“You see slaves and beggars, but I see Kings and Queens. Your world is slowly dying, but my world it just began”.

 

These evocative lyrics from the song “The Harder It Is” on Don’s debut album “Destiny Is Manifest” are delivered with the passion and conviction of an old soul who knows his time has come.

 

As a singer songwriter who often employs a confessional style reminiscent of folk singers like Joni Mitchell, vivid lyrics and vocals play a key part of Don’s sonic fingerprint. While his work showcases a range of musical styles including folk, rock, pop and blues, the vocal performances share a similar raw quality that conveys a sense of heartfelt authenticity to the listener. The deliberately minimalistic production effects on the vocals, add to the feeling of nakedness and intimacy that characterizes Don’s performances.

 

In the powerful introductory track “God Is Beautiful”, he brings the lofty concept of a supreme creator to us in a deeply human way akin to Joan Osborne’s “What If God Was One Of Us”. With the lyrics “This world it keeps us down in silence, we are the jailors of our dreams” on the track “Live and Learn” he challenges us to remain hopeful about life and love in a world that often tempts us to feel jaded. And then in the bold declaration of “Freedom” with its soulful refrain, he captures the struggle we all face being bound by chains that often are not physical. In ballads like “I Wanna Be Loved” and “Moments” with their vulnerable vocals and gentle instrumental riffs we get a glimpse of a tender side to this spiritual warrior. At once classic and visionary, nostalgic and futuristic, this artist consistently bestows us with music that stirs the soul.

 

Don grew up in a home that was always filled with an eclectic range of tunes from the ‘60s onwards humming in the air, and his African roots resonate through the gravitas of his writing and delivery. One of his early memories was watching the making of We Are The World (USA for Africa) and being inspired by the potential that music and powerful lyrics have to reach across boundaries, motivate people and bring about positive change. The quintessential Renaissance man, Don has lived in multiple continents, launched several entrepreneurial ventures and spoken on the TED stage, however he has always returned to his passion for music.

 

His first studio album, Destiny Is Manifest, recently re-released onto streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and others is by his own description a labor of love many years in the making. On the creative process, Don says “Sometimes the songs come to me fully baked with melody, harmony and lyrics and I have the song down almost immediately; other times they float in the ether as a concept for months and then slowly take form. It’s as if each song has a unique personality and I’ve learned to have the patience to let them unfold and manifest as they desire”.

 

He was fortunate to collaborate with the talented Hollywood-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Bizar and veteran sound engineer Matt Forger (who worked on Michael Jackson’s Thriller album amongst many other top-tier projects) who worked with him to craft the right musical landscape within which his songs could thrive.

 

Don often uses dynamics in his vocals to drive the emotional content of the songs forward and mixes tenderness and defiance to communicate a powerful storyline. The timbre of his baritone-tenor voice has been compared to artists like George Harrison and Billy Joel and the soulful quality of his vocals in moments of abandon adds a distinctive twist to the typical folk performance. Musically, beautiful counter melodies played on piano or acoustic guitar often continue the storytelling where the vocals leave off and the use of straight major and minor chords in many of his compositions reinforces the sense of honest simplicity and conjures up a Dylanesque image of the modern day prophet armed with “three chords and the truth”.

 

After taking a break from performing, Don has been busy in recent months composing and recording new material and preparing for a return to live shows. A lifelong learner, he has also been honing his craft as an artist and expanding his repertoire of musical styles and knowledge.

 

“Sometimes keeping the dream alive is as important as the dream itself”, Don reflects. He is an artist with boundless dreams and they are most certainly alive and well as we anticipate what he will be sharing with his audience in the months and years to come.

"Sometimes keeping the dream alive is as important as the dream itself"