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ROB FRAZIER - CUT IT AWAY | |
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Rob Frazier may live in Nashville but his heart resides in Philadelphia, home of American Bandstand, doo-wop groups, the Jersey shore, and Rocky Balboa. And here lies an interesting contradiction in Rob Frazier. Although in Nashville, this man's gospel was not honed in the fruit-bearing middle-American Bible dream. It was shaped and challenged in the urban centers of Philadelphia, New York, and London, England.
Rob has always kept a sensitive eye on the soft underbelly of life. His commitment to young people is solid and knowledgeable, born and nurtured through his own complicated youth, and today, rendered with and honest and trusting pen.
Rob Frazier, as once said, "believes in rock 'n roll, the music that saves your mortal soul". He also believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that Christian music encourages, not only your mortal sou, but also your immortal soul. He believes the two can mix. And he does just exactly that - with a joy and elation, he creates music that soars and rises, optimistic and lucid, unstatic and fulfilled. Rob's lyrics are accessible and loving and, at the same time, perimetered and recriminating.
Any understanding of Rob Frazier must begin in Philadelphia. The East produces a unique individual. He is, because of the climate, adaptable. Because of the city's racial mix, open and varied. And because of the intense social competitiveness, street smart. Born in the fifties and like many of his generation, his first major musical experience was hearing the Beatles. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band" was a far cry from his local church choir. It stirred many young emotions. Frazier said of this period, "For the first time I saw the importance of secular music. It was different from church music. And that was OK. Hearing the Beatles and other English groups opened up my artistic boundaries, I want to transfer the same spontaneity and joy that I felt hearing a new song on WMMR to my church music."
During high school Frazier balanced his free time singing in hte school and church choirs. In his free time he played with a rock band. After graduation, he enrolled in King's College, a small liberal arts college in suburban New York City. He worked diligently, majoring in English and hoping to go on to NYU Law School. Weekends were periodically spent in New York City, a retreat where the impetuous lifestyle and mercurical street rhythms were more familiar to him. While at King's College he met a girl and eventually got engaged to her. Unexpectedly she was killed in a car accident. Devastated and looking for direction and purpose he compulsively moved to Europe. He met up with a group of evangelistic Christian musicians that were traveling around Europe playing at public school and other youth gatherings. It was during this period that he sharpened his performance skills and began writing with a vengeance. In the Fall of 1977, he moved back to New York City and went to work in a recording studio where he composed jingles. In 1978 Frazier moved to Nashville and joined the seminal Petra. Frazier sang lead on the number one single, "Why Should The Father Bother?" The period was good, Frazier says, "I really enjoyed playing with those guys. I learned a lot about music, and even more importantly, I learned a lot about me. The guys in Petra have a real heart for the Lord, and I'm thankful for the time I spent with them."
In 1980 Frazier decided to strike out on his own and concentrate on his writing. He wrote for the Welk Publishing Group and various other secular houses. At the same time he was playing with a local band. It was during this time that he co-wrote one of his first secular songs, "Play The Game Tonight" for rock heavyweight, Kansas. While building a reputation as a writer, he was still feeling drawn by the Lord back to a full-time music ministry. A personal relationship with artist-songwriter Steve Camp grew into a working relationship, and with his encouragement and a lot of people's prayers he decided to make the switch back to a full-time music ministry.
CUT IT AWAY is the culmination of a powerful spiritual and musical journey. It is unique as every man's and as similar to no one's. The songs on the album speak of triumph, despair, and resignation. They hail the risen Christ and give hope to a faltering world. From the hypnotic and idyllic "He Is All You Need" to the hook-ridden "Come On Elaine" Frazier is redefining the boundaries of Christian music.
Walt Quinn