David was a bluesman

So says Glenn Kaiser, former frontman of the REZ Band:

… if one were to place the songs of the Book of Psalms in catagories, “laments” would be the largest of them. A full 57 of the 150 lyrics in this biblical book speak about struggle, problems, negative situations. They cry, shout and beg for deliverance. David and the other writers of these lyrics had much in common with a slave culture many years and miles removed from them.

Then he writes:

As a musical form, blues is basic. Twelve-bar tunes (an entire verse or chorus typically contains 12 measures, three chords) are basic, simple and direct. Regardless of tempo and production, it’s immediate and most of the time, pretty earthy stuff. Which is to say “unpretentious”, real. As was stated in the opening paragraph, blues is based on the human voice. If one examines standard blues music, one readily hears a guitar, harmonica, keyboards and sax- when soloing (playing melodies)- playing and sometimes echoing a succession of notes that could have just as easily been sung. Even the foundational instruments- drums and bass- many times mimic phrasing right out of the average blues singer’s repertoire.

As a music minister, all of the above is not only touching for me, it also offers a wonderful vehicle through which to communicate the messages I am convinced God wants my audience to hear.

The whole thing is worth reading.

I really like what I’ve heard from Glenn’s Cardboard Box CD.  If I can get a copy, I’ll do a review soon.