Artist Spotlight: Neal Cooper
June 9, 2018 by admin
Filed under Music, Music Interviews
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| Song/CD Compilation: You Are Genre: Pop/Worship By Brad McBrayer |
| Neal Cooper is passionate and he is in love with his Savior. You will notice this if you really listen to the songs offered up by this Worship Pastor from Stockbridge, Georgia. If you truly take in his songs, you will notice something else. Cooper is an incredible songwriter. |
| His love for God and his lyrical talent are most supremely on display in his song “You Are.” Cooper lifts up his praises, extolling the many ways in which God reveals His glory to us through everyday life. As he glides into the chorus – “You are, You are… My heart can’t contain what my words can’t explain” – you almost feel his speechlessness yet, it is articulate. You feel him saying “God, you are… how do I say it? You are… indescribable.” The lyrics capture awkwardness in a well-spoken way. It is clever in its complexity. Line by line, it is a great tune.
That song reveals Neal Cooper at his best. His influences are reminiscent of an entire Warehouse Music store, encompassing the classical Mozart and ranging to the artist CURRENTLY known as Prince. (When was the last time you saw those two prodigies in the same CD shuffler?) Yet, Cooper uses his eclectic tastes in an effective way. With a voice reminiscent of Steven Curtis Chapman crossed with Michael Tait, he also spans various musical genres. This is no surprise, though, if you recognize the vast musical journey on which Neal has been. Turning a grade-school choir background into a music scholarship, he ended up in a road-weary traveling band, and presently, as mentioned, he leads congregational worship. This is a testament to his wide-ranging favorites. Best classified now as Adult Contemporary Christian, Cooper blends praise songs with tinges of Rock, and sometimes within a single song (see his song “Wayfaring Stranger” which somehow mixes tastefully the sounds of an old African-American spiritual with an electric guitar). Regardless of which style he uses, however, the songs always come back to his fascination with God. As one might imagine, his song “Thank You” is a love letter to God. He sings with gratitude, “if I had a million days, I could try a million ways and not repay the debt I owe, to my only Savior, King.” Another incredibly well-written song is “My Hallelujahs.” A personal offering about joining creation in praise of our Father, it’s summed up perfectly in the line “He’s the only one worthy of My Hallelujahs.” Again, Cooper is passionate… beautifully showing his love for God. If you really let Neal Cooper’s lyrics sink in, it would be easy to believe that you might become passionate about his music in return. To learn more about Neal Cooper, visit: http://www.nealcooper.com |
