Growing the Gospel
Posted August 28, 2013
By MarkRyan_NRT, Staff Reviewer
Growth is the debut release from Brandon "B-Luv" Johnson. The album is a solid mix of hip hop and R&B with a shot of worship for good measure. With a heart for youth as the Assistant Youth Director at Agape Family Worship Center in Rahway, NJ and through his non-profit work with his own charity youngmindsBIGDREAMS, this album touches on the struggles we all face, but specifically focuses on the young urban sub-culture.
"Opening Night" opens the album. In this track B-Luv gives a picture of where he has come from and where he is today in his ministry. He dedicates the album to God and prays for the listeners of the album. It is clear from the get go that B-Luv's message is that of the gospel and making sure that God gets the glory and that the audience doesn't worship Brandon.
In "All of Me," B-Luv offers himself to the Lord to be used in the ministry and exhorts the audience with 1 Timothy 4:12. The audience is clearly young people who have been doubted and limited based on their age. This song, however, is B-Luvs testimony of how God can use the young.
"unTITLED" is the first single from the album and features Darion Ja'Von. A solid trap beat underlines this song. The song once again focuses on how God can use a regular person and that titles are not important to do the Lord's work. The song is a solid offering and offers a solid message: "I ain't never been to seminary, but my job is to pull them out the cemetery." The great commission doesn't get any simpler.
Canton Jones features on "Love Of My Life." This is a solid R&B vibe, because every good love song features smooth R&B vocals. The initial bars in each verse can be easily translated to be for the woman in a man's life, but the verses each transition into a love song for Jesus.
From trap to R&B to boom bap, "Guidance" changes gears on the album musically, but thematically things flow. Featuring Da Truth, TWYSE and Darion Ja'Von, "Guidance" is a young man's prayer looking to God and mentors in his life for guidance on overcoming the traps that people can fall into and learning from the mistakes of others. It is a case of "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
The next two songs, "Grow" and "The Vow," feature incredible female vocalists in JAI and Taylor Elise respectively. "Grow" focuses on how God leads through a journey in life to grow our faith. "The Vow" compares the vows a man makes to his wife to how Christ made a vow to His bride, the Church. The addition of the female vocals adds depth to the album as a whole.
"HERO" features the vocal talents of JR. Any track that JR adds his vocals to is worth a listen, and this one does not disappoint. "HERO" is about how Christ is the true superhero in our lives and saved the day for us.
Closing Thoughts:
In total, Growth has 15 tracks. Each one adds to the next, maintaining a consistent theme of Christ's love and salvation. This truly is Gospel Rap, and the listener will never question whether or not B-Luv is a Christian rapper or a rapper that is Christian. The album is filled with references to Christ's death on the cross and how much He loves us. The heart and humility of the artist is evident throughout the album. It is a refreshing album in light of some of the heavier albums being released.
Song to Download Now:
"Hero" (Get it on iTunes here.) View All Music And Book Reviews By MarkRyan_NRT | View MarkRyan_NRT's Profile
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