“Hold On” by Zack Landry
“Hold On” is the latest single from Gospel music act Zack Landry. His first release since 2019’s “Takeover” which saw him experimenting at full force with a bevy of musical tricks which he’s now traded for the more focused “Hold On.” From a very young age, Landry has had a love for music learning to play keys when he was a teenager before an unfortunate tragedy struck in the form of Hurricane Katrina. During this extensive period of recovery for himself and his family, he found himself drawn more and more to music, writing original material before realizing that his gifts were always there, he might have just been unaware of how and where to use them.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/zdlmusic
In 2008 he formed a group called “Phaze” with a group of his friend and over time continued to define his musical identity. Writing a series of songs before recording his most recent including the aforementioned “Takeover” as well as “I Give” and “Come On Praise Him”, each one building on the last that I recommend listening to his releases in order of date to truly get a sense of his growth as an artist. In a lot of ways, his music is relatively straightforward with a focus on being as entertaining as it is inspiring and he uses themes of redemption, belief, and trust impeccably. The press release accompanying the track includes a quote from Zack that we should “Never forget the purpose of your gift” and it’s very clear why he says as much.
The song itself starts with an amazing arrangement of guitar, drums, keys, and more all coming together as Landry slides in effortlessly to let us know upfront what this song is about. It’s a disarming level of transparency that goes a long way for listeners, especially new ones to the genre that may be apprehensive and by having built that trust upfront, you know you’re in safe hands as Landry reminds us repeatedly that we need to never give up, forgive ourselves when times get tough and to have faith in ourselves and god that we can always make it through and we’ll be fine on the other side.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Hold-On/dp/B08WRNL39R
It’s honestly inspiring as it is and you can hear his passion in every verse which is often repetitive but in a “Bolero” type way whereas it swings back around to the familiar chorus and words, there’s a new element whether vocally or instrumentally that is being implemented that makes it more powerful than the last passage, but unlike the infamous orchestral piece I mentioned before it’s not just going up and up, Landry knows when to slow down, lure you in and hype you up, speaking to you directly at one point for those who might be listening in their home or on the road and challenges you to look at yourself and see your value and to keep going no matter what. It’s perfectly mixed and mastered and filled with every second of infectious passion that will inspire thousands.
Zachary Rush