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If there truly is a sophomore curse, somebody forgot to tell Manafest, back with his 2nd album for BEC Recordings, "Glory." He's only gotten better, smarter, and hotter.
On his second run, Canadian artist Manafest (a.k.a. Chris Greenwood) has concocted the perfect blend of rap and rock, offering up a mixed bag of 11 original tracks, clocking in at 39 minutes, but no worries. These are 39 thoughtful, well-constructed minutes. “Glory” traverses a wide gamut of thematic material, from the thundering opener “Don’t Turn Away,” a call out that offers the real thing to the posers, to his rap response to insecure naysayers, “Critics,” to the more encouraging material, like the infectious “Dreams” and the thick hip-hop beats of “Bounce.” Once again Manafest is willing to lay bare his heart for the sake of his listeners, offing up the fierce caring for an old friend on the hard-rocking rap “Wanna Know You.” The passionate call-out is a beautiful picture of God’s relentless love, and you have to admire the bold openness of Manafest to put it out there for all to see, operating as he does in a prideful, macho segment of the industry. “Where Are You” is more of the same, opening to the tiny strains of a baby’s windup toy before slammin’ hard into rock solid beats and straight-up truth. The track contains a melodic haunting chorus, and the following lyric: “I battle thoughts with words, using psalms and verbs/ a new rebirth, no longer am I insecure/ I heard a voice say I’ll never leave ya.” Manafest’s heart for ministry shines through “Glory,” leaving me to wonder, with gratitude, about the impact of a strong man’s open declaration of need and commitment before a young audience. He’s got the hard rock-rap thing covered well on “Glory,” offering up the raw “Impossible,” a strong collaboration with TFK’s Trevor McNevan. And the rawness continues, in a different vein, with the moving rhymes of “Runaway,” a naked plea for restoration. “Glory” closes out on a note of tender strength with a worship track that celebrates the power and presence of God, “Glory (You Are).” Manafest is a player to contend with, on a number of levels. Pick up “Glory” and hit the new year running from a position of strength.
The copyright of the article Manafest: Glory in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish Manafest: Glory in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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