The phrase Let’s Come Together isn’t just the title of Kevin LeVar & One Sound’s national debut via Universal Music Christian Group, but it’s the very fabric for which his music ministry is based. It’s an idea that seeks to fizzle away boundaries relating to culture, race, geographical association and musical styles, coupled with an evenhanded approach to serving the church and impacting the world at large. In fact, there’s a wealth of evidence in the artistry, which finds the singer/songwriter strutting ever so soulfully one moment, turning towards congregational praise and worship the next, then shuffling to sizzling Latin sounds, dipping back to the days of old school gospel or rocking out on occasion (while even addressing flourishes of Caribbean, calypso and big band).
“I wanted to really reach lot of different demographics and didn’t want to stylistically paint myself in a corner,” says the New York bound Washington D.C. native of the progressive project. “I wanted to fit any environment we might go in as a band and I found the songs coming straight from the Lord. We serve such a creative God that all different shades and flavors came out within the music and it’s my desire to be as diverse as possible.”
However, that variety doesn’t come at the expense of cohesion throughout Let’s Come Together, which also plays off the fact that the themes of each track intertwine to tell LeVar’s own story of trusting in the Lord and simultaneously encouraging listeners to fully embrace their God ordained destiny. And this spiritually centered entertainer isn’t just talking the talk, but rather a living example of someone who experienced a revealing epiphany in his own life prior to entering the performance foray full-time.
“The Lord called me off my job and I first started introducing gospel love songs throughout the DC area,” he recalls of an exodus away from the school system into artistry. “But at the time I thought He was telling me because there was a record deal around the corner considering I was gaining a lot of buzz on the radio, but when I left my job, I found myself in a valley-like situation where I didn’t know what the next step would be. I became broken, but immersed myself in prayer and eventually the Lord lifted me up.”
From then until now, the extraordinary series of circumstances could’ve only come from divine routing, starting with LeVar’s revelation that he was indeed destined to a life of ministry during one of Bishop T.D. Jakes’ church services. From there, regional acceptance soon turned to a national platform thanks to appearances on Trinity Broadcasting Network, Word Network and BET, plus prominent performances for the September 11th Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Tsunami Memorial in Colombo Sri Lanka (which led to an appearance on “Good Morning Sri Lanka” in front of nine million viewers). As time passed, the doors continued to open at lightning-like speed, including a slot on NBA All Star Weekend in Denver, an appearance at the Civil War Memorial on Capitol Hill and the EXPOLIT Latin Christian Conference in Miami.
Outside of the stage, LeVar also found himself in the studio, writing and performing “Everything He Promised” with Dorinda Clark-Cole on her project The Rose of Gospel after winning “Best New Vocalist” at her annual Singers & Musicians Contest. He also earned an “Honorable Mention” rank in the John Lennon Songwriter Contest and scored additional credits writing/singing “Amazing God” with Stellar Award nominee Pastor William Murphy on his CD The Sound, plus singing lead solos on Grammy nominee Myrna Summers’ His Mercy Endureth Forever. Appearing on such prominent albums expanded LeVar’s ministry reach all across the globe, with choirs around the world covering his songs on a regular basis, leading to YouTube clubs of Hawaiian choruses, emails from Australia and even heartfelt messages from fans in Germany (to name but a few regions of recognition).
“I may have been prepared for the stage- which I’ve been on since John P. Kee called me up to sing at our church during a workshop when I was 7 years old- but I was not prepared for the things off the stage until now,” LeVar relates. “The Lord led me to a place where I have a deep care and concern for my audience and I have a very strong base of pastoral and personal accountability to make sure that my artistry is balanced with character.”
The tunesmith’s integrity shines through from start to finish throughout Let’s Come Together, regardless of what genre the skilled instrumentation represents. Standouts on the CD include the vertically leaning “Here I Am,” the high energy “Hiding Place,” the joyful “Atmosphere of Faith” (which seems tailor made for churches but equally relatable in personal settings), along with the retro soul crooner “I’ll Say Yes” (sure to give Al Green or Marvin Winans a run for their money). Yet one can’t listen to this collection without feeling the need to build bridges, not only to non-Christians, but also to believers who’ve yet to align their agendas.
“The body of Christ needs to galvanize to reach the world and that means really closing the gap between races within the body of Christ,” he boldly offers. “It’s my prayer that Let’s Come Together can create harmony on all levels, especially when you think of harmony in musical contexts and the fact it takes two different notes to have harmony. If it’s just the same note over and over, that’s only an octave, but when it’s two, three or four different voices, it’s a beautiful harmony and that’s how I liken it to when we all get to heaven, regardless of what we might look like on earth.”
But there’s still plenty of work for LeVar to accomplish before being called to an eternal destination, starting with Universal Music Christian Group’s full-fledged release of Let’s Come Together, followed by a tour in support of the CD. However more than merely performances, he views each appearance as an ongoing series of worship experiences, which already include ministering before the aforementioned Jake's congregation and as part of various showcases with gospel greats such as Kurt Carr, Beverly Crawford and Mary Mary.
“Universal Christian Music Group has been such a blessing because they really believe in this project, plus they have the networks and channels where they can really push it properly,” LeVar adds. “I believe that they are the perfect match, and as I look back on all the Lord’s led me through, I just find myself trusting in Him more and more day by day and I know whatever will happen with Let’s Come Together from here on out is all in His hands.”
