Reviewed by Andrew Midgley

Why does so much Christian hip-hop aim at the early teens? Jay Robinson, AKA Jericho, is a youth pastor at Christian Life Chapel in Lebanon, Tennessee, which perhaps explains why this collection of songs would not appeal to many outside of that demographic. Like many of his contemporaries, Jericho masks a cod-didacticism with marketing that trumpets being "honest" about the "struggle" of walking with Christ in a secular world. "Everybody knows that sin is so swagless," he sings on lead single "Sin Is Swaggless" [sic], applying social pressure to youngsters who might have been considering sinning to effect an enhancement of their swag. The problem with this unsubtle preachiness is that it sits askew with the secular hip-hop scene, where the zeitgeist has fully embraced a kind of solipsistic narcissism - which need not be slavishly copied, but which does need to be engaged with appropriately. Wise engagement with these postmodern sensibilities should always focus on stories - the experience of the artist - and simultaneously refrain from any hint of dogma. Jesus, albeit for slightly different reasons, spoke in stories to acknowledge that many wilfully avoid hearing the message (Matthew 13:13-15), even though there is a time and place for explanation of parables. Jericho, who undoubtedly wishes to follow Jesus as his Lord, claims to showcase storytelling - "I write my music through life experiences," he affirmed last year - but this is a less prominent feature of 'Road 2 Redemption' than advertised. The album also suffers from musical ill-conception: hip-hop now lives in the world of Kendrick Lamar's densely tangled jabs at corporate power and human weakness, and Frank Ocean's passive-aggressive, experimental melancholia; Jericho, by contrast, is a rewind too far. Though his agenda is assuredly Scriptural in content, his form is too persistently verse-chorus-verse-chorus to chime with, and find a way into, the confusion of the times. "Sometimes I get it wrong/I sing the right words to the wrong song" he sings on "Heartbeat", which sums up 'Road 2 Redemption' perfectly; Robinson's message would undoubtedly be rendered more palatable by updating to this century's hip-hop sensibilities. Ironically, there is a quaint pleasure to some of Jericho's retro proclivities: "Rebel With A Cause" features a Johnny Cash tribute act singing the majority of the song, and the incongruence of this budget-folk interjection raises a smile that is not entirely at Jericho's expense. It is also important to acknowledge where Robinson's work has promise - "Standing (My Rock)" features the album's best hook and should have been the single; while "Divorce" at least partially delivers on the promised honesty and transparency, as Robinson tells the story of his parents' split ("I'll never forget the tears that poured from my father's eyes") and his church's mishandling of it. Overall, though, vulnerability is more sparse on 'Road 2 Redemption' than its author himself seems to realise. Before the next album, Jericho's walls need to fall.

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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