Music Reviews
- Getting into Christian music, but don't know where to start?
Let EXTREME STAN take you on a tour of some of the best pop, rap, hip hop, dance and alternative music in the Christian music scene.
Remember to click on links to artists websites and listen to some of their songs feed live.
ENJOY!
Exodus (2002) - 3.5/5
This is the first album from Andy Hunter. Andy Hunter proves to be a very smooth and professional DJ in this album. He has a very chilled out approach to a chunk of the album, then in other parts he is very active indeed with his beats and bass. He has a very interesting approach to his tracks inspired by Scripture and the Christian faith journey. My favourite track on this album is The Wonders of You because it is a very well-crafted reference to Exodus 15:11 where Moses and Miriam tell God how wonderful He is after crossing the Sea after leaving Egypt.
If you like some ambient chill out, some active club stuff that the likes of Groove Armada or Chemical Brothers have represented in earlier works in their albums, yet not so heavy as them, you’ll like this album. For those who know their dance music, Andy used to be part of a Drum ‘n’ Bass outfit and once did a tour with DJ Tiesto. You can pick up a copy of this album at Koorong.
Go (2006) - 4/5
This is one of the Newsboys’ latest albums. Although they take a bit of a pop approach, they still have an authentic style that is just so catchy. Paul Colman (formerly part of the Paul Colman Trio) is a recent addition to the Newsboys and has given this album an authentic flavour that hasn’t been produced like other Newsboys albums. My favourite track on this album is Your Love Is Better Than Life because its message of God’s love being better than the boring, confusing life here on earth that a lot of people follow is portrayed in quite a cool and humorous way through this song.
The closest thing I could relate this album to is Evermore’s music style, so if you’re into Evermore and bands like that, this album is a good one to check out. Newsboys often think outside the square about God (compared to other Christian artists) and present it in a great way, and they have done a great job of that with this album. I picked up a copy of this album from Koorong.
Collaborations (2002) - 4/5
This is KJ’s second album. Comparing to other albums from KJ (and from other artists), this has a more of a ‘pop’ approach (to most of the tracks), but on that same note it contains some tracks that delve into the more serious issues that people can go through and what Christ can do in those situations. My favourite track on this album is 5th Element because this track has both a bit of a pop approach, but still slightly ‘old school’ while at the same time it has a great approach to the message of Christ with a build up from the light stuff to the heavy facts of reality. This album also might be appealing to those who know a bit about the hip hop industry. In terms of featuring artists, you’ll get John Reuben, Rob Beckley from Pillar, Pigeon John, Nirva Dorsaint, Playdough and others.
If you’re more into the pop type of rap style as well as the old school hip hop flavour, you’d like this album. If Eminem is your thing, too, this album is guaranteed to see you face some raw emotions that people go through in their lives and how that relates to Christ. I bought a copy of this album from Koorong.
7th Avenue (2000) - 4.5/5
This is KJ’s first album. Comparing to albums from KJ (and from other artists), this has a very ‘old school’ approach (to varying degrees) and has a few other artists featured such as Knowdaverbs and Grits. My favourite track on this album has to be We Rock The Mic because it has the great old school sound (the rap loops sampled may sound familiar to those who know a lot of ‘old school’ hip hop in the mainstream) with the message of Christ that is presented in a very hip hop fashion.
If you like a bit of the ‘old school’ hip hop and maybe a touch of the flavour that Eminem brings to hip hop, you’ll like KJ52’s 7th Avenue. I bought a copy of this album from Koorong.
Wax Museum: The Mixtape (2000) - 4/5
This is the second album from DJ Maj. This ‘mix tape’ presents a smorgasbord of great Christian rap and RnB outfits in one neatly mixed disc. DJ Maj mixes from the RnB style songs from Out of Eden to the hardcore rap tracks from the likes of Knowdaverbs, KJ52, John Reuben and The Factors of the Seven and others. My favourite track out of this mix has to be No Turning Back remix by Out of Eden featuring The Factors of the Seven because it has the beautiful blend of the femine RnB voices in the chorus with the raw rap verses along with the phatt bass and beats. Also for me as a Christian ‘No Turning Back’ is a very encouraging message in the song, too because it’s a reminder that God’s ways are the best and that we should never turn back to other ways.
This album does have a slight RnB/pop flavour to it, but mostly the phatt rap beats give this mixtape a great balance and overall a great mix. If you like anything from RnB outfits like Destiny’s Child to say Justin Timberlake and even to the Snoop Dogg or Eminem, you’ll like this album. In regards to the DJ skills with this album, I could easily relate to the mixing skills of those in Ministry of Sound albums – DJ Maj seriously sounds that smooth and professional working with really well selected remixes, too. I picked up a copy of this album from Koorong.