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Witness

by Derek Lassiter

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1.
Hunger 04:20
I got hungry No food in my house I thirsted, thirsted, thirsted No water not a drop So I set out on the road to find... Home held but want and need An emptiness I had to feed Weak of mind and in my soul All I had was what I stole (No one to confide, no one to provide...) On the road were friends, foes, and thieves Passing by with their needs ‘Til one day I saw in the open sky The promise to be fed and to fly
2.
Pool 02:38
Pool I was lost, couldn’t find, couldn’t see And the truth was light—fell on me ...of light, of water, of blood Is what I had to find To fall into, restore my state Of hope, faith, and dreaming Things I’d turned away And didn’t know would lead me home I was lost and on the gift of love I traded Cut my heart and in a pool of blood I waded ...of light, of water, of blood I was baptized, restored my joy And filled me up with Hope, faith, and dreaming Things that once were mine And faded like the sun gone down Nights were long, but there were stars always reminding Nothing’s lost, it’s never dark enough to stop love shining
3.
I'll Grow (free) 04:27
High in the desert sky the sun is bright Land so dry sand is all that thrives Sky will never rain again never open wide A seed lays hard against the ground... never lives but never dies I wait for tears like the desert waits for rain I know when they come, I’ll grow like a forest in the sun I wait for you like a lover waits in vain For the one that glows the moon and shines the sun... No matter how long I will wait, it’s the laughter When all the tears have cried that I’m after To grow and grow and grow Is what I’m after No feeling where there used to be where I used to feel the most thought I was stronger Wide eyed and waiting to see a miracle jaded heart and diamond feet Feel something and so I’ll speak lost dreams lost loves miss-steps and wrong turns And so many, so many tears
4.
I am waiting on a man with a heart like a boy Not the dangerous kind, killing flowers of joy Whose way is of peace and whose stand is at ease I’ll keep waiting until all hope runs to sea I am praying for understanding too ‘Cause I don’t know as much as I think I do Oh I run so hard got to learn to be still Trust that there is a plan, let things do what they will Victor waiting on you with your heart pure as gold Not the dangerous kind that gets bought and sold Your way is of peace and you stand so at ease I’ll keep waiting until all hope runs to sea We like heat from the fire, but we play too close With the blade of a knife, cut as deep as it goes Still love grows strong, in spite of all it carries on Like a stream to the river, like the river to the sea I’ll keep waiting until I know you are for me I’ll keep waiting until I am truly free I’ll keep waiting until all hope runs to sea
5.
Keep Me 03:57
When trials and troubles come I draw on the strength of love It keeps me and holds me, helps me stand Though winds blow and rain tumbles down Even when light from the sun fades away Keep me warm When night and sorrows come I rest in the thoughts of the dawn It keeps me and holds me, helps me sleep No matter what dreams won’t come Even when I in despair turn away Keep me still Keep me when I won’t believe the truth And blot out the sound of its voice Keep me when quiet is too loud And all I can hear is fear and doubt When trials and troubles come my way I call on a strength from inside It keeps me and holds me, helps me stand Though winds blow and rain tumbles down When the warmth from the sun bringing life fades away Keep me Keep me Keep me in love
6.
Nobody's # 1 (free) 02:39

about

Quote: "Like the lost child of James Brown's Black Caesar soundtrack, Derek Lassiter brings us an EP of dark soul."

Like the lost child of James Brown's Black Caesar soundtrack, Derek Lassiter brings us an EP of dark soul -- the kind of moody, haunting soul that is the lesser known sibling of vastly more popular approaches to the genre such as much of Green, Paul or Womack's music.

"Hunger," the opening track, positively pulses with the throbs of its eponymous condition. It's the kind of song you expect to be in a blacksploitation film or -- at the risk of being redundant -- something by Tarantino. It's one of the most rich and satisfying soul songs I've come across in some time.

Other work on the record unapologetically adopts African rhythms, such as the background chanting and drumming on "I'll Grow." But instead of sounding like some kind of two-dimensional cultural homage, Lassiter works in a jazzy piano and the lowest registers of a piano keyboard sounding out that dark brooding which infuses this entire EP.

"Victor (I Am Waiting)" brings a crisp small-gospel handclap-and-choir sound and "Keep Me" closes the EP with Lassiter's excellent voice front and center in an almost Harold Arlenesque ballad.

Short and sweet, Lassiter's Witness is ultimately asking us to acknowledge the coming not of a new messiah but instead a new musical offering by an obvious talent ... and you very well may want to witness this talent yourself.
- By Todd Beemis

credits

released February 21, 2006

Beevine Records

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Derek Lassiter San Francisco, California

Vocalist/Songwriter

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