Review: Like music, Jason Akley's The Psalmist has tension and release that moves you.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2014
In music, there are moments of tensions and release.  That is what makes music interesting.  For David Threnody, the moments of his life are filled with tension and release.  And you can feel it as he struggles to survive as a blues musician.  Whether it was the allure of drugs or his struggle with his family or any of the multitude of challenges he faced personally or professionally, one thing was for sure, David had experiences to draw on to create the shapes of his blues music.  To me, his music was his answer to the tension that surrounded him.  It was his release.When you stop to consider that the author, Jason Akley, molded his protagonist, in part, from a Biblical figure, King David, who was responsible for the Bible’s Psalms, you begin to realize the genius of Akley’s writing and this story.King David was a savory character.  He led a colorful life filled with its own challenges.  His exploits and challenges were akin to those of Akley’s blues musician.  And despite his failings, King David would sing his Psalms, praise God and be forgiven.  Only David Threnody seems to take his music and offer it up as his hope for redemption.  I felt as though, with all that seemed to plague David, his music brought him a sense of peaceful bliss.Jason Akley chronicles the life of David Threnody over thirty years.  You will be taken on a journey of his humble beginnings through the very end of his hard-lived life.  And like the the tension and release of music you might be listening to in the background while reading this story, you will appreciate the very same dynamic in Jason’s writing.  I recommend you enjoy this book today.