Sweet!
Posted September 11, 2014
By zeekrkootunga,
For the quality of artist that Alex Faith is, he is still relatively unknown in the music scene. Let me clarify. In Christian Hip Hop, he is well known and enjoyed by many who are involved in the genre. But to those who aren’t frequent listeners of CHH or don’t listen to it at all, he is relatively unknown.
Alex Faith first entered the scene several years ago with an appearance on Sho Baraka’s mixtape Barakology. Last year Alex signed to Collision Records and put out a mixtape Honest 2 God. Already this year, he has been a part of the Collision Records collective album WLAK. ATLast will be Alex’s first solo album as an artist. So far in 2013, Collision Records has had a very successful year with the success of WLAK and Dre Murray’s album Gold Rush: Maybe One Day. That being said, does ATLast build on that success or does it fall short of the bar set by Collision Records this year. Let’s see where ATLast falls as Alex’s debut album releases.
Production
If we have learned anything from the two Collision albums this year, it is that the production is top of the game. This trend proves to be no different on ATLast. There is a wide variety of producers which equates to a variety of sound throughout the album. But it isn’t too different that it sounds crazy. The beats flow well from song to song while still changing things up for the better. Label mates Wit and Swoope produce a good portion of the songs on the album as expected. Other producers include Cardec Drums, J.R., Dirty Rice, and Wes Pendleton which guarantees some solid production on the album. I believe production is not the most important part of the album, but it can take a lot away from the feel of the album. The production on ATLast is never lacking and adds to the quality of the album.
Concept
One thing that impressed me about Alex Faith throughout the album is his ability to share his story while including where he is at now. On songs like Bloodlines, Letting Me Go, and ATLast; Alex shares his past while showing how things are different. He stresses why he does it now, and that is for Jesus. As hinted in the album title, he definitely still puts on for Atlanta. But now it isn’t about being well known or running the city, but leading it towards God. The idea of ATLast is brought to a close in the song by the title track at the end of the album. He shares his story, the story of Jesus, and then the future. “Brought you this far, just a little while you’ll hear me say, I know it’s a struggle but I love you and you made it at last” shows what God will one day say to us. The concept is brought together nicely and makes the album complete.
Lyrics
Although the previous two are important, without the lyrics album would be useless. You can’t portray a message without saying the words. Again, Collision has built a reputation for being very lyrical. Faith definitely increases this reputation on the album. He starts the album on ATFirst with “Does anybody really care bout the things that Imma say? Yall don’t really want to hear about my problems anyway.” He then starts talking about Atlanta and some of the struggles growing up in City Of Nightmares (feat. Tragic Hero). “Chase big money, drive big cars, maybe in the gutter but I’m lookin at the stars. And I’m drinking in the vanity, boy it’s all that we know. I show you how to do this here, look at how hard we go.” Odd Thomas joins the album for Refuge (Interlude) where he talks about the importance of God’s Word and its ability to be our one true refuge. Bloodlines (feat. J.R.) and Letting Me Go are really where Alex Faith shares his testimony. “Started from the bottom that’s real life, I made it here that’s a real fight. Rise to the top and forget where I’m from nope never do that don’t feel right” and “Fast forward 5 years, Your boy married now. I love the Lord and I love my wife and He still shows me how, to serve Him well and tell the world around me all He’s done for me. The moment that I least deserved it He gave up His Son for me.” Refuge (feat. Dre Murray & JGivens) builds on the idea of Refuge (Interlude). They talk about their struggles growing up and the fact that God is the only true refuge in those situations.
Another thing about Alex Faith that is impressive is his level of transparency. Like a line off Letting Me Go which says, “My pastor so bold he came and told me to my face, that I was livin’ a double life and being a disgrace, to the Lord, and the church, and His Word, and the Spirit” and then on Runaway (feat. Andy Mineo) “It’s hard on us being gone for a minute, though we struggle now we see the blessing in it, lookin for it but I can’t see the finish, and everybody thinks that your boy stay winnin’.” It makes the album way more relatable if the artist shows that they aren’t perfect and face some of the same things we do.
The album ends with ATLast. This song brings the album to completion beautifully. It is my favorite song on the album. The 1st Verse describes a person struggling through life. In the 2nd verse, Alex shares his story and the greatest gift He has ever received – Jesus. In the 3rd Verse, he outlines what life looks like now and talks about the future with Jesus. All of this surrounds a very soothing hook from Christon Gray with words God will one day say to His beloved children. This song cannot be done justice by a few excerpts or my diagnosis. This is a song you need to listen to yourself and worship God for what He has done in your life.
Conclusion
I am admittedly a prisoner of the moment. But I have been listening to ATLast for several weeks and it hasn’t gotten old. In fact, it has been just as good if not better each listen. I honestly have no nitpicks at ATLast. The production, concept, lyrical content, and feature all met my expectations and then drastically exceeded them. Alex Faith shares his story and makes it about Jesus at the same time. When that is accomplished, it is a powerful thing. ATLast has had and will continue to have a LASTing impact in my life and I can almost guarantee it will in yours too, just as Alex Faith intended.
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