LaToria – The Long Walk Vol. 1

In my opinion, reviewing an album called The Long Walk can only be done when actually taking a long walk, so that’s exactly what I did. A 4-mile biking/running trail runs throughout my city was a great place to listen to the album from LaToria.

The First Steps

Right off the bat, you can tell you’re going to experience something special. The album begins with the opening track, “Journey.” It’s a great selection for a first track. It’s warm, inviting, and definitely sets the tone.

The Long Walk is filled with so many high points that it’s hard to focus on the nature around me. LaToria, a Dallas native, spares no expense when it comes to emotion or creativity. Tracks like “Writing Your Tragedy” and “My Worship” (my favorite track) show LaToria getting personal while keeping my headphones banging at the same time. The song, according to LaToria, was written to remind us that true worship is much more than music. It’s a lifestyle. My favorite line from the track “My Worship” is when she says:

You provide my pulse, which creates a rhythm/ and the tempo by which I walk is guided by your spirit

Her flow is unique and that’s special in an age where “everybody trynna sound like Migos bruh.” I also appreciate the engineering creativity. LaToria’s voice and harmonies are utilized in different ways. One of my favorite nuances comes when a concert performance recording is seamlessly blended into the studio version at the end of “Crazy Cool RMX featuring Yung Rick” [peep the dopeness around the 4:50 mark].

The Halfway Point

I’m convinced that this will be one of the more memorable projects of 2014. However, although the production quality is solid, only a few tracks stand out production wise as being unique. The Long Walk has some great features though. A great mix of some well-known artists like TJ Pompeo and Sean C. Johnson and some names that are not as familiar. Perhaps the standout guest appearances on the album come from Meek and B.Holy on the track “Connect.” This song features one of my favorite lines on the album:

Think I aint in the streets talkin’ bout Jesus/ My cousin went from quoting Jeezy to Ephesians.

What a great quote that speaks on the mission of CHH.

The Home Stretch

Coming up on mile number 4 (finally) and LaToria has definitely wowed me with this project. The Long Walk Vol. 1 is a solid album that leaves you on a high note. I love when Christian Rappers put out actual Worship & Praise tracks and that’s exactly what LaToria gives us with the final track on the album, “I Need More.” That’s exactly how I feel after listening to this album. It’s packed with so much goodness. I mean it evens shows love to the beat boxers on “Crazy Interlude” for crying out loud. Full of so much well crafted material that when it’s over, you really wish it wasn’t. Eleven tracks seem light to me, and that’s the most unfortunate thing about this album. Luckily for me, I live on the other side of the trail, so I get to turn around, play this album again, and take “the long walk” back home.