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Life can come at you hard and fast, and if you let it, it can get you out of sorts. We live in a fast paced society where if you are too slow you are bound to be left behind. However, Sam P. now known as Sam Pierce of Renew Your Mind Records has a different message. It’s only two words but it’s bound to rock your world if you let it. The message is to simply ‘Be Still.’
Sam P. starts off his album ‘Be Still ‘ with the reading of the Scripture Psalm 37:3-7, which basically says to be still in the presence of the Lord and the Lord will help you. It sounds like as if rain is falling as Sam reads the scriptures almost to say that God will help us in the storms of life. Storms are mentioned quite often on this project and are strongly tied to the theme of this album. The first real song on the project is “Return of The Whirlwind” featuring Airreia Pierce. This song finds Mr. P. talking to God and struggling and feeling unsure if God is listening to him. Very somber keys and drums guide Sam over this beat, as he laments about fighting the flesh and fighting to believe in the midst of the storm. Next, we have “Chill” featuring Alyssa Wade and Doctrinn. This sounds similar to “Return of The Whirlwind” but Alyssa knocks her hook out of the park. I enjoyed listening to Alyssa and would have liked to have heard more from her. On this track, Sam reminds us to chill in the presence of the Lord and let Him fight our battles and calm us. Doctrinn came through on the third verse and rode the beat in an unexpected way.
The Song “Homeward Bound” has a nice West coast feel and an interesting synth wailing throughout the whole song. Pierce speaks to navigating our lives on Earth as we head to our true home in Heaven. The first thing we hear on “Storm Fight” is some menacing horns almost letting you know that Sam is ready to go hard on this song. Sam encourages the listener to fight one’s flesh and that we can do all things through Christ Jesus. Sam reminds us that our lives are a test to see if we really stand on what we say we believe. At the halfway mark on this album, Mr. Pierce has “Two Agree,” which speaks on the power that we as Believers have when come together in agreement, and also “Giant Killer.” This track has Sam speaking to the devil telling him that he’ll never give his soul back to him. This may be one of the best sounding songs on the album. The strings and drums make this sound almost like one is marching off to war and going towards an uphill battle. This song has the potential to be a fan favorite.
Song number eight “Relentless” finds Sam Pierce encouraging the men of God to keep going and look to God. This song can be a real blessing to those men trying to be a godly husband, leader, and role model. On “Embrace Your Future” featuring Sheleta Mason, Sam P. is giving children a PSA on how important school and not hanging with the wrong crowd can vastly impact one’s future and destiny. Sheleta’s voice on the hook is haunting, as she croons for the children to embrace their future today. Not only is Sam Pierce a devoted husband but he is a father as well. This is very apparent with “Faith Babies” featuring Taronza Graves as Sam waxes poetic about his children and future children. In a world ripe with fathers abandoning the home, it is great to hear a man talk about the godly love he has for his children. The eleventh track is the posse cut “Renewed (Remix) featuring Kayo Bracey, The One Keon, and Jay Degree. This time around Sam P. brought his brothers in Christ on the mic to just brag on how God has renewed them. It’s always good to see a cypher type track on albums. Sam Pierce ends the album with “Focus” reminding the listener to focus on God and his holy attributes as we encounter problems, hurdles, and obstacles.
All in all, this was a pretty solid project for Mr. Sam P. now known as Sam Pierce. In the future, I would like to see Sam really challenge himself and stretch himself by using different flow patterns. I believe beats with different tempos could help with his flow, as his flow is very slow and predictable. I would also love for more lyricism to be present, as his rhyme schemes were very simple and predictable…his metaphors and similes were pretty elementary. The album sounds good, but with better mixing and mastering especially with the drums on some of the songs, it would have really come to the forefront and given off an entirely different vibe. This may have been one of Sam’s first, if not the first, project and he’s gotten of to a solid start. For those in need of some Christ centered, feel good music, encouraging and uplifting raps, Sam Pierce’s ‘Be Still’ may be just the project that you’ve been looking for.
