Tru-Life Review

“I’d change the world with a rhyme if I could, end the pain and the hurt in the hood if I could.” It’s the heartfelt dream of Virgil Byrd aka “Tru-life.”

He does a lot of dreaming on this Cross Movement Records debut, "The Journal Vol. 1". You gotta love a man that dreams like God dreams. Tru-life wants to "minister to and through the hip hop culture" and he's got the chops to do it. His credentials can be heard on "This is Your Life," a honest portrayal of addiction that captures well the glassy chaos of the addict's day with its mesmerizing vocals and Mid-eastern techno sounds, and on the rockin' "Productive," with its Curtis Mayfield licks.

The CD heats up as it moves through the tracks. "I'm Still Workin" burns it up with steady rhyming, good beats and a nice R & B groove, but it's the anti-judging message that lifts it over the top. Strong stuff, very strong. Tru-life is preachin' up a storm, a storm you'd love to see pour into every pew. He raps with a sense of urgency that creates excitement as you listen and draws you into his message. This is a powerful tool, one he handles masterfully on the fierce "We Have," a challenge to change the future. "Moments" pulls you even further into his web of contagious energy and immediacy. Anyone listening to "The Journal" who doesn't know God will be compelled to consider the truths of these potent lyrics. And closer "Let's Talk" will seal the deal with its straightforward Gospel presentation. And the best part of it is, Tru-life rocks the house!