Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Recorded at Appletree Studios by Phil Goss, the debut album from Disciple Dredda tells of the 22 year-old Reading rapper's faith in Jesus and the difference that accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour has made to his life. Proceedings kick off with the intro from Los Del Rio's monster hit "La Macarena" on the opener "The Great Commission" before Dredda's easy going South London-style rap delivery takes hold and expands on various themes relating to the Christian faith. It's clear that Dredda knows his Bible and he quite often references Old Testament characters and passages with much of his material expounding on the notion of grace on a personal level. For instance, within "Exodus" alone, the themes of prayer, studying the word, fasting, sin and God's mercy are covered and, for those willing to take a closer listen to Dredda's words, this will give an indication of the commitment required to fully serve the Lord. There is an old school hip-hop feel to proceedings with Dredda rapping in front of some soulful retro grooves and, whilst this works well for the most part, there is very little variance musically within each song which at times makes for a monotonous listen - especially given the length of some of the tracks. Adding a few embellishment or surprises here and there on the instrumental backing would help bring Dredda's undoubted talents to a new level.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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