Malad-Borivali - Gospel truths!, Reviews,

As a genre, gospel music has a niche set of listeners and rather stereotypical kind of music.

When the three-piece band, ‘Egoexit’, comprising musicians and Bandra residents Brian D’Souza, Auxilia Sequeira and Jeremy Fonseca, decided to cut an album, ridding the genre of these notions was a definite motive. And, their just-released work, ‘Feel free to feel free’, is right on track.

Says D’souza, who has penned the lyrics and composed the music for the album, “We are only a year old, and already into mainstream gospel. In fact, our foray into this sub-genre of gospel sets our music apart. Each song has a theme that revolves around our relationship with God, and every listener will be able to connect with it.”

A melange of eight originals, the album is a confluence of pop, jazz and metal, and this has a lot to do with the three musicians coming from different music backgrounds. Says Sequeira, “It’s a good mix, as Brian was always into rock, Jeremy is a jazz faithful and I am versatile with genres. This variety has blended really well as can be seen on the album.

” And, the effort becomes even more commendable, as the proceeds from the album will go towards supporting ‘Rainbow Kids’, a project of Mount Carmel Church for slum children from Bandra Reclamation. Smiles Fonseca,
“Music and charity are very close to our hearts, and it feels good to cover both in one attempt.”

Says D’Souza of the relatively new band, “We had previously worked together on collaborations, and decided we must do something more concrete. Our comfort levels with each other were high, and we knew we would click really well. As for the band name, EGO stands for ‘Edge God Out’. It simply means that God has no room in our life, when we have an ego.”

Inspired from international gospel acts such as ‘Stryper’, ‘Casting Crowns’, ‘Disciple’ and ‘Petra’, their album will have a worldwide release on the web, and the band is sure of its success. Asserts Fonseca, “Our album is very experimental, and I have not tried anything like this before. We were speculative initially, not any more.

” Adds D’Souza, “We have been getting positive feedback from people, who have heard the music, and some of the responses have been heart-warming.”

And, what about the band’s choice of the gospel genre? Expresses Sequeira “Agreed we are from different backgrounds, yet gospel is a genre very personal to us. So, the choice was instinctive. The charm of the album is that everyone can relate to it. We do plan to come up with more material very soon.” However, for now, they are basking in the rave reviews coming their way.

kunaal.majgaonkar@timesgroup.com