Reviewed by Greg Inglis

Young Jules hails from Charlotte, North Carolina and is a brand new name on the urban scene. There seems to be some debate over the title of this album as a number of websites list it as 'Holy Crack' (Addiction To God) though one thing we can be sure of is that it's his debut release. At just 19 years of age, Jules has a real passion to reach out to young people through his music and the lyrical subject matter reflects that in dealing with topics like relationships, materialism and life priorities. The metaphors which exhort the listener to be full of the Holy Spirit rather than high on drugs or alcohol are particularly striking as well as thebandwithnoname-esque "Steppin On Toes" with its crunching beats and in your face rhymes. Whilst it would be easy to criticise Young Jules for lack of originality as the whispered vocals on "Wide Open" are straight out of the Ying Yang Twins textbook and his sound and beats bear a distinct resemblance to J-Kwon, credit is due for the sheer variety of styles on display and strong production. This is very much a step in the right direction.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.