[Album Review] Playdough & Heath McNease – Wed, White, & Wu

Click here to download the mixtape for FREE!

It’s finally here! I got an advance copy of it yesterday and I had to sit on it for awhile and talk about it to a friend. I came away with a lot of thoughts:

First: I hipped my friend to Playdough & Heath literally like last week. I made a mixtape for her with a lot of different tracks that were mostly upbeat. So when she heard this she wasn’t as prepared for it. Mostly because she doesn’t usually listen to Wu Tang Clan or any gritty hip hop like that. But the mixtape served to provide several juxtapositions. Whenever I hip her to music, it’s either purely Christian/Gospel or purely secular. To have something that mixes the two was interesting to her. And it provided great discussion that shall lead me to the following soapbox:

You can’t really win for losing being a Christian. It’s as if when you’re a Christian you fall into one of these categories: completely isolated from the world and judgmental or so hypocritical that no one really knows you’re a Christian except for when you say it. I already know that I can’t share this mixtape with some of my friends because they’re going to be like “Wu Tang? That’s not holy.” or “That can’t edify your spirit” or whatever holy speak we like to use when sounding super spiritual. While I appreciate that view and certainly don’t knock it, it feels like we as super deep Christians can miss the point, or worse yet miss the opportunity to really learn something. I truly subscribe to the concept that you can’t just watch/listen to/participate in just anything. We can’t try to get so close to the world that we lose our Christian identity, but at the same time we can’t be so isolated that we become out of touch. It is ENTIRELY possible to be Christian and NOT BE A LAME!! You can speak about love and faith and hope, and still be cool. You can talk about video games and relationships, and other unimportant things and still have a heart for Christ. How do you find that balance? That’s entirely subjective, but it can be found.

Now with that being said, there really is something for everyone in this mixtape. The rhymes are as deft and discerning as ever. You can really sense how hard everyone worked on this mixtape. Every time you listen, you’ll get a different understanding of a lyric, or you’ll just hear something so outlandish that you can’t help but laugh out loud. While this mixtape won’t be for everyone, it is still pretty stellar. I couldn’t recommend this mixtape enough. So click on the link, download it, and donate. We need to support good music whenever we can so do it!

Throwaway note: I never realized what a wrestling fan Heath McNease was until this mixtape. I heard at least 2 Lex Luger mentions and a shout out to Randy Orton. As a big wrestling fan, that just made my heart happy.

Rating: 4.4/5

Tracks to Repeat: “#CougarSwag”, “C.R.E.A.M.”, “Sweet Love”, “Gravel Spit”, “27 Club”

Tracks to Skip: “You Know My Steez”, “Half Ghetto”

 

[Album Review] B. Reith – How the Story Ends

I can’t tell you how excited I was to receive this album in the mail yesterday. The immediate thing I noticed when I started listening was that something was indeed different. It still has the same polish and crafty wordplay, but there was a new sense of urgency and hunger to it. With his last full length album, there was a certain sense of accomplishment to it, and I’m sure being signed to Gotee Records was the reason. But leaving the label and having a career in limbo forced B. Reith to stretch and be uncomfortable and wrestle with God for a period of time. That struggle is interwoven into the album and we’re all the better for it.

But how are the actual tracks? I’m pleased to say fantastic! The guest spots with Lecrae, Lisa Gungor, PJ Morton, and Dave Barnes are all well placed. It’s refreshing to see guest spots actually enhance and not draw attention away from an album. He continues to bounce back and forth between many genres and many topics that there’s something for everyone, maybe even Becky.

Becky is a CCM radio term for their target audience: a white woman in her 40s with kids who she probably shuttles to soccer practice often. Hearing this demographic described highlights the reasons why all urban Christian music continually struggles to be mainstream even in the Christian community. This is primarily why I don’t listen to Christian radio, and why should I when the only “urban” song they play is Mary Mary’s “Shackles”. Thanks but no thanks. Think that fires some shots? B. Reith fires a lot more and rightfully so. I tweeted him last night and said we should start an #ImNotBecky movement, and I’m deadly serious. With CCM radio focusing exclusively on “Becky” they are standing it the way of so many artists having an impact on millions of people. They are doing all of us a disservice and something needs to be done.

This is supposed to be album review, not a chance for me to stand on a soapbox right?

I feel so personally attached to this album because it comes at a perfect time in my life. I’ve been struggling with a big decision for months now, and I’ve finally decided to step out in faith and trust God. While I’ve felt a tremendous release about the decision and I am now excited about it, this album came and it serves as a confirmation that I’m doing the right thing. Being able to watch B. Reith’s semi-public struggles with his career and seeing how God used all of this struggle and sacrifice to craft something beautiful and heartfelt is inspiring. It fuels me to keep working at what’s important. I’m positive that God will use my struggles and sacrifice to craft something beautiful and heartfelt too. He will do that for all of us! To paraphrase a song, everything may be wrong right now, but one day everything will be right.

Rating: 5/5
Tracks to Repeat “2 Steps Forward”, “Made for More”, “For Once in My Life”, “I’ll Get By”
Tracks to Skip: none!

 

[Album Review] ‘Da T.R.U.T.H. – The Whole Truth

Click here to purchase "The Whole Truth" from iTunes

 

I couldn’t tell you how excited I was when I heard that ‘Da T.R.U.T.H. was releasing a new album. Friends of mine called him the best Christian rapper alive, and while I wouldn’t go that far, I still loved his music tons. So I anxiously waited until the album dropped today to check it out.

Aside: I can’t tell you how much Spotify has enriched my life. Just the fact that I could stream the whole album (legally!) and then make a decision on whether or not to buy it is tremendous. I love that I can just randomly think “Hey, I haven’t listened to Third Eye Blind in awhile…” and then not only listen to them, but spend 2 solid hours making a 90′s Rock/Alternative playlist and be immersed in nostalgia. Spotify is about to get $10 from me every month just for offline service. It’s just amazing. End aside.

So I started listening to the album, and I just felt perplexed. I loved the honesty and emotion behind the lyrics to the album (best lyrics of the album: “These ain’t just lyrics; this is a contrite heart.”), but the music and production just felt lacking. Subpar even. It didn’t help that the first half of the album was all mid-tempo tracks save 1. The last half of the CD really picked up and it was really good. The lyrics were hard hitting and timely but the music just left me underwhelmed for the most part. Long time T.R.U.T.H. fans will enjoy this album, but it may be hit or miss for his newer fans or those who’ve never heard him before.

Rating: 3/5

Tracks to Repeat: “Alive”, “Alive Remix”, “Brainwashed”

Tracks to Skip: “Impossible”, “Can’t Believe”

 

 

[Album Review] Emily King – The Seven EP

Click to Lsten

You just do not know how much I geeked when I discovered this EP.

I still rotate East Side Story often. There is just something about Emily’s voice, that wonderfully breezy soprano, that just draws you in. After that, the lyrics and her musical arrangement keeps you locked in.

I am still completely baffled how J Records let her slip through the cracks.

Luckily for us, she has been steadily crafting more tunes, and with The Seven EP Emily King proves that good things truly come to those who wait. Though there’s only 7 tracks on the EP, the songs blend together seamlessly as it bounces from a variety of topics. Emily hits every emotion succinctly but passionately. The album ends a little weakly, but overall The Seven EP is a great work that enhances her work, and gives us a bright future to look forward to.

Hopefully she doesn’t keep us waiting so long next time.

Rating: 4.2/5

Tracks to Repeat: “No More Room”, “Ever After”

Tracks to Skip: “Every Part”

 

[Album Review] Playdough – Writer Dye

Now y’all know that I loves me some Playdough. Just barely my favorite member of Deepspace 5 (Please don’t tell Listener or MC Fong) and if the only way I could see him perform was in Texas, then I would give it some serious thought. That’s a huge step for a girl who has a huge Anti-Texas bias thanks to a jerk ex-boyfriend. (How bout dem Cowboys by the way! *smirk*) Currently there is only one sure fire way I’d step back into Texas, more specifically into Dallas, and that’s if the Titans make the Super Bowl this year. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I’m not booking my flight just yet either, but I digress.

I got an advanced copy from Playdough himself and I was UBER excited. Then as I downloaded it, I was plagued by fear. Why? Well I now have 6 Playdough releases, and I have loved each one more and more. Bible Bus Mixtape beat out Don’t Drink the Water as my favorite release, but by the smallest margin. So with number 7 now in my iTunes, I’m wondering if Writer Dye is going to affected by the John Mayer Corollary. What is the John Mayer Corollary? you ask. I’m so glad you asked.

As my homie Toya can attest to, the John Mayer Corollary is when so many albums are so progressvely better than the next, eventually there will be one album that does not meet your expectations and you are CRUSHED. With John Mayer I loved Room for Squares. I especially loved Heavier Things. Thought he possibly couldn’t top that. Then he exceeded my wildly high expectations with Continuum. That album SLAYED me. (Why do you think i have a blog category called “from the Book of John [Mayer]“? He’ll preach to you if you let him.) Each album was progressively better because it spoke to me at each stage of my life. So when Battle Studies came out I was super excited. Then I was super disappointed. I mean it happens, you’re not gonna love everything an artist does. But that hurt particularly bad.

It took the 4th John Mayer album to disappoint me. With that in the back of my mind, I was afraid that this newest release of Playdough would finally hit that point. Would Playdough let me down, like most guys from Texas do? (I swear I’m not bitter…)

Click here to download Playdough's Writer Dye

I can proudly say that Writer Dye has not succumbed to the John Mayer Collorary. Now this won’t usurp the Bible Bus Mixtape as my favorite release, but it can gladly get lost in the jumble of releases I’m having trouble ranking. I LOVE the concept of this album which is to take lyrics from other bands and make them the chorus for his tracks, structuring a new song completely. He has few guest spots (which I always love) and each guest spot fits perfectly within each song, balancing Playdough without overshadowing him (which I love even more.)

Playdough comes out with the first track “Modest Mouseketeer” and poses the question “Are you dead or are you sleeping?” When he finally declares “Man, I sure hope that you are dead.” I can only hope this was directed at the mainstream music industry. After all they MUST be dead to allow this garbage to dominate the airwaves, but I digress again. Sampling Kings of Leon might be the quickest way to my heart (if you do it right that is) but Playdough and Sivion do an amazing job. Best line out of this song (and possibly the album): ”Wherever I end up, God will be lifted. That’s what success is.” I literally had to do a double take and I wondered if Playdough copied my notebook or sat in on my last church’s service, because that’s indeed what we talked about. But sometimes, that’s just how God works.

Near the end of the album, Playdough comments, “I don’t know what I’m living for, but I know that I just wanna live some more.” Isn’t that the declaration of the youth as a whole? Such a poignant statement. If Playdough continues to make releases like this, then I want him to live some more too.

You can download this album for FREE at http://playdough.bandcamp.com

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tracks to Repeat: “Modest Mouseketeer”, “Leon is King with Sivion”, “Bending Benson”

Tracks to Skip: “Stickabush”

 

[Album Review] Jimmy Needham – Nightlights

Let me preface this review by saying that I love, love, LOVE me some Jimmy Needham. However, I had no clue that he had a new album out until I went to his free show on Sunday. Listening to him perform some cuts from the album had me very excited. So I copped the album post haste.

I was not disappointed. Needham has a distinct style that he performs very well, but it is nice to see some new elements creeping into this release, including “Grace Amazing” featuring Trip Lee. From the opening track “Moving to Zion” you could see some experimentation right away, and I think it adds a nice dimension to his music. Over the course of the album I’ve seen some shades of Jonny Lang, Warren Barfield, and even B.Reith. Since I love all of these artists it’s all bueno.

While the music is good in and of itself, Needham’s songwriting is what always sticks out. You can’t help but feel his heartbeat for God has he expresses his emotions of being overwhelmed by God’s love (Yours to Take), forgiveness (Miss a Thing) and idolatry & humbleness (Nightlights). For the record, I was never really of fan of Needham’s spoken word outros, but this one here…yeah this one shook me up. “Nightlights” should be our constant prayer, and I’m going to make it mine.

Overall this was a great album. As if you didn’t already know, Jimmy Needham is destined for great things, and he has the right spirit that deflects all of the attention off of him and onto Christ. Now let’s all follow that example.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tracks to Repeat: “Moving to Zion” “Grace Amazing”

Tracks to Skip: “Just a Heartbeat”

 

[Album Review] Playdough – Bible Bus Mixtape

So if you’ve known me or read this blog for any amount of time, you’ll know that I loves me some Playdough. As far as I’m concerned, him and Fred Bruno are the only cool dudes to come out of Texas (and yes, I say this as the ex-girlfriend of a dude from Texas). Playdough just barely edges Listener as my favorite member of Deepspace 5. Shame on me for picking favorites when they’re all so ill. I waited with uber high expectations for the release of this mixtape and I was not disappointed. After I listened to it in its (brief) entirety at 4:45AM, I listened to it again and tweeted about each track.

Click here to download Playdough’s “Bible Bus Mixtape”

This album is a no-brainer for every DS5 fan, but Playdough knows how to reach out to anyone who likes good hip hop. Playdough drops so many rhythmically delectable nuggets in any given bar, you will catch yourself doing a double take, wondering how someone can have such masterful wordplay. DJ Sean P does a great job at mixing the album, and there are very few misses on this album. Indeed, it’s much to early to call this mixtape an instant classic (it did just come out not even 12 hours ago), but it will definitely hold up against Father Time and any mainstream emcee you could foolishly compare to Playdough.

You can download the mixtape for FREE at http://playdough.bandcamp.com

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tracks to Repeat: “Back in Style” “Cutthroat”; “Gentle Giant”

Tracks to Skip: “Sunday Best”

 

Album Review: tobyMac – Tonight

It starts tonight!!

I had tempered expectations going into this new album. Up to this point, Welcome to Diverse City was my favorite album, and I was thoroughly disappointed with Portable Sounds. I am quite pleased to say that this album exceeded all expecations.

It starts off with the title track “Tonight” and it gets the party jumping off right. (for you runners with the Nike+ iPod kit, this would make a great PowerSong. My current one: tobyMac’s “Ignition”). Per the usual, tobyMac’s album jumps across all musical boundaries and has something for everyone.  you have your Rock (“tonight), your reggae (the very understated but great “Break Open the Sky” with Israel Houghton) and his son Truett (aka Tru-Dog) brings the hardest hip hop beat with “Loud and Clear”. Is there anyway I can pre-order Tru-Dog’s entire catalog? The way he’s going, this kid is going to be a BEAST! I have Loud and Clear on repeat and will make it my new ringtone post haste. I don’t know who did that track, but they went hard!

The album isn’t stellar but is indeed great. “Captured” was a good song lyrically but musically it seemed like a throwaway (because it sounds IDENTICAL to “Burn for You”). At times it seems like toby’s getting a little lax with some of the music and production. I mean, what does he have left to prove? But I expected him to push the sound a little bit more with some tracks.

Overall, though, “Tonight” is a great album with very few skip-worthy tracks. tobyMac’s set the bar high for 2010 and I’m curious to see if anyone can meet the expectation.

Rating: 4/5