Gospel Music in the new Millennium =
Aleee, a Warrior fighting to save our lost children in American ghettos
Murderous rage, bitterness, jealousy, racial intolerance, rape, drug-induced insanity—these are only a few of the horrific forces running rampant in the ghettos of many of our American cities today. Few musicians have experienced the devastation of living "in the hood", of facing all this evil on a daily basis, and survived. Aleee not only escaped death during his childhood in Compton, California, but released all the hatred and bitterness of losing two children to gang violence, and emerged as a warrior for the Word of God.
No other Cherokee warrior or ex-marine (Aleee's mother was a full-blooded Cherokee, and he served as a marine in the Vietnam war), past or present, would be a match for the ferocious tenacity that Aleee brings to battle. Fiercely and relentlessly dedicated to God's calling, he is prepared to face the hard, cold, chilling reality of American ghetto life with the sword of heaven in his voice.
He has, through the grace of Jesus, been anointed, blessed with the inspiration to create music which illuminates the dark seas of ignorance, self-indulgence, hatred, and pride. Merely listening to the songs on Aleee's album, Praise Him!, begins the powerful process of transforming a soul from living in darkness, pain and misery, into living in light, love, peace, happiness and dreams.
Aleee's music is not just "praise music", not just great "soul music". It reaches deeper, opening the heart and soul to magnificent vistas, the touch of God's hand, the possibility of a new world. Many people have already experienced dramatic transformations in their lives, brought out of deep depression, freed from the chains of anger and intolerance, and able to see for the first time the people around them, their needs, and how to respond with compassion.
Praise Him! opens the album with exuberance, an evocation of the light of the Holy Ghost, a gentle questioning of the listener to see if any door is open to plant the seeds of change, of growth, of understanding.
The next song, If You Wanna, literally flies into the beautiful light of the Holy Spirit, and carries the listener along into this realm on the wings of Aleee's magnificent vocals.
The third song, Mashiach, is much more contemplative. Aleee wanted to reach out to all the children in Africa who are AIDS victims, and wrote this song on their behalf. A portion of all sales from this song will be donated to agencies serving their needs. Shoop, a funky retro song, reaches out to the soldiers coming back from Iraq, and to all the chaos in their relationships when they come home. The lyrics guide the listener towards turning their daily lives into Christ's message—being brave enough to smile at a homeless person, being strong enough to endure all the hypocrisy and meanness coming at you, and remain strong in the spirit, loving and compassionate.
Everytime is a lush, beautiful respite, a song that basks in the light of the Lord, the comfort of knowing Jesus is resting in our hearts through any sorrows or tribulations. Guess, a reworking of a famous pop song, addresses the need to die to our sins and release ourselves from our bodies, our desires, in order to fully accept Christ into our lives and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The words resonate, replay in the mind and the heart, evoke repentance and thus the possibility of genuine change.
You Be Real is so full of joy and happiness that few listeners can resist dancing. The words inspire the call to the altar, the acceptance of the saving grace of Jesus, which then opens the heart to real love, not the self-serving, myopic clinging that many people believe is love in our society today.
Lo Queia brings the album to a close with a message of forgiveness, and an acceptance of whatever the Lord puts into our path. Lo Queia features Heather Ruiz, a local singer who won first place at the Puyallup Fair vocal contest in 2006, and who is a formidable talent herself. The Mexican flavor and rich, deep color of the solo vocals paints a softness, a pastel hue that is like a mother's lullaby, calming any frayed nerves, dissipating the stress, dissolving the barriers to intimacy, to love among us.
