Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Giving thanks to God’s name through the power of music is as old a concept as time is, but it doesn’t feel like a stagnant practice of the ancients when listening to Rayon Baugh’s potently melodic “City of God.” Baugh has a voice that could shift some serious earth if he needed it to, and he’s utilizing it to reach toward heaven with both arms stretched out in “City of God” like few of his peers in the underground have this season, although not for lack of trying. He’s good to the point of attracting a crowd, and he earns his hype in this performance for sure.
Piano keys, a brooding voice, a guitar solo, a spoken word string of verses; it’s layer after layer of expression in “City of God,” and yet Baugh doesn’t ever sound like a man struggling to control the swell of emotionality that’s building beneath his feet as the conductor of this small orchestra of ornamentation.
I would have never known he wasn’t more experienced just in listening to his commanding attitude here, and if that’s something I can anticipate hearing in other recordings bearing his name, he’s in for a lot more positive feedback from this critic.
Whether you’re a diehard CCM fan or just someone who loves good harmonies and a positive message within the lyrics, Rayon Baugh is too good a player to be ignored in the single “City of God” as well as its accompanying music video. Charisma begins with the star of the show, and Baugh is presenting it in both what he says and how he’s saying it in this track, which isn’t the case with the vast majority of the content that I review from across the pop spectrum, let alone in faith-based music with a very specific target audience in mind.
Frank Lorentzen
