Review – Amped (116 Clique)

116 Clique, for those of you who don't know, is a hip hop group that is comprised of Reach Records artists. While not a completely individual music group, they have released a few compilations to notable acclaim in the Christian rap world. This acclaim is not unjustified, as they manage to churn out exquisite rap tracks that rise above the usual muck in the mainstream market. Amped takes a noticeable departure from the usual generated-beat focussed rap to include more of a rock element, with electric guitars, bass and semi-acoustic drums. A lot of the music on this rather short album or EP can be likened to Toby Mac, although there is more hardcore rap than the latter implements.

Track Listing:

1. Send Me/Represent (Lecrae)
   
2. Red Revolution (Tedashii ft. Sho Baraka)
   
3. Beyond Belief (Lecrae)
   
4. Cash Or Christ/Fanatics (Trip Lee ft. Lecrae)
   
5. No More (Tedashii)
   
6. Amped (Trip Lee)
   

I've been ever so slightly apprehensive about the rap-rock genre. Ever since Linkin Park burst onto the scene with their albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora, youngsters everywhere have been grabbing guitars and attempting to sound like black guys (no racism there, black guys are better at rap than white guys). The thing is, though, that rap-rock, or nu-metal as some people like to call it, requires a very fine balance of the two styles. There must not be too much of a rock influence, nor there too much rap. Most of the bands that have successfully experimented with rap-rock (Linkin Park, Korn, etc.) have managed to find that balance. Sadly, these bands are a very small minority. 116 Clique has somehow laid rock instrumentation on top of a hip hop base, so that it sounds like a hip hop album but with a different flavour. Most rap-rock albums incorporate singing at some point, but this is non-existent on Amped. So essentially you've got Flo-Rida style vocals on top of a full rock band, something that would not normally work but does on this album. The opening track "Send Me/Represent" has heavily distorted guitars and a constant groove on the drums, yet is primarily a hip hop track. It is one of the unusual amalgamations I have heard in some time, but is surprisingly pleasing on the ear. Red Revolution continues the mood, as with multi-layered drums and rousing choruses making for a great alternative to 50 Cent. The remaining four tracks are extremely similar, but do not make the album sound monotonous. There is a significant variety in the different artists' voices to ensure that the listener is kept guessing, where Trip Lee's voice is somewhat piercing, Lecrae's voice is deep and powerful.

Hip hop music generally doesn't offer much in the way of musical complexity. More often than not, someone will sit at a mixing board or something similar and pump out repetitive beats, while someone else is assigned the job of atmospheric noise or some sort of melody to accompany the vocals. As has been mentioned before, though, the rap-rock of this album employs (mostly) live instruments, and thus there is a platform on which the effectiveness of the instrumentation can be judged. The guitars are extremely distorted in all the songs, accompanying the bass and the drums in the hard-and-tough approach which is needed for rap rock. This is evident in "Send Me/Represent" (O.K., I'm repeating myself, but seriously, check out the song), where there is a dirty timbre to the instrumentation underneath a melodic keyboard layer. The other tracks are pretty much in the same musical vein. Bass sounds extremely rich, while the beats that have been incorporated into the tracks are a step above your average hip hop beats.

The lyrics are where this EP really shines. Secular rap and hip hop music have very sexualised and violent lyrics (see 50 Cent, Flo Rida, Akon, Eminem, etc.) that can be and are extremely offensive. The lyrics of these songs are very inspirational and encouraging, to say the least. "Send Me/Represent" speaks about being sent by God to do his work, with repetitive vocals rapping "Send Me" in the chorus. "Cash Or Christ/Fanatics" questions our materialistic motivations as opposed to living for Christ, and the former is a hot topic among Christians today. It is extremely refreshing to see a (primarily) rap record delve into clean, philosophical views on life and Christianity. I would pick this over mainstream rap any day, and not just because I am a Christian.

I'm not going to lie to you; this is not EVERYONE's cup of tea. More conservative Christians may find the central use of rapping offensive, but then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder, no? The division of rap and rock on these songs is certainly quite unusual, but works well on these tracks. I'm impressed with all the vocalists and producers on this album, who really manage to create an ideal listening atmosphere. This album is highly recommended for any fan of rap, Christian or otherwise. Listen to it, admire the rap, and maybe, just maybe, you'll become a rock convert.

Rating:

4.5/5

 

 

Review – Dizmas (Dizmas)

It is somewhat surprising to see a former hard-rock band like Dizmas (emphasis on "former") release a semi-compilation, semi full-length album. Even more surprising is the fact that they have almost completely negated their heavy guitar-driven rock for more radio-friendly pop that bears a painfully striking resemblance to Jeremy Camp, Mark Schultz, Nichole Nordeman and a glut of other Christian pop-rock bands. Oh, Dizmas doesn't play this style badly, but the fact is that if I, or anyone else were listening to Christian radio, we would not be able to distinguish them from any other pop rock band. However, let's give them the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

Track Listing:

1. Yours
   
2. Play It Safe
   
3. Save The Day
   
4. Redemption, Passion, Glory
   
5. Different
   
6. Shake It Off
   
7. Jealousy Hurts
   
8. This Is A Warning
   
9. Worth Fighting For
   
10. Dance
    

Being a semi-compilation, there are 4 new songs, "Yours", "Save The Day", "Different" and "Worth Fighting For". The rest of the tracks are "some of Dizmas' most popular" although the fact that there are only 10 tracks hints that it was not that hard to pick them.

"Yours" is the first track off the album, and it is questionable as to why it is the opening track, because it is, to put it bluntly, bland. The cutting edge so apparent on their debut album, On A Search In America is not here, and the song itself is average, both lyrically and musically. The fact that Zach Zegan sings "Oh, I need a saviour" in the prechorus just screams cheesy Christian rock. Now, don't get me wrong here, I have nothing wrong with Christian rock or worshipful lyrics. I myself am a practicing Christian, and am firmly convicted that I do indeed need a saviour. However, this topic has been done SO many times before (I'm not kidding, research it yourself) and one has to wonder why Dizmas have not perhaps put their own spin on the subject matter. The song is not bad, but just too average to be worth listening to. "Play It Safe" ups the ante a little bit, and is thankfully a little bit catchier than its predecessor, experimenting with dance-rock and being driven by the rhythm section of the band. Sadly, in the entire album, the 4 new tracks are not standouts, and it is the old stagers such as "Redemption, Passion, Glory" and the aforementioned "Play It Safe". These two tracks also suffer from the overbearing lack of variety apparent in the album. There is no acoustic ballad at the end, nor is there a variation in the intensity of the songs. All of them are feel-good pop-rockers, which would be decent tunes on their own, but when clumped together have their glaring deficiencies magnified.

As a musical unit, Dizmas have not matured that much, unlike bands such as Mayday Parade and Anberlin. Although this is a semi-compilation, and therefore not a total departure from previous albums, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that Dizmas are quite content to sit on their laurels as a band, without striving for improvement. The band, consisting of Zach Zegan on lead vocals, his brother Josh on guitar, Jon Howard on guitar, Nick Aranda on bass and Clayton Hunt on drums, are reasonably proficient musicians, but their music lacks the cutting edge which would take them to the forefront of Christian music. Hunt does not hit the drums with any real conviction, despite the fact that he comes up with some pretty intuitive fills on songs like "Different". This lack of intensity on the drums may also be due to the production crew, spearheaded by Steve Wilson (Hawk Nelson). The crash and ride cymbals do not pierce through the wall of sound, and as a result create a muddy noise. This is also the case with the guitars, which sound muffled and don't carry any bite. The only instrument that does a decent overall job is the bass, which is bouncy on some songs and rich on others. Zach's vocals are not anything different from your usual post-hardcore fare, and overall the musical area of the album does not impress.

The lyrics do not fare much better. Most of the songs deal with fairly shallow subject matter, such as redemption by Jesus, the need for a saviour, celebration because of freedom, etc. These topics should be fine for people who just like to listen to music for the sake of it, but for those who like to delve deeper into it the lyrics are quite disappointing. Granted, deep Christian rock lyrics are not easy to create, but they are by no means impossible. And if the band (or the Zegans, rather) had taken the time to craft slightly less straightforward lyrics, the whole package might have been made more appealing due to the mystery effect. As it is, the lyrical simplicity compounds the plainness of the album. Add into the mix the somewhat monochromatic and rather uncreative front cover design and you have a fairly average album.

Because this is a compilation album, there is still hope for Dizmas. The four new tracks can be used as a platform to build bigger, better songs, because this band really has potential. However, if they continue in this sort of form, it won't be long before they go the way of so many other failed bands before them. In short, buy the 4 new songs on iTunes if you MUST hear them, but otherwise only buy the album if you are a diehard Dizmas fan. If you are just getting into them, you would be better off with
their previous release, Tension, or their debut On a Search in America. All in all, a disappointing effort from a band which really can play much better than this.

Rating :2.5/5

Ultimate Collection: Volume II – Hillsong

Another year, another compilation. Many seem to regard Hillsong Church's musical endeavours as nothing more than easy cash generating schemes. Especially after what happened with Mike Guglielmucci and his terminal "illness", the after-effect of which was the immediate removal of the song "Healer" from This Is Our God. While the whole driving worship anthem thing has gotten a bit tedious, there is no doubt that this collection represents the crème-de-la-creme of Hillsong's music for the past 5 or so years. Joel Houston and crew have created masterpieces such as "Mighty to Save", "The Stand" and "Salvation is here" over the years, and the compilation is more or less an accurate reflection of the church's musical quality, with a few questionable omissions.

Track Listing:

1. Salvation Is Here
   
2. The Freedom We Know
   
3. From The Inside Out
   
4. To the Ends Of The Earth
   
5. Lord Of All
   
6. Let Creation Sing
   
7. Hallelujah
   
8. Let Us Adore
   
9. Came To My Rescue
   
10. Take It All
    
11. The Stand
    
12. For All You've Done
    
13. For Who You Are
    
14. At The cross
    
15. None But Jesus
    
16. God He Reigns
    
17. Mighty To Save
    

You can't really look at a compilation album as being an "album" per se, as the tracks weren't created with the idea of flowing together. Nevertheless, the audio editing duo of Tim Whincop and Steve Mcpherson do a decent job of melding the songs together into a sonically pleasing album. The blood starts pumping with the adrenaline rush of "Salvation is here" and "The Freedom We Know" at the start, then passionate renditions of favourites such as "From The Inside Out" and "To The Ends Of The Earth". One factor to note is that this album comprises "the very best live worship" (emphasis on the live). The band is able to draw on the raw power of a live performance while maintaining the tightness and musical cohesion most present on studio albums. Because it is a worship album, all the tracks are very notable for lifting the atmosphere to a very high place. This is evident on tracks like "From The Inside Out" and "Mighty To Save", especially on the penultimate choruses. The passion of the band and singers is evident. Another potent factor in favour of this compilation is the fact that "fast" songs are dispersed throughout the whole album, and not lumped together at the start, as is the case with many worship albums. Rather, they are placed where they are extremely effective, such as in the middle where a lull in passion might take place. "Take It All" and "For All You've Done" make sure that the worshippers keep at it. Overall, the track numbering and placing is efficient and quite smart, because these tracks were not created with the intention of being played sequentially.

The band remains tight throughout all the tracks on the album, exuding a sense of confidence without being overbearing. This is especially important on a worship record, as the focus is not on the performance but rather the atmosphere and how conducive it is to worshipping God. Guitar solos are kept to a minimum but the guitarists are masters at the craft of creating a worshipful atmosphere. Some cynics may argue that there is not much more to worship guitar than strumming repetitive chord progressions, but there is so much more than that. True, most of the chord progressions are rather simplistic, but therein lies the beauty of worship music. The guitarists can worship freely because they have the knowledge that the songs are ingrained in their hands and heads. As a result, they follow the worship leaders' signalling effectively and are able to bring the intensity down to the most minimalistic level, while also knowing when to up the ante and worship God with a passion. The bassist and drummer fill out the low end of the sound level admirably, and the drummer deserves special mention for being efficient but not boring in his choice of fills. He does not draw attention to himself, but complements the band and the vocalists well without overpowering them volume-wise, as drummers are capable of doing. The whole band is one of the best in the worship industry today, as is evidenced on "Mighty To Save", one of the classic worship songs of the past few years.

Lyrically, worship is not a very wide genre by nature. However, there is a relatively decent range of song topics here, ranging from pleas for spiritual change ("From The Inside Out"), celebration of emotional and spiritual freedom ("Salvation Is Here", "The Freedom We Know") adoration of God's creation ("Let Creation Sing") and gratefulness for salvation ("For All You've Done", "Came To My Rescue", etc.) Nothing beyond your usual worship fare, but it's effective for drawing people into the presence of God.

There's not much wrong with this disc. Most of the tracks are tracks that deserve their place in a "best of" Hillsong worship collection. However, it is questionable as to why tracks such as "The Freedom We Know" and "Came To My Rescue" were included, as opposed to "Hosanna", "Saviour King" and others. Many people believe "Hosanna" to be one of the finest tracks in years, but then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Joel Houston is proving to be one of the best worship leaders, on par even with Darlene Zschech. It will not surprise me to see Joel become one of the world's leading consultants on worship music, and I look forward to the future of Hillsong music. My recommendation? Buy it if you are just starting to get into Hillsong, because this is most of the best work of the last 5 years. If you have some of their CDs, though, you'd be better off buying your preferred tracks on iTunes. Of course, you could also just buy the disc if you fancy.

Rating:

4/5