Album Review: BIGWO – “Follow After Love”
Released: 2011
Reviewed by: Neil Christian
Rating: 6.2 (Out of 10)
[xrr rating=6.2/10]
There are not that many R&P albums in CHH. There are so few good albums, that I can name them on one hand. Also there are not many unique albums in CHH. Many sound like the generic run-of-the-mill poppy albums with the name of Jesus sprinkled in the mix. So what do you get when you add uniqueness, R&P, rapping and nice beats to a blender? You get one huge hit of Love. So come, follow me as I Follow after Love.
One of the album’s strengths lies in its ability to stay on its designated topic. It is actually a pleasure to read the blurb, “Speaking in plain English from the context of 1 Corinthians 13.” BIGWO has put together an ensemble of exegetical Biblical principles to music in Follow after Love and listening to the album as it actually does what the artist intended to do. One of the conceptual things is that the album and tracks provide (normally is the first verse), the example of Love in Christ and then provide us with a direction in with to follow in the subsequent verses. This is almost like preaching where you start with God and then proceed to provide our response to that attribute.
The themes of love are covered in a very R&Pish fashion. When it rains is a perfect blend between classic R&B and a worship song that can be played in a church setting. Even I love you Jesus strangely gets away with its R&P influence, with its synths and a deep kick. By the way, are you looking to add to your worship collection? Look no further than So Much Love.
The real high’s however come when the singing and rapping is mixed together. With its hypnotic, Japanese-influenced beat, Geisha Girls combines this rapping and singing to produce this unique sound that grows on you overtime. Sometimes the verses feel like a Three-Six Mafia drop, but then the beat pulls you back and reminds you that this is BIGWO. Confused? I was too, but in a good way. It’s unique. A word you don’t hear very often within CHH.
With all the consistency, there are a few glaring areas where the album falls well short. First off, does anyone want to join my R.E.A.L.I.T.Y Show called “death to auto-tune”? And why did BIGWO decide to do a remix of Billie Jean on The Only Son? Did they want to Christianize the song? What was the point? Especially when you add auto-tune to the chorus, it is destined to end worse than one of Charlie sheen’s trips.
When it is all said and done, this is a unique project to come out of the CHH genre. Even though it is not strictly hip-hop, it’s a unique project that comes with a big replay value. From unique sounds and beats to a great voice, to the follow through of the concept provided, this is a good album, bar its glaring faults. But for a junior album, we can forgo those faults and Follow after Love.
Comprehensive Ratings:
Rating – 6.2
1. Music – 7
2. Flow – 6
3. Creativity / Originality – 7
4. Relevancy – 6
5. Content & Character – 6
6. Credibility & Confidence – 6
7. Personality – 6
8. Presentation Quality – 6
9. Overall Production Quality – 6
10. Potential Impact – 6
