A well-crafted a capella vocal intro with meaningful lyrics will always grab a listener’s attention. The Philadelphia based vocal quartet Lights Out hits the mark with “All That Matters,” a rich-textured song featuring tight four-part harmonies, a catchy melody and a soothing message for today’s times.
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“All That Matters” is a hopeful, inspirational song about believing in yourself. The lyrics focus on the band’s longevity and all they’ve been through over the years. Like most well-thought out lyrics, the sentiment applies to many different situations, including the current corona crisis.
Yes there are times when we need to hold on/There were times when our hearts said we should move on
There’ll be places in which we would rather belong/But in the end all that matters is that we stay strong
The new quarantine-inspired video for “All That Matters” highlights the universality of the song’s lyrics. “At first, it was going to go down the road of friendship and how the group is together,” vocalist Rob Fleischman said. “But the ‘a-ha!’ moment came while I was watching the news. It kinda hit me that the lyrics are just so inspirational for this moment. It spoke to me as, ‘Why not thank the people who are on the front lines?’ Which is why at the end of the video, we thank everyone − doctors, nurses, cashiers, farmers, truck drivers, teachers, the military− for working as hard as they are to save our lives right now.”
Lights Out features Danny Goscicki, Rob Fleishman, Chris James and Chad Moroz. The four met at the University of Delaware in October of 1998 and quickly caught the ear of Mike McCary, the former bass voice for Boyz II Men, who became their first manager and co-arranged one of the songs on their album. They began writing and performing their own original music in 2000, taking inspiration from their songwriting influences Billy Joel, Phil Collins and Paul Anka.
Lights Out carries the torch of classic vocal groups like The Four Seasons and sprinkles it with their own blue-eyed soul. The full-length album All That Matters features nine originals and four covers, including The Beach Boys “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” The Four Seasons “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” Mr. Big’s “To Be With You,” and most notably, a sharp and energetic “hip-pop” reinvention of “Stand By Me” featuring a guest appearance by show business veteran Ben Vereen.
All proceeds from the download of “All That Matters,” benefit The First Responders Children’s Fund, to help the children of those that have been lost on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis, as well as other national tragedies.
