Feranmi James – “Nothing Without You” (Live) / “Jesus We Lift You High”
Feranmi James – “Nothing Without You” (Live) / “Jesus We Lift You High” – Single Review
What a powerfully moving voice!
Look…I’ll be real with ya…in the context of a live performance, it’s natural to expect a couple spots that you’d likely be able to tackle a bit stronger if you were doing things through the lengthy and arduous process of recording something in studio. It’s pretty simple math when you think about it – playing live equals a single moment, whereas recording a song can be as smooth sailing as nailing it the first time, or become way more complicated by multiple run-throughs to find the perfect take, or even worse, splicing together a whole bunch of performances to simulate a flawless one. So believe me when I tell ya, it’s rare to hear a singer like Feranmi James that takes as many chances as he does in the way that he sings, come out with such an exceptional performance from start to finish. Are there a couple notes in the live performance of “Nothing Without You” that he might think he could sing better here and there? Like just about every artist under the sun, I’m sure there probably is…but from the listening side of the speakers, I felt like we were listening to a seriously unique voice make a whole bunch of daring choices and come out with a significant win. I certainly didn’t find any raw notes that were detrimental to how much I enjoyed listening to “Nothing Without You” – and considering how different his own signature sound really is as a vocalist, I found it remarkably impressive to discover how cohesively his voice fit into a song like this. Ultimately, Feranmi becomes the essential ingredient as to why “Nothing Without You” makes the impact on us that it goes on to create – his performance is not only fundamentally flawless and as solid as it gets, but the uniqueness of his own sound, the personality he displays, and the passion that he sings with end up becoming this combination of irresistible vibes you won’t be able to get enough of. And once again, need I remind the audience of readers out there, this assessment is coming from the perspective of a person that’s not religious whatsoever – I don’t have a stake in the faith-based community and as much as I enjoy a track like “Nothing Without You” that’s still not going to change – but I absolutely appreciate hearing the sound of an artist like James that gives everything they’ve got to every moment we hear. “Nothing Without You” is written from a powerfully devout viewpoint, and an unshakable faith that Feranmi should certainly be proud of. You can feel the spirit of The Lord rushing through him as he sings “Nothing Without You” and I’m tellin’ ya directly, it is something spectacular to behold…I found myself continually impressed by the sheer magnitude and enormity this single reaches at the heights of its intensity. It’s easily as melodic, bold, and entertaining as you’d consider the best of the best out there in the realm of Pop/Soul…so if you’re unafraid of listening to a religiously-based point of view, then I think you’ll find you quickly fall in love with the sound of an artist like Feranmi. Every single time this song came back on and the verses started up all over again, I couldn’t help but be in awe of the uniqueness in his voice and feel like the mix of classic & contemporary sound he put into every note should be commended by one and all. You factor in everything else that’s going right around him in the music, like the incredible bass-lines at the core of “Nothing Without You” and the stunning backing vocals that surround his lead…the steady & reliable drums and the way the guitar chimes in – I’m tellin’ ya folks…”Nothing Without You” is endlessly impressive for all the right reasons. There’s no doubt that the fireworks of the chorus provide the ultimate highlight you’ll find in this single, but to be completely honest with ya, I kept coming back to the humble way Feranmi started out singing this song when we were first introduced to his voice in that very first verse. His authenticity is truly outstanding.
So…I think it’s fair to say you can see that Feranmi has no problem with preaching to the choir, as in, it’s basically impossible to mask his faith-based music as anything else, nor should he feel any kind of pressure to in the first place. If you’re as proud of your religion and your God as you should be, then nothing should stop you from singing about it with full conviction and confidence, which James clearly does. All I’m saying is that you can’t really help but narrow the audience when there’s no space for any ambiguity…people might get curious about what a song like “Nothing Without You” is about, but there’s really no mistaking what a song called “Jesus We Lift You High” is about – you following me? Even though it becomes entirely clear what they’re both about with a quick listen, from a visual aspect, folks outside of religion and the faith-based community simply aren’t as inclined to click on or listen to tracks that specifically reference Jesus – and again, I get that. I keep a more open mind personally because that’s how I choose to be when it comes to listening to music, but I’m not everyone and I get how most people operate. So you have to look at it from a couple of angles – one being that there is a bit of risk involved in titling any tune in an overtly religious way, but the other side of that coin should prove that there’s a genuinely unshakable faith that is unafraid to proclaim that for all to see – and I think you have to respect that when you see it. I was raised religiously – I’m always upfront about that – and I’m equally clear on how I don’t practice any type of religion in my life today too. I do this because we should always be proud of who we are, no matter what we believe – there is common ground among us and we should have no problem putting ourselves out there with the full confidence of knowing that we’re just trying to live the best life we can in the best ways that we know how. So if that means going the Jesus route like Feranmi does, or not like I do, to me it doesn’t matter as long as you’re out there doing the best you can to be the best version of yourself that you can be – make sense? If Jesus makes you the best version of yourself, believe me when I say, I’ll be the first to support you in that every time.
From what I understand, “Jesus We Lift You High” was released around the spring of last year, and the other track “Nothing Without You” pre-dates that. What I found seriously impressive about “Jesus We Lift You High” actually related directly to the other single for me. Feranmi sounds sensational on “Jesus We Lift You High” without question – but I didn’t feel like he had jumped leaps and bounds from how incredible he already sounded to me in the live performance of “Nothing Without You.” Now…don’t get me wrong – the consistency he reveals is nothing short of breathtaking – this man can SING with the best of’em, so believe me when I say, I’m not complaining. I’m doing the opposite really – I’m pointing out the fact that it’s crystal clear to me that Feranmi James has always been undeniably gifted with an all-out amazing voice. He’s always been the incredible singer he is now, even if you find there’s a bit of refinement to his more current material. Personally, I’d tell ya that to be equally impressive in a live setting that took place years before speaks volumes on behalf of how awesome he really is as a singer. I felt like I enjoyed “Jesus Lift Me High” for many of the same reasons I enjoyed “Nothing Without You” fundamentally – it really comes down to smart songwriting, impeccable structure, and passionate execution combined. These songs that James sings are designed to be moving right there on paper – but it’s still up to him to deliver the goods at the end of the day, which he’s able to with resounding confidence in the material. Because Feranmi is a true believer himself, the sincerity he feels towards this faith-based songwriting is as genuine as you’ll ever have the privilege to hear – and to me, that’s paramount. I make no bones about how it doesn’t really matter to me what it is you’re singing about – I just want to hear in your voice that you believe in every single word and that you sing and play with purpose and intent. James ticks all those boxes in my personal opinion…I think his voice is truly special.
So yeah…I suppose I probably lean a little more in favor of “Nothing Without You” when it comes to these two singles, but it’d only be by a fraction. “Jesus We Lift You High” deserves to be commended and praised just as much when it comes to the quality of his performance and the level of entertainment you’ll find. Great stuff all around from Feranmi James…he provides comfort through his unbreakable faith, authenticity in his performances, and real audible sincerity that connects to everyone listening.
Find out more about Feranmi James through his official page at Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Feranmijamesmusic
It’s a whole new year for you to ignore this message down here! Did you know you could be the next up on our pages at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here?
