{"id":623,"date":"2012-06-14T00:52:15","date_gmt":"2012-06-14T00:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christianawake.com\/?p=623"},"modified":"2021-06-23T20:08:18","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T01:08:18","slug":"sleeping-at-last-the-music-of-ryan-oneal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theologia.blog\/index.php\/2012\/06\/14\/sleeping-at-last-the-music-of-ryan-oneal\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleeping At Last – the Music of Ryan O’Neal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan O\u2019Neal, the force behind the band Sleeping At Last, is one extremely talented singer\/songwriter. I cannot say enough positive things about the music I have heard to date which\u00a0 includes the album Storyboards<\/em> and selections from Yearbook<\/em>. I discovered Sleeping At Last when just this past year O\u2019Neal gave away Storyboards<\/em> for free on NoiseTrade.com<\/a>. I have been hooked ever since.<\/p>\n

Sleeping at Last crafts spiritually meaningful lyrics with rich, beautiful melodies. Content is supreme with O\u2019Neal\u2014his message is overall spiritually charged though not overbearing or overly religious. This is right up the alley of the Christian who enjoys music that entertains the sometimes deeper spiritual subjects of life while avoiding the overdone.<\/p>\n

Though Christian, you will not hear O\u2019Neal overuse staple Christian buzz words such as mercy and grace; instead, he will tell you about them, along with love, forgiveness, humility and hope, weaving their concepts into significance. His use of imagery and metaphor is at times astounding.<\/p>\n

Take for example the song \u201cBirdcage Religion\u201d from Storyboards<\/em>:
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

so slowly i\u2019m losing<\/em>
\nwho i\u2019ve sworn to be.<\/em>
\na promise in pencil<\/em>
\nthat years have made so hard to read.<\/em>
\ni\u2019ve spent my life building walls<\/em>
\nbrick by brick and bruise by bruise\u2026<\/em>
\na birdcage religion that whispered me to sleep.<\/em><\/p>\n

but time is spinning silk<\/em>
\nthat coils ruthlessly;<\/em>
\nwith the devil\u2019s patience,<\/em>
\nit binds my hands so quietly<\/em>
\nthat soon it becomes a part of me.<\/em><\/p>\n

so soften these edges and straighten out my tie.<\/em>
\nand help me remember<\/em>
\nthe hope that i have compromised.<\/em><\/p>\n

please be a broken record for me.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then in \u201cNa\u00efve,\u201d a delicate piano and voice piece form Storyboards<\/em>, a stunning moment of clarity and triumph unfolds, the likes of which is rarely achieved as well in song lyrics, when the song culminates in a moment of realization:<\/p>\n

but in the end such tired words will rest.<\/em>
\nthe truth will reroute the narrow things they\u2019ve said.<\/em>
\nthe marionette strings will lower and untie<\/em>
\nand out of the ashes, love will be realized.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Perhaps what is most intriguing about Sleeping At Last is how O\u2019Neal mixes his commitment to his faith in God with his art form. In an interview from Wrecked.org1<\/sup>, O\u2019Neal was asked if Sleeping At Last is a Christian band, what that means to him, and how is his faith incorporated into the music he writes and plays?<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neal responded:<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate to use the old \u201cWe’re not a \u2018Christian band,\u2019 we\u2019re Christians in a band…\u201d thing, but… since we began, we\u2019ve felt very passionate about making our music available to anyone that was kind enough to listen, no matter who they are or what they believe in. We\u2019ve also always aimed to write music that is as sincere as possible and that incorporates everything that means a lot to us.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur faith is a very big part of our lives, so naturally it comes through in our songs in a lot of ways. We never try to tone it down or up. And that\u2019s sort of how we\u2019ve approached our faith and music from the beginning. We\u2019re just privileged to play music for anyone with an open ear.\u201d1<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

O\u2019Neal\u2019s answer rings true to what I have thus far heard from him musically\u2014an example of faith neither overdone nor underdone, but just exactly as he is\u2014a true reflection of what is inside the artist. His ability to bring it out in words and music is what makes Sleeping At Last a must listen.<\/p>\n

You can check out O\u2019Neal and Sleeping At Last<\/a> more at their website.<\/p>\n

I leave you with a recent live version of \u201cTethered,\u201d a personal favorite of mine, which is off the Yearbook<\/em> album. If you follow along with the lyrics included below, you will get a taste of O’Neal’s high level of sensibility, use of imagery, and song craft…<\/p>\n