About Me
It was 1991 and the Gospel airwaves of WWRL!600AM, the leading gospel station in NYC was blazing a song called "Do You Love Me," by a group called Hi-Lite in regular rotation. After that, Gospel music in New York City was never the same again. From Brooklyn to Queens, Staten Island to the Bronx, the craze started, Gospel music had a new face, with strong edge, raw beats and memorable melodies. Hi-Lite was the new standard. A group founded by songwriter and producer Sam Archer. A statement was made, Hi-lite became a house hold name which would bring two reactions, hate it or love it, this group was standing firm for Jesus. The mission was clear, the message was concentrated and the music was coveted by many other local gospel artists that hired Sam to produce that sound for their upcoming release. It wasn't unusual to be in a studio and hear someone saying they wanted their background vocals to be like Hi-Lite, or they wanted the music to have that flare....like Hi-Lite.
Well, that was yesterday. Many years have gone by and the saga continues. Sam Archer has been chiseling away musically since the group disbanded in 1996. He released three critically acclaimed albums entitled "Soca Therapy," "The Return," and "De Gospel According to Sam." Note that these three albums were experimental offerings in different genres under the category of "Worldbeat." Selections included songs like "Salvation," "Caribbean Man in America," "Rough and Ready", "The Lord's Prayer," "Till we do something about it," and "Bless Me." All three albums have been received regionally in rotation on countless radio stations worldwide.
The story unfolds with this new upcoming release from Sam Archer where he revisits his contemporary roots again and injects American street commercial elements. This project is called The Rebirth. This new album has 12 blazing tracks and the message is clear. Songs like "My Love," "U're My Reason," and "Turn My Life Around," mirrors where gospel music today needs to be and it's a code that many major artists in the gospel circuit have not cracked as yet. Sam shows his comical side with the interlude called "Pump it in Yo Ride," which gives the album a complete feel. He also has a song entitled "Lullaby," which was sung in dedication to his father who passed in February 2004, a touching rendition. In all honesty, there're two songs which will stand out as classics and only time will tell and they're "He Made it Through," and "My Prayer."
Vocal textures compare greatly to Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder but not limited to Sam's own vocal edge creating his own sound that differentiates him from anyone else out there.
One outstanding fact about this album is that it's a Home Grown CD, meaning everything about this CD was done in Sam's home studio.
