One of the things about being a largely labour of love site is that I can pick and choose what music I cover without worrying about following fad and fashion or pandering to big names and breaking acts to keep the wage bill covered. It also means that unlike many sites who get bogged down with the rhyme and reason for an artist’s existence and the technical aspects of their music I can just concentrate on the creativity and what lies at the heart of a track. Who cares if there is something a bit off around the 4K frequency or that the diction isn’t as good as artists blessed with millions of pounds to blow on a record, when you can soak up the art and emotion on display.
So Joel Kruger might fall into the bedroom busker category somewhat, but didn’t everyone once. Wasn’t there a time when even the biggest rock star and pop diva were yet to be discovered, yet to get their break. If anything such people should be given more respect not less, this is the fertile ground from which future stars bloom. And more even than that Water of Pain comes from the heart and that’s what counts.
It’s a celebration of love, an expression of the fact that even when you have your own problems to deal with, there are others who need you more and that in itself can be the reason to fight on and overcome them. In this case it is the simple unadorned love of a father reassuring a child that he will keep them safe. And when a message is so strong you need little else, in this case a voice and an acoustic guitar. So what sets Joel apart from the battalions of singer-songwriters that seem to be everywhere you look theses day? Honesty. Waters of Pain is refreshing in its unabashed love, its intimate nature, its low key approach. Not all riches can be counted in monetary terms and that is what this song is all about.
Did I say the song comes from the heart…scratch that, it comes from the artist’s very soul. Beat that big bucks music industry!
