JGM Pick of the Week: March 1, 2016

“More Than a Friend”
Deon Robertson
From the forthcoming CD Simply Deon
www.deonrobertson.com

Introduced by a self-assuredly chirping organ, Deon Robertson’s churchy “More Than a Friend” is a bluesy gospel outing that riffs on Jesus’s many life-giving characteristics. Receiving strong support from a choir of treble voices, Robertson improvises by launching melismatic runs, moaning, shouting, and foisting glissandos up and down the stave.

As far as the song’s meaning, that is best heard coming from Robertson himself:

“My new single, ‘More Than A Friend,’ was written by James Reed and became a true testament to my life when I was watching my grandmother transition from earth to heaven. My grandmother was my best friend. Although I knew she would soon go to heaven, I became so broken because she was the reason I started in music ministry over twelve years ago. This song touched my heart because my grandmother, while ill, hadn’t said a word in days. I turned this song on and she lifted both hands. At that moment I knew this was the song that could change the mindsets of the hurting and give hope. Every time I sing this song I want people to feel the hope in God that I feel every day.”