Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The renowned jesusfreakhideout website wrote "'American Dream' is unquestionably one of the best albums released in 2011" and I wouldn't argue. Southern California's Balli has been making steady progress in both the mainstream reggae and Christian music worlds since he first emerged with his 2009 debut 'Public Announcement'. If you've been a devotee of Christafari's Lion Of Zion output you'll know that the Church has over the years made giant strides in making music that incorporates the sinuous riddims of reggae but this album brings some fresh influences to the JA-sounding stylings. With guests as diverse as hard rocker Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. and Brazil's Nengo Viera adding their distinctive flavours this is an album that could be described as either a mash-up of reggae and hip-hop or a rock recasting of island music but even there the hugely gifted Balli defies the reviewer's pigeonholing tendencies. From the opening title track complete with Sandoval rapping to the undulating "Louder" and its reminder that the tongue is a fire ("A bitter tongue is a bullet slung/It can shoot some people down/But a gentle word while it's seldom heard/Can wipe away a frown") through to the closer "Daisy's Song", a worshipful song about the love of Christ, this is an album crammed with good things. As well as the highly imaginative rhythm tracks, Dominic shows himself to be an expressive singer and a top class lyricist. One of my current favourites is "American Dream" with its withering denouncement of the love of money ("They say cash rules everything around me it seems/For 30 pieces of silver you can buy you a king/And forfeit your soul become a slave to the machine/Some would sell their own momma for the American pipe dream"). Equally powerful is "Favela", partly sung in Spanish by Brazilian star Nengo Viera, and its vivid depiction of Brazil's infamous shanty towns (favelas). "Here in Babylon they rob our rights," Dominic sings with all the passion of a prophet. All in all, a masterly album by an exciting new talent.

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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