Artist Spotlight: NeedToBreathe
November 29, 2018 by Anthony Corliss-Smith
Filed under Music Spotlight
By Anthony M. Corliss-Smith
Needtobreathe, a band based out of Seneca, South Carolina, are on their third album and they are starting to get people’s attention. Never before have I personally heard a Christian band so often played on secular radio stations. Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Bo Rinehart (backing vocals, guitar), Seth Bolt (backing vocals, bass), and Joe Stillwell (drums, percussion) must be doing something right.
Their Southern rock/blues style seems to defy definition, for each song seems to be different than the last and yet they all go together. Also, the honesty in the lyrics and music are unmistakable. You can definitely tell that they were all written by the same two guys, the Rinehart brothers.
The echoing vocals “Valley Of Tomorrow” relay the common struggle among believers: the ebb and flow of falling from and back to Christ. “Oh, this is the way I wanna go down / (This is the last time) I’m starting over with you / This is the way I wanna go out / (This is the last time)” And of the pain involved in dying to one’s self: “I pulled a thirty-eight out of my bleeding heart / I killed my selfishness for bringing me this far / This far away from you” Doesn’t get more real than that.
“Faithful like a soldier who’s answered to the call even when his back’s against the wall. So tell me why I should run for cover at the sound of the coming thunder, all I hear is the cry of my lover. So take your shot, I won’t turn back” are the words in “Won’t Turn Back,” and have the same theme. Like Peter and the apostles in Acts 5:29, this song rings with the theme of “We must obey God rather than men!” (NIV) No other way.
The almost “arena” sounding “The Outsiders” comes from the heart of someone who is OK with being in the world, but not of the world. “…through everything we’ve learned, we’ve finally come to terms. We are the outsiders…” And “Lay ‘Em Down,” in Southern gospel style, encourages people of all walks of life to come be washed on their sins. “bring all of your troubles and come lay ’em down we’re all tied to the same old failings.”
Throughout the entire album, Bear’s distinct voice, and the band’s great musical talent draws you into the experience that is “The Outsiders.” Enjoy.
To learn more about this artist, check them out at http://www.needtobreathe.net
