FLAME – The 6th

FLAME
The 6th
Clear Sight Music (2012)
www.clearsightmusic.com

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Those familiar with my reviews know I consider Christian rap artists to be the street corner evangelists of the 21st century. They take their messages of salvation to the highways and byways, converting by using the language of the unconverted.

Christian rap artist FLAME (born Marcus T. Gray) is an example of this new breed of musical evangelist. His CD The 6th is reminiscent of Trip Lee’s Between Two Worlds in its insistent raps and bold, thunderous, multi-layered backdrops. Since The 6th debuted at the number one position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums charts, the comparison to the once similarly-ranked Between Two Worlds is no hyperbole.

FLAME’s rhymes on The 6th, which refers to the day on which God created man and woman in His image, are crisply articulated and muscular without being overbearing or coarse. Top-shelf guest vocalists, including Lecrae, Thi’sl and Young Noah, are ideal stylistic complements. Chris Lee on the title track and DecembeRadio on the power pop “Let Go” provide superb vocals to accessible melodies.

V.Rose, the 22-year-old female songstress who supported FLAME ably on his single, “Surrender,” is an especially bright spot on “Against the World” and “Caught in the Lights.” The latter is one of the CD’s finest and radio-friendly moments. Using vignettes of individuals in pursuit of grandiose dreams, FLAME reminds on “Caught in the Lights” that “you can gain the world and still lose your soul.” “Trap Money” explores the seedier side of economic aspiration. FLAME spits that being “hood rich” might be pleasing now, but where will you be “when it all comes to an end?” These tracks reinforce explicitly the album’s unifying theme that if man is made in God’s image, he has a responsibility to act accordingly.

As if to hammer home this message, “The Great Deception” uses the Adam and Eve story and its after effects to place in context the devil’s work to undo God’s image in modern society.

FLAME is a GRAMMY®, four-time Dove Award and two-time Stellar Award nominee. His 2010 release, Captured, shot to number one on the Billboard Gospel Chart and #5 on the Billboard Christian Chart.

The 6th is a hard-hitting, well-constructed album that will introduce FLAME to even more Christian rap aficionados and enthusiasts of gospel and Christian music.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “The 6th Day,” “Caught in the Lights.”