"Slipping Away" is a profoundly emotional ballad that explores the heartbreaking experience of grieving a loved one even before they're gone. With a delicate piano-driven melody, gentle orchestration, and soulful, expressive vocals, the song conveys the quiet agony of watching someone slowly fade away. The lyrics poignantly capture the helplessness and profound sadness of witnessing each cherished moment grow dimmer, yet desperately holding onto hope and love until the very last breath. It's an intimate journey through loss, memory, and the enduring struggle to find strength in the wake of immense sorrow.

Slipping Away

A hushed, a cappella journey through loss, memory, and renewal. Echoes of Yesterday layers a luminous female lead with tenor and baritone harmonies.

The Last Goodbye

Hope Through the Dark

Shadows of What We Were

Ghost of You

Empty Rooms

Autumn Leaves Falling

Fading Photograph

Scars That Remain

Even in the darkest silence, grace still whispers your name.

“Don’t Leave Me, Lord” is a heartfelt pop ballad that blends emotional storytelling with cinematic soundscapes. Built around a haunting piano progression and enveloped by lush strings and subtle bass tones, this track captures the ache of lost purpose and the beauty of redemption.

The male and female vocal performances are intimate yet powerful—each sustained note carrying the weight of struggle, surrender, and spiritual awakening. The production’s wide reverb and atmospheric depth draw listeners into a moment of quiet reflection, where pain gives way to peace.

Lyrically, the song tells the story of searching for truth in all the wrong places, only to find healing and hope through divine grace. From the haunting verses to the soaring chorus — “Don’t leave me , Lord, Hold me close forevermore…” — the message is one of restoration and faith reborn.

Psalm 34:17–18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Titus 3:5 — “He saved us... through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Ephesians 2:4–5 — “But because of His great love for us... it is by grace you have been saved.”

Psalm 51:10–12 — “Create in me a pure heart, O God... restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!”


Don't Leave Me Lord

Xak Stahl: Alchemist of Sound, Architect of Emotion

Xak Stahl is a genre-blurring music artist, sonic storyteller, and relentless experimenter. Every track he creates is a new world—a kaleidoscope of indie folk, alt-pop, electronica, and global flavors—infused with raw emotion and boundless curiosity. Xak’s music isn’t just heard; it’s felt.

From Shadow to Spotlight

For Xak, music is metamorphosis. His journey began in the shadows, transmuting heartbreak and struggle into songs that glow with hope. Early anthems like “Neon Dreams” and “Rising Through the Darkness” invite listeners to find their own light. His newest project, Major Arcana, channels the mysteries of the Tarot—each song an archetype, each lyric a step along the path from the Fool’s first leap to the wisdom of The World.

More Than Music: A Multisensory Universe

But Xak isn’t confined to sound. As a visual artist and writer, he crafts immersive stories that spill across genres and languages—sometimes haunting, sometimes playful, always honest. Whether he’s conjuring lush soundscapes, weaving bilingual lyrics, or creating striking visuals, Xak’s art dares you to feel deeper and dream wilder.

An Invitation to Transformation

Join Xak Stahl on a sonic odyssey that blurs borders—between genres, between artforms, between you and the music. Each release is an invitation to explore, to heal, to become. For Xak, every song is a spell, every album a universe. The only question is: are you ready to step inside?

Godvliet Records | Where Stories and Music Converge

Welcome to Godvliet Records, your destination for music that transcends genres, decades and speaks to the soul. 

Join us on this journey and discover music that moves you. Likes, shares, comments are welcome

Subscribe now and be part of our growing community of music enthusiasts.

Most of my music centers on Jesus Christ and God’s amazing grace. I primarily write in the Country Christian style, but every now and then I like to branch out when the mood strikes. You might hear touches of alternative Christian rock (I did grow up in the ’60s and ’70s), contemporary gospel, or even a hint of bluegrass gospel along the way. From time to time, I also step outside faith-based music into modern bluegrass or country.

One of my current projects is an album inspired by poems I wrote to my wife while she was deployed during Desert Storm in 1991. After all these years, I’m finally adapting them into songs — a project that’s been close to my heart for decades.

I was fortunate to play bass and sometimes piano in my late teens and early twenties for a country gospel group known as The Gospel Crusaders. We performed primarily at churches across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Then life happened, and I stepped away from performing for almost 50 years. During this time, I started focusing more on writing lyrics and music. In 2017, I picked up my mandolin and joined God’s Country in Largo, Florida. The group disbanded in 2023 when several members moved out of state, but we’re planning a reunion performance in 2026.

Even when I venture beyond my main focus of sharing the gospel through song, I strive to keep my lyrics honest, heartfelt, and sometimes just plain fun. Believe it or not, I’m not in this to make money — I write as an outlet to share the stories and experiences of life over the past 70 years. I write the lyrics for most of my songs, though I’ve been blessed to collaborate with a few talented friends along the way.

I use Studio One to produce my music and have built a large library of loops over the years. Some vocals are mine; others are performed by friends. And yes, I also use AI-generated voices or enhancements to vocals when needed.  I am in my 7th decade on earth and my voice doesn’t have the range it once had, plus I don’t have immediate access to female vocalists.  There’s a lot of debate about AI in music, but for me, the goal has never changed — to spread God’s love and joy. Technology is simply a tool, much like the studio innovations that have shaped music for the past fifty years.

In today’s music, many well-known and touring artists now use pre-recorded tracks and digital stems during live concerts to fill out harmonies, recreate orchestral parts, or trigger sound effects — it’s all part of modern performance. Whether it’s a backing track on stage or an AI vocal line in the studio, the heart behind the music still matters most.

I don’t believe AI will ever replace real musicians, but those who learn to embrace it and use it to enhance their craft will continue to flourish in the music industry.

I play bass, trumpet, guitar, piano, mandolin, and I’m currently working to get up to speed on the fiddle. You may not agree with my take on AI, and that’s okay. My purpose isn’t profit — it’s to share the message of God’s love through whatever tools I have, whether that’s a guitar, a loop, or an algorithm that helps me clean up a mix.

As W. Edwards Deming once said,
“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”

Technology will keep evolving, and so will we. My greatest hope is that one of these songs touches someone’s heart or makes a difference in their life. If God can use even one of them to do that, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

God bless you all.

New tracks tagged #ContemporaryBallad