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Excelsius is back once again with his preacher's heart, this time on "In Conjunction," a holy hip-hop album releasing February 20th from Jath Ministries.
After a brief, note-bending intro, ripped from Acts 2, Excelsius burns right into it, putting forth a strong salvation message with “Jath.” As his debut project, “The Final Evolution,” indicated, Excelsius is all about the message. He’s got the fervent heart of a preacher and he spouts the word regularly throughout his projects, one of the things I like most about his sound. But he’s got to be as careful with the music as he is with the Word, and there are moments on “Jath” when he’s crammin’ the rhymes into the meter, a sure-fire red flag. But preaching is his strength, and Excelsius lays down solid schooling on Christian fellowship (“Chop It Up”), Kingdom life (the club track “Kingdom Grindin’’’), the REAL reason for the season (“The Real Christmas Story”), and a true Biblical lifestyle (the R&B flavored “Feels So Good”). He opens the mic up to some solid guest artists; Excelsius shows his father’s heart on “Language of Love,” an appealing mix with the warm groove of guest Shekinah. And Damon O’s soft worship tones play up nicely against the percussive treats of standout track “I Press.” When it’s time to get crunk in the Spirit, Excelsius brings it home, challenging listeners to bust out of their materialistic chains on “Hold Up,” and calling it as it is with the tongue-trippin’ lyrics of “It’s Sin,” sweet electric guitar noodling beneath his rapid flow. It’s straight-up no-holds-barred truth on “V Club (That’s Whassup!),” calling for sexual purity not just in the bedroom, but on the street and in the clubs. Don’t start nothin’ you can’t finish. Excelsius gives some love on “Snapshots (The Process of Progress),” relating his own personal stories of process. That openness sets us up to receive the strong spoken word track, “The Red Sea Experience,” where he asks us to choose to trust the One who is trustworthy. Tying up the whole project is the closer “Omega,” a personal invitation to come to God, and to turn to Jath (Joined at the Hip Ministries) for support if needed. There’s no arguing with sincerity like this. Excelsius has the heart of a champion, although I’d like to see him focus as strongly on the sound as he so clearly does on the word next time out. “In Conjunction” is available at www.jathministries.com.
The copyright of the article Excelsius: In Conjunction in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Excelsius: In Conjunction in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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