The CD includes a remix version that is even better than the original.