In April of 2012, Christian hip-hop newcomer, B-les released his highly celebrated debut album, Controlled Strength that gave new fans a glimpse into what he offers to the genre. B-Les released his follow up LP, All About God Vol. 1, on September 20th of this year. The album boasts 15 tracks with some notable features from artists such as Dre Murray, Kadence, Corey Hicks, Willie Moore Jr., and Tre 9, to name a few.
Though I felt like the title could have been a little more creative, it does give the listener a good outline of this album’s content. These songs are uplifting God and telling about his nature and mercy, for the most part.
This album is very diverse in its production from the dirty south infused tracks such as “All About Who,” “Acquitted,” & “Liberty,” to the more laid back songs like “Full Speed Ahead” & “Without You,” and the west coast infused “Stronger.” The production on this project is solid. My only critique is that some of the dirty south style tracks became a bit repetitive. It seems like B-Les likes his anthem tracks, which I enjoy as well, but it would have been good to see a little bit more diversity.
The arrangement of the songs on this album is done pretty well. The album opens with “All About Who,” feat. Dillon Chase, that has an infectious 808 and synth beat. The song immediately caught my ear and is a great opener since it is a street anthem. The song is solid. I have to admit, however, that Dillon Chase seemed to steal the show with his rapid-fire flow. The second song, “Stronger,” switches up the tempo with a west coast, piano infused beat. This is followed by “Without You,” which features vocalist Willie Moore Jr. This song has more of a pop feel and Willie Moore delivers a catchy melodic hook. The most standout song to me on this album is the “Taking Back the City Remix” feat. Big Rob, Tre9, Doubl3, & Corey Hicks. The hook is very catchy, the beat is ridiculous, and most importantly, the message is of evangelizing in the streets, a thing many artists don’t talk about in records.
All About God Vol 1 has great production, great features, and a great overall message of how great our God is. From the first project, to this one, B-Les has definitely grown as an artist and songwriter. While this album has some great things to offer, there were, however, a couple of critiques I had after listening. While the song construction was good and the message was good, at times the delivery was choppy and the vocal inflection stayed the same, so I found myself getting bored on some songs. This was even more evident on songs that had features. In addition, I felt like some of the hooks could have had a little more creativity to them. Some of them felt forced. With that being said, B-Les has some creative lyricism and wordplay, though. This is definitely an album worth purchasing.
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