When did the initial idea for your latest single come together?
‘Whatever Is Needed, Whatever It Takes’, the latest release from us, started out like a lot of Sweet Crystal tunes do: a weekly rehearsal of the band jamming and warming up to a variety of licks and ideas we have floating around before we get down to real rehearsal business. It usually starts as a riff that I (Q) have discovered and the band just picks up on it and we play it until we’re sure 1) that we like it and 2) we will remember it for next time. It just develops over time from there with each guy putting his individual spins on it.
How would you describe the track, to a reader that is unfamiliar with the band?
‘Whatever Is Needed, Whatever It Takes’ continues where our last award-winning full album release ’7th HEAVEN’ left off: it’s a stadium-style rock anthem of hope and inspiration featuring our signature guitar sounds, synth melodies, straight ahead drumming with just a few hundred chanting fans thrown in for good measure.
Can you tell us a bit more about the meaning behind the track?
Basically, we are a Christian progressive rock band with 26 Detroit Music Awards under our belt, so the Bible is a big source of inspiration for themes and lyrics in our songs. As we looked around at the rubble and trouble in the world, this verse came to mind:
‘We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.’ 1 Timothy 6:7
We look forward to leaving all these trials and tribulations behind one day… but in the meantime, it’s up to all of us to stay ready to help each other with whatever is needed, with whatever it takes.
How would you say that the track compares to anything you’ve done before?
That’s a tough one as we have so many songs released over the years. The groove of this new song is a bit funkier and smoother than what we’ve done in the past. I like to call it a bit more ‘Zepplin’ (musical term!) in its nature. Having our own studio (Nightcrier Music) helps us keep a consistent quality to the sounds and production from project to project, so if you’re a fan of the music we’ve done in the past, you feel very comfortable with this song and the rest that will be released on our upcoming ‘8’ CD (slated for later in 2024).
What was the hardest part about putting it together, and why?
This time around, our venerable Mac/Apple DAW system started showing it’s age; crashing and causing some lengthy down time while we tried to keep it running. A decision was made that when this song (which we lovingly call WINWIT) was finished, we would spend the bucks and time upgrading the whole computer recording system…which we just did!
Why should a reader check out the track?
Everyone should check out this song and actually our whole catalog because our trademarked slogan “Reaching The World, One Song At A Time” ™ pretty much says it all about our music, message, mission and ministry: we are here to reach out to a world with songs of hope and inspiration; a musical light at the end of every dark tunnel you might be going through because chances are good – we’ve gone through those very same tunnels ourselves and definitely have found a way through.
What else can you tell us about the track, that we haven’t covered in this interview?
Well, take a listen to both the intro and backing chants in the chorus. Stadium crowd chanting the key phrase ‘whatever is needed, whatever it takes’… Pretty sweet. FYI: those adoring fans were basically the 4 of us in Sweet Crystal standing around a single microphone multi-tracking our voices! We’re talking multiple takes of the gents chanting in time, changing the tone and timbers of their voices.
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