Reviewed by Steve Hayes

Mr Del's latest release is an acronym for 'The Real Anointing' and sees Mr Del expressing, in his words, "a deeper, more transparent side of me" allowing the listener to journey with the rapper as he grows and becomes stronger in Christ. The CD is intended to break Mr Del out of the "Christian rap" box to engage with the world further afield. Yet the album comes with strong Godly messages like "More Than A Conqueror' over Lord Of The Rings style choral sounds, "Rock It Out" and "Spread The Gospel" (with a reggae feel). In fact, 'Thrilla' is Mr Del's most musically diverse to date. The focus is dirty south over a range of creative sounds, perhaps more down-tempo overall, with a laid back flow on most tracks after the opening and expressive delivery on "Want It". Yet a number of banging, crunk tunes give the album some real kick like "Crunk Az Me" and "U Can Do It". There are also some guitar-laden tracks, like the Beastie Boys-esque shouts in "Panic Room". Mr Del opens up in tracks like "Reverse The Curse" where he speaks openly about not knowing his dad and experiencing abuse. The personal flow continues in the final tracks of the project, arguably the strongest on the album.

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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