Featured Artist: B. Reith

The Christian artist that I will be featuring this week is B. Reith, pronounced B. RYE-th.  He is a Christian artist whose musical genre ranges from R&B to hip hop to soul to pop.  Reportedly, when Toby Mac first heard B. Reith's music, he was so amazed that he had to pull his car over to the side of the road.

Quick Bio-
B. Reith (Brian James Reith) grew up around music.  His father owned a recording studio, and helped B. Reith to pursue his music career, starting at age five when he first sang in a commercial.  Gotee Records, founded by artist Toby Mac, signed B. Reith in 2008, and he came out with his debut album "Now Is Not Forever" on September 22, 2009.

One of the most well known songs by B. Reith is "Go On," a joking song about B. Reith's fight to get people to remember his music and the difficult pronunciation of his last name.  The chorus is catchy and a music video for the song has spread across YouTube.   "Go on, hey DJ, play that funky song that I like, but I can't recall the name.  I think it goes like la-da-da-la-da-da-da-da by some guy named B. Right, yeah, I think that was his name. Play that funky song..." 

Within B. Reith's debut album, "Now Is Not Forever", several of his songs are lighthearted rap pieces, filled with jokes and funny remarks about B. Reith's struggle as an artist, such as "The Comeback Kid" and "Old School."  "U Should Know" is a love song where B. Reith reflects briefly on staying pure before marriage.  "I'm so anxious, but true love's worth waiting for so I'm gonna stay patient.  I can't ignore this feeling inside, but I can control it, so let's take our time and slowly move forward..."  While "Wish That" is a song about B. Reith's hurt after a harsh break up, "Antidote" is an inspirational song encouraging young girls to find hope through heartbreak, self-injury, and drugs.  B. Reith even shares his testimony in the rap song, "My Story," and mentions that he would not be where he is now if it wasn't for God's grace.  "I Know" is a song about finding hope through a "desert" of hard times.  "Just for You" and "Rain Down" are both worship songs.  One of the catchiest songs on the album is "Mess," a song about messing up in your life and finally turning to God for help.
I have greatly enjoyed this album because of its diversity and originality.  I don't know any artist like B. Reith and although he can be vaguely compared to Christian hip hop artists like Group 1 Crew or TobyMac, he is most definitely a genre of his own.  "Now Is Not Forever" satisfies nearly all of my music needs, ranging from silly to serious, slow to fast, rap to singing.  It's truly enjoyable.

You should definitely consider adding B. Reith's album to your playlist.  He is not solely a rap artist.  B. Reith has a beautiful voice that he uses in the majority of his songs, and Toby Mac seems to be almost overly-enthusiastic about the potential of this young artist's musical career.

"It's amazing when God truly gives someone a gift.  Brian is just naturally gifted from God vocally and his lyrics, when they hit tape, they sort of just ease into your heart... Trust me, B.Reith is a man of character too.  He's a guy that truly walks what he talks."

The uniqueness of B. Reith's musical style is another attractive thing about his album.  His songs do not all sound the same.  His album changes from genre to genre, and each song is worth the listen.  And what does B. Reith have to say about his musical style?

"God gave me an ear to pick up things.  My style is just an accumulation of what I've heard throughout my life, channeled through the unique talents that God has given me."

Do you have any critiques or opinions?  Are you a fan of B. Reith?  Has this review helped you?  Leave your comments below.