Carmelo Domenic Licciardello was born on January 19th,
1956 in Trenton, New Jersey. To
Christian music fans he is known simply as Carman. He was born again at an Andrae Crouch
concert. Carman’s first album was 1980’s
GOD’S NOT FINISHED WITH ME. Some of his
more popular albums in the 80’s and 90’s were THE CHAMPION, REVIVAL IN THE
LAND, and THE STANDARD. In 1995 he
released R.I.O.T. on Sparrow Records.
There was a movie of the same name put out as well. R.I.O.T. was produced by Brown Bannister and
Tommy Sims, and executive produced by Peter York. In the liner notes Carman writes: “A big thank
you to John Hagee, Geof Jackson, and Rod Parsley for your incredible teaching
that has fueled, fired, and inspired the songs on this record”.
The album opens with ‘God is Exalted’, a pop/dance track on
which Carman is portrayed as the first officer of an airplane. The song includes both rapping and
singing. It offers spiritual advice and
insight: “Put on your wings, fly through the clouds/Our destination is
Salvation/So make sure you check into the right location/And don’t forget to
get that first class reservation/Which be the blood of the Lamb/Jesus Christ is
the Captain in command/And with Christ as the Captain we are sure to fly the
friendly skies/God is exalted and Satan is defeated/Jesus Christ is Lord”. The title track, ‘R.I.O.T. (Righteous
Invasion of Truth)’ is up next. Penned
by Carman and Tommy Sims, it won a Dove for Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year. It is a song of spiritual determination with
Nicol Smith as one of the vocalists.
Here are some of the words: “And it’s true we’ve got the gaze of
eternity in our eyes/But before this church is raptured/There’s no way we’re
gonna leave here quiet/We want a righteous invasion of truth/We want a
R.I.O.T.../Satan is a madman, a relentless entity.../The gates of hell come
crashing down when the saints of God begin to praise”.
‘My Story’ was written by Carman, Tommy Sims, and T Bone. Vocalists used include Angelo and Veronica
Petrucci and The Born Again Church Choir.
Musically, this song of testimony has a Jamaican feel to it: “Don’t need
no gangs, no drugs or a gat/I sure don’t need that pisto/Cause Jesus Christ is
the only thing that’s running through my brain/The devil had me bound/But He
broke the chains/Now to die is gain/And that’s my story/Givin’ all praises to
the El Shaddai/He saved my soul”.
‘Whiter than Snow’ is an epic gospel number over nine minutes long! It was inspired by the musical ministry of
Andrae Crouch. Horns and strings, as
well as the likes of Bob Carlisle and Cindy Morgan on backing vocals, are found
on this song. These lyrics speak of a
spiritual homecoming: “It seems like a million years since the day I first
believed Lord/Lord, I’ve been away so long/Now I’m hearin’ You, You call me
home/Now I’m reachin’ out to You today/Knowing I deserve to be turned away/But
that’s when, when I heard You say/When You said/’Come now and let us reason
together/Come now, we can talk it over/Though your sin be as red as
scarlet/I’ll wash you whiter than snow/I’ll wash you whiter than snow’”.
‘No Monsters’ is a spooky sounding rock number about
spiritual warfare: “An evil spirit floated by my bed/I could hardly believe the
nerve of this little punk demon/I though ayy, all right, that’s it, you’re
dead!/And then what happened?/I got righteously indignant/And then what
happened?/I was gonna make that demon pay/And then what happened?/The anointing
came upon me/I chased it out when it heard me say/What did you say?/’Don’t want
no monsters in my house tonight, don’t want no monsters in my house/You won’t
get me screamin’, you’re nothin’ but a demon/It’s time for you to go now/I am a
temple of the Holy Ghost/And I’m protected by the Lord of Hosts/Get out in the
name of Jesus Christ/Cause I don’t want no monsters in my house tonight’”. ‘7 Ways to Praise’ is a jazz/pop song that
includes First Call on backing vocals.
It is a song of celebration that documents seven Hebrew words for
praising the Lord. They are: towdah (the
sacrifice), yadah (lifting hands), barouch (bowing), shabach (shouting), zamar
(playing instruments), halell (raving/boasting) and tehillah (a combination of
the rest, including singing and dancing).
‘Step of Faith’ is a bouncy pop song with a catchy chorus:
“I’m takin’ a step, takin’ a step of faith/Walkin’ out on the promises God
made/Takin’ a giant leap in the air/Steppin’ out on nothin’ and findin’
somethin’ there/Tellin’ the doubt to wait, wait, wait, wait/I’m takin’ a step
of faith”. Terry McMillan plays
harmonica, while Ricky Skaggs and Lisa Bevill provide backing vocals. You can’t
get much better than that! ‘Not 4 Sale’
is a spoken word piece that finds Satan tempting Carman: “He said ‘You’re quite
a talent, the makings of a star/And with a little help from me, you really can
go far/I’ll tell you what I’ve told the rest, the rules remain the same/Don’t
glorify, support, or even mention Jesus’ Name/Now you can do something that’s
positive, but just don’t misbehave/Like use your notoriety and get somebody
saved/And don’t you be so vocal about the Truth you know/The Bible’s bad for
business, leave your faith at home/I’ll give you wealth and fame, far as the
eye can see/Live the way you want, but your career belongs to me’”.
‘There is a God’ is a beautiful anthem, partly spoken,
partly sung. George Cocchini plays
guitar, while The One World Choir and The American Boychoir provide backing
vocals. This song refutes atheism: “It’s
God who sent His only begotten Son to the cross of Calvary to save our souls
from hell and the grave/It’s God who creates, God who delivers, God who heals,
and God who is worthy of a thunderous ovation of praise/There is a hope, there
is a light/There is an answer to all answers/There is a flame that burns in the
night/And I know, I know, I know there is a God!” The album closes with Jester Hairston’s
moving gospel standard ‘Amen’. O’Landa
Draper & Associates appear on this song that reflects on and praises
Christ: “Come on everybody, listen to my story/Story about my Jesus/Amen,
Amen/See the little baby/Lyin’ in the manger on Christmas morning/Amen, Amen/I
can see Him by the seashore talkin’ to those fishermen/He was makin’ them
disciples/Amen, Amen/Now He’s ridin’ through Jerusalem/Oh, wave the palm
branches/In pomp and splendor/Amen, Amen”.
Listening to a Carman album is like going on an
adventure! Musically, you never know
what to expect from song to song. On
R.I.O.T. you will find pop, dance, hip hop, gospel, tropical, and jazz sounds
entering your ears. The thing is that
Carman executes them all with skill. The
backing vocals are a prominent strength on this record as well. By far, the majority of the songs here fall
into the praise and worship and personal testimony category lyrically, but
there are also three songs that deal with spiritual warfare, a common theme in
Carman’s career. This is a really fun
album to listen to! It glorifies God. If you’ve never before heard Carman, this is
a good place to start. I’m rating R.I.O.T.
a perfect 100%. For more info visit: www.carman.org.