From Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, we’re invited today to partake in a fest of grand scale Psychedelic Rock tunes amalgamated with the soaring, dramatical voice of Christopher Barnes aka Lucifers Beard. The song at hand is Shake On The Floor and it is the farthest thing from a Pitbull summer track or an old-school Ricky Martin banger. It’s more of an illusionistic Rock sequence of instrumentation adorned by an equally mysterious message. The songwriter shares exclusively with Blue Rhymez Entertainment: “Lately, I’ve been focusing on letting go of any cultures and restrictive associations. Since I’ve built my own recording studio it’s been about doing what felt right for me. Lyrically, I thought control or a lack thereof was an interesting concept that consumes all facets of life: from the jobs we have, the genre music bands are grouped into, and also the bigger picture like corporate media and governments around the world. From a technical perspective, this is my first independent and fully DIY release, including mix, recording, and production.”
You know what’s f*cking hot? When you hit play and you hear right away what you’re gonna deal with. No ifs, no buts, no beating around the bush, just straight fire in your ears. If we couldn’t hear any more of the song, this aspect alone would have us thanking Lucifers Beard for the concise and direct introduction. Artists reading this, please take notes and follow the lead!
If you can picture yourself at a Rock show hosted at a football arena, that’s kinda the vibe you get in Shake On The Floor: a top vigorous guitar going lower in notes but louder in volume with its progression, alarmingly powerful drums occupying a ton of the room and a sexy, retro-ish whooo, who, who, who preceding the artist’s entrance.
Explain on the phone/ How you lost your throne/ Share your sugar cone/ Forced brutal I asked/ We’ve got to last/ She’s smirkin’ a lie, sings in an unexpectedly unique tone Christopher Barnes. The uniqueness rests in the vocal prowess of the man but also in the technique employed. It’s not a singing style you’ll hear delivered by the 2020s modern bands. It’s very old-school flavored almost smelling of cigar bars, leather jackets, and unknown Rock bands who shook the world at its core and became the legends we fantasize about today. The elongation of the vowels, the notable chorus voicing on the ending words, and the unavoidable thump that lets you know the best part hasn’t dropped yet, all make for an exceptional Psychedelic Rock creation of legendary stature.
The buildup before the drop is even graver in resonance with matching lyrics: Tiptop hat ‘n’ toe/ Get hotter and slow/ Shake on the floor/ Truth or dare to my face/ One fault I’d replace/ Is the memory I made. One nice feature you yet again won’t hear in today’s catalog is the way the artist ties the words together in, flowing like a sonic river bordering a what-did-he-just-say moment around One fault I’d replace. This ladies and gents, is how you write hit pieces that trigger listeners into searching for your lyrics online thus investing even more mental space and time into your music and artistic existence. This dash of theatrical delivery and inflicted drama is heavily missing from many and abundant in Lucifers Beard’s music.
Of course the best part was going to be delivered with the section representing the title. That’s what any great songwriter would do and it’s clear as day, Cristopher Barnes is a pro. When singing Shake On The Floor, first he orders, then he enjoys the fest himself.
The following is our favorite part of the single: I’m crazy to ask/ What scared you the most/ Is it your loving host?/ Your cruelest is known/ I’m stunted yet grown/ Knock bang at your door!/ You, him, and her/ Lost out in time, a river breached in full flow/ Goddam you all/ Lesson learned on the call/ and I’m losing my mind. The acute transition between crowd-leading and personal revelations is marked by the sudden change in tone ranging from a rockstar to a dude wanting to just shut the door and be left alone.
The outro section is such a pleaser and a spin of what you already love about Shake On The Floor. It’s when crazy meets hot and melt together in Rock earworms while doing shrooms.
Shake On The Floor gleams and threatens through its monumental songwriting choices made by Lucifers Beard. It handles the ginormous expectations it sets out in the first seconds with excellence and grandeur worthy of gossip.
Song Credits: Christopher Barnes (Lucifers Beard) – Singer, Artist, Instrumentalist, Sound Engineer, Music Producer; Ed Ripley – Mastering Engineer.
Make sure you support Lucifers Beard by streaming Shake On The Floor on YouTube Music HERE, on Apple Music HERE, on Amazon Music HERE, on Deezer HERE, on Tidal HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2022
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 