Six for Twelve

      Six for Twelve are the most interesting musical act I have had the privlege to review. The music this group of four produces is strange, powerful, deep, emotional, soulful, and full of rock.

      Ascending only has four songs, but is nearly forty minutes long. The tracks on Ascending were all written and composed by lead singer Dion Brooks. Brooks is a graphic designer (he designed the CD Jacket for Ascending), he is also a Shakespearean and combat actor and has also majored in journalism, and is also master of Tae Kwon Do. Brook's lyrics and music definitely reflects his artistic background in Shakespearean Theater and possibly a background in Gospel.

      The lyrics and music on Ascending are long, deep and reflective. To listen to the music alone one would not fully appreciate the art behind the words. Usually when I listen to music, either it is the music that makes me like the songs or lyrics never both; one is always weaker. Ascending has the full package. The music and lyrics complement each other one hundred percent. The two songs on Ascending that really caught my attention as possible breakthrough songs for the group were Ascending and Father.

Believe me, I need you...for a moment, you can set Him free Believe me, I see you I know that it's a painful thing to please

      Ascending, the title track, is the second longest song on the LP. The song sings about a sexual encounter, and whether that encounter was consensual or not is something I could not decipher, but the words and music flow so well together that either way, one could take the song in any emotional sense.

      Father is the longest and most profound song on the CD. It is about a man dealing with his father's death and his own mortality. It reminded of the poems I read in my college literary courses. At nearly nine minutes long, one may nearly feel suicidal after listening to this track, but the actual message is ultimately the reality of life:

So said The Father to The Son, there is politic to pain So now you know the night is black, but there is prophecy in change For there in me is what was lost, but here in you is what remains... This is a fragile mortal coil and our sons are doomed to die Yet this cycle is forever and in this cycle there is Life

      I can't wait until this group makes it in the mainstream. I would love to see music videos for Ascending and Father. I believe they would be very grandiose and awe inspiring. But I have one bit of advice for the group; the length of the songs is just a bit too long. I would hate to see the radio truncate them and remove some of the musical elements that progresses the song.

      Recently Six for Twelve was nominated for two awards by Dallas.com, an informative e-zine on the local music scene in Northern Texas. Six for Twelve was nominated as local band of the year. With lead singer Dion Brooks nominated for best lead vocalist. These nominations are a start of something big. To find out the results of these nominations check out BANDWIDTH's next issue! Expect to hear much more from Six for Twelve in near future.

      Comments or questions about this article can be sent to JenniferJ@ybfree.com

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