John Reuben - Professional Rapper

Monday 1st March 2004
John Reuben - Professional Rapper
John Reuben - Professional Rapper

STYLE: Hip-Hop
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9178-8900
LABEL: Gotee GTD72896
FORMAT: CD Album
RRP: £4.99

Reviewed by Dustin Helgeson

John Reuben returns with his third full length LP, full of creativity and fresh sounds. Known for his tongue-in-cheek approach, the Gotee recording artist gives us a mature, thought out release full of catchy hooks, smooth backing vocals and bouncy hip-hop. Nearly every song is a standout, but "Haven't Been Myself" caught my attention with the smoothly sung chorus, "I'm not alright, I haven't been myself lately/I'm not okay with the way I've let my thoughts overtake/Take me away from a place I shouldn't have gone/I hope I'm not here for long," in a Dido-like appearance. The self-produced, experimental album claims be the most personal Reuben has recorded yet. Along side the fun songs Rueben is best known for are deeply serious songs. The new album features an assortment of accompaniments and Rueben's vocal delivery has become much more confidant and self-assured. Rueben has slowly but surely upped the stakes in his hip-hop game. His next tours will include a backing band rather than just the usual DJ and small supporting crew. 'Professional Rapper' is John Rueben's best, giving him the needed leverage and respect to continue his Christian rap popularity. He's going to have a lot more material to compete with KJ-52 now!

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Sample Track Listing:
1. Move [Listen]
2. Have No Opinion [Listen]
3. I Haven't Been Myself [Listen]
4. Life Is Short [Listen]
5. Treats [Listen]
6. Freedom To Feel [Listen]
7. Time To Leave [Listen]
8. Re [Listen]
9. Jammin' John & Mixin' Manny [Listen]
10. All In All [Listen]
11. 5 Years To Write [Listen]
12. Higher [Listen]

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.

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