I’m enjoying some more new music here at my house recently. It’s always exciting (to me) when I find great music with a solid message, and especially when that music is appealing to my kiddos as well as myself. We have just found Robert Pierre, from Florida, and his music – he’s definitely worthy of an introduction!
About Robert Pierre
Robert Pierre is an 18-year-old with a big voice and an even bigger heart; a talented musician and a singer-songwriter who has managed to juggle a music career with his high school honors course work. Robert grew up in a Christian home and knew about Christ all his life, but it wasn’t until he was confronted by a teacher in seventh grade that he gave his life to Christ. “He looked at me and asked me one simple question,” Robert explained, “He asked,”If you were to die right now, and were standing at the gates of heaven, and God asked you why He should let you in… what would you say?’ And all I could think to answer honestly was that He shouldn’t…” The Spirit used that moment to bring Robert to a point of repentance and salvation that changed his life forever.
It was at that time that Robert committed his talents to the glory of God alone. Soon, the Lord began to open doors of opportunity for Robert to minister to people through music. Robert has already released two nationally distributed records, with three singles hitting the Billboard Christian AC Top 50 hit list. In addition to performing at summer festivals, Christian fund raisers, teen camps, youth groups and schools, Robert has toured nationally with the junior high “Believe” Tour, the inaugural “iShine” Tour and the nation’s largest Christian tour “Winter Jam 2010.” This last year, he has spent his time writing and recording his third record, titled “I’m All In,” which is representative of Robert’s passion for not only talking about his Christian faith, but living sold out for Christ. The project has been co-written and produced by award winning songwriters and producers Matt Bronleewe and Jason Ingram. Robert not only sings on this album, but wrote on 10 out of 11 songs, played guitar for the recording, and sang back up vocals.
My Review
I have Robert’s latest EP (more than just a single, less than a full album – it’s 4 of his newest songs) and it’s awesome!
The EP includes the songs: Jesus, Breaking My Heart, Identity, and You Hold Me Now.
Robert might be young, but there’s nothing young about his sound or his music. He’s got a big voice, confident and solid. His songs, while definitely targeted at a younger audience, are thoughtful and meaningful. There’s no fluff ‘pop’ stuff here!
Robert is new to me, but I can’t get over how he certainly doesn’t sound like he’s new to the recording industry. He’s got a comfortable and veteran sound, definitely giving the impression that he’s been doing this for a while. Robert has lots of previous recording and performance experience, and this studio EP shows that his experience is paying off. There’s no sense at all that he’s trying ‘too hard’ as we often hear from young artists. He’s relaxed and obviously feels the music he’s singing deeply. There’s a bit of a pop feel to the music, but Robert sings clear and strong (you can actually understand every word he sings!).
I’ve listened to these 4 songs on the EP over and over now – nothing has ever jumped out at me as “ewww” or “odd”. On “You Hold Me Now” there’s some fun ‘vintage album’ effects where it sounds like we’re listening to an old record, but it’s mixed well with the whole, so that it feels like a bigger part of the whole song and not just a cheesy ‘effect’ thrown in.
The lyrics of all the songs are perhaps what excites me most about this EP, as well as Robert’s upcoming CD release. That’s because the songs are speaking right to the heart of where my kiddos are headed – into the world of teen peer pressure and beyond into the larger world of adult pressures. “Identity” is a fantastic song walking through the lives of a few teens who are taking a stand for their beliefs, even when being scoffed at and misunderstood. These are the kinds of lyrics I want running through my kiddos heads: “Although they may not understand, they ask her why and she says: ‘That’s who I am, forgiven and set free. It doesn’t matter what the world may think of me. I’ve got nothing to hide; I know my Identity. Without a doubt I know His blood has covered me. That’s who I am.'” The meaning is crystal clear, the tune is SUPER catchy, and this song is sticking with my tweens. I love that!
Robert Pierre’s EP is at the top of the kiddos playlist on their Shuffles right now – their choice, not mine! That’s sayin’ something!
I can’t wait to hear Robert’s new full-length CD, coming soon! And guess what – I’ll be having a giveaway when it does come out. If you have tweens and teens, this is a CD you’ll definitely want to have in your playlist!
In the meantime, you can listen to Robert’s EP over at NoiseTrade: https://www.noisetrade.com/robertpierre#
You can preview the songs and even download them for free!
While you’re at it, join Robert’s FACEBOOK page (http://www.facebook.com/RobertPierreMusic) – he actually manages his own page! He also has some fun videos (music and just high school kid stuff) on his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/robertpierre. If you check out the videos, you’ll agree that Robert is a REAL kid, who happens to have a great voice, a huge heart, and a message of hope to share with the world!
