Make A Stand

Alexander Joseph

Hope. A simple, short word that carries a lot of weight and expectation. Its something we all look to as the world grinds back into first gear and begins to move away from the 12 months of chaos. It is also the main focus and driving force behind the latest single from UK based singer/songwriter Alexander Joseph. Carrying overtones of optimism, realism, and and faith, Alexander is hoping to inspire listeners not to be afraid to hope for a better future.

As the song opens it lays its honest and humble intentions bare through the use of nothing more than an acoustic guitar and accompanying piano notes. This simple instrumentation has the same impact as if he had used layered riffs and splashing drums. As it rolls through the opening chord pattern a slight emphasis is used at the end of each bar through reverse synth effect on the final few notes. This almost acts as punctuation to the music and later to the lyrics. The song never strays to far from its powerful yet minimalistic composition and merely adds an easy drum beat and bass line to elevate the song as the chorus kicks in, helping to emphasise the songs key point of hope.

Lyrically the song anchors on a realistic version of hope. A hope born from struggling through what felt like an endless darkness that touched a world and not just a person. When writing the song Alexander has made sure to capture a more broader feeling and captured the overall mood of the world. Even his first line along is something that has been uttered by millions, “….I’ve had enough of all this suffering….” From the delivery and intention of the track he is speaking not just about the Pandemic but about the other issues that have been highlighted during this pandemic.

He later goes on to sing the words “….I know that peace, inspires unity, but it Ain’t gonna come over night….” These lines both acknowledge an ideal, one of unity and love through no more aggression but at the same time acknowledge that this isn’t a process that will be easy to create. This line grounds once again an ideal some would label naive into a more realistic framework of peace being a goal but we have things to work through first. It is around this point in the song that Alexander is joined by fellow sing/songwriter Tashara Forrest who lends her warm vocals to create a two part vocal line. The addition of the contrasting vocals lends even more power to the line “….Together we make a stand….” Again another nod to the fact that things will only work if we can all pull together at a time of change and not pull further apart.

Overall Make A Stand is a prime example of how music can spread a hopeful message and reach more people than mere words could. It isn’t breaking barriers composition wise but because of its traditional structure it allows focus to be given to the lyrics and messaging of the song and allow you to fully absorb Alexanders intent behind producing it. It also carries a religious influence that adds to the faith element however it is subtle and is more in the feel of the song than the actual words. It is an open love letter to the world and a banner of hope to gather around as we move out of the darkness and into the new day.

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