New York, NY (Top40 Charts) There is nowhere in the world like Detroit. No city looks like it, no city feels like it, and no city sounds like it. Electronic music, house, hip-hop, blues, R&B:
Detroit artists have mastered all these styles, and the music made in the The Motor City has become the music of America. Southeastern Michigan musicians excel at everything they do, but in soul and gospel they are unparalleled. Gospel music and Motown standards remain the bedrock of popular music and always will be. Right at the intersection of soul and gospel stands Parkes Stewart, one of Detroit's finest.
"Clear Your Mind," his latest single, is devotional music in its purest form. It's a kind of prayer, a call for unity and purpose, and good advice given to listeners of all kinds. Soul music at its sweetest, delivered by a singer with an angelic voice, a deeply personal relationship to harmony and rhythm, and grounded firmly in Detroit's rich musical traditions. The song ascends from a plainspoken verse to a glorious, instantly memorable chorus, and Parkes coaxes all the persuasive power he can out of his lead line with smooth notations, and crooning. It is a performance emerged and totally embodied by the Holy
Spirit and animated by an unquenchable desire to entertain and uplift.
This is nothing new for Parkes Stewart, who has been delighting audiences with his distinctive gospel soul for decades. During his career, he has worked with some of the best in the business, including
Fred Hammond and Mitchell Jones, written for Commissioned, and
Yolanda Adams and artist such as
David Hollister and 112 has recorded his songs. He has distinguished himself as a melodious lyricist in his own right; regularly eliciting performances of uncommon sensitivity from the musicians he records with.
It is resounding on "Clear Your Mind." The backbeat snaps, the bass groove teases, and the background vocals are nothing short of enchanting. Given the ensemble feel of the track, it is no surprise that Parkes Stewart chose to include the entire band in the "Clear Your Mind" video (executive produced by Eat
Music Group, video produced by Paige Alston for Gold Television Network). Parkes takes his place in front of the group in a second-floor rehearsal studio, and there he testifies with the same grace and passion that characterizes everything he does. As a proud
Detroit artist, he takes to the streets to make sure you know exactly where this music comes from. Expect road signs, sidewalks, old Midwestern houses, and gorgeous aerial shots of the city. It is The Motor City to the core, and Parkes would not have it any other way.
