PTtheGospelSpitter’s new single “Kingdom”

PTtheGospelSpitter’s new single “Kingdom” continues exposing eager and willing listeners to the young Southern native’s stylistic collision. PTtheGospelSpitter is a good moniker for a young singer/songwriter who has the necessary skill for combining the best elements of gospel, hip hop, and R&B. He ties the various threads splitting his musical character into an unified whole without it ever sounding like some sort of premeditated gimmick.

“Kingdom” isn’t the first time that PTtheGodSpitter has worked with another singer. Inviting Canadian-Nigerian vocalist Stephen Voyce to join him for this single is the track’s masterstroke without ever ceding the song to his talented guest. Their gifts are enormously complimentary. Much of the track has a keyboard/synth backing and each man’s voice provides the necessary contrast while maintaining the right balance between the two.

The aforementioned instrumentation has a bright and lush sound. We are far removed from the days when synthesizers and keyboards left fare such as this awash in a slightly sterile sound. These instruments add just as much to PTtheGospelSpitter’s performance as what the traditional guitar, bass, and drums might and the interplay between the track’s respective vocalists has much of the same effect.

The lyrics will perhaps be the most remarkable of the song’s attributes. It is unabashed confessional songwriting, definitely grounded in PTtheGospelSpitter’s beliefs, but it spends its time in reflection and self-examination. Scant sermonizing is present. It isn’t PTthe GospelSpitter’s duty, in his mind, to preach. Instead, he shares his gospel-fueled vision as someone interested far more in testimony than converting souls.

His lines are economical without a single extra syllable weighing down any portion of the song. Despite the synths/keyboards and other instruments, the same aesthetic informs the music. “Kingdom” never overextends itself and the tight focus defining the song from the outset serves to sharpen its messaging potential. PTtheGospelSpitter doesn’t want to deliver sermons, he doesn’t want to browbeat listeners, but he does want them to feel.

Emotion is not hard to come by in this song. The emotional tenor of the track is audible throughout both men’s vocals though they are careful to never allow the song to sink into melodramatic spectacle. This is marked contrast with some of the deliberately big screen qualities of the traditional gospel PTtheGospelSpitter grew up with as a young man in Atlanta, Connecticut and beyond. Those songs sang of salvation, a better tomorrow, and celebrated God’s power in the largest possible terms, often accompanied by soaring vocals, but PTtheGospelSpitter goes the other way.

Something about this single suggests he always be walking his own path of faith. There is no one road that leads a human being to an understanding of God, but PTtheGospelSpitter has discovered his. It informs his songwriting during tracks such as this with something secular as well – anyone, even if they don’t ascribe to the singer’s faith, can find something truly sustaining within this song. It is this quality perhaps, above all else, that makes PTtheGospelSpitter essential listening for anyone who values substantive musical art. 

Michael Rand