Reviewed by Howard McCalla

Great!! That's the word I used when I opened the package containing The Raven's debut release, '2K AD'. It's been said that the cover of an album is important - after all, we often make opinions based simply on looking. My attention was immediately drawn to the fact that the CD also contained a mini Bible browser, an enhanced CD containing the whole Bible. My first impressions of this have been positive. Running through the titles you begin to build up a basic picture of the artist -titles such as "Death Grip", "Cosmic Cowboys" and the title track "2K AD" tease your expectation of creative writing and, generally, you are not let down by the lyrical content. The Raven, who hails from North Carolina in the US, provides a generous blend of east and west coast-style rapping, compared by some to fellow Christian rapper T-Bone. Although clear about letting you know he's shouting for Jesus, for me, the album from a technical perspective didn't reach those parts some other hip hop albums have clearly done. Maybe I was expecting something more cutting edge, but that's the beauty and diversity of music.

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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