Album Review: Yo’Conchus – “The Dead Testimony”

Yo’Conchus – “The Dead Testimony”
Released: 2011
Reviewed by: Ed Welch
Rating: 7.4 (Out of 10)
[xrr rating=7.4/10]

I must say, I didn’t know Yo’Conchus had so much style!  My conscious is not this cool, I can promise you that.  So how could I not listen?  The Dead Testimony is far from boring.  In fact, it’s pretty lively from start to finish.  Unfortunately, it’s just an EP so prepare for a short trip.  I really like the flavor and feel of the production.  This project will have your head bumping for real.  The flow of the album is also pretty good.  I don’t feel the urge to skip anything.  No, seriously it’s cool.  Even the interludes (of poetry) are interesting and the replay value is in the positive (the nice beat in the background helps with that, of course).

Yo’Conchus brings a consistent flow to the table.  No, he didn’t blow me away with anything lyrically, but he did keep me mentally engaged and that’s not always easy.  There are bigger names that don’t do the same (heh, that’s a “tight” rhyme right there, lol).  But one weakness in his armor is the level of excellence that lyrics are delivered.  Some lyrics aren’t said quite on beat.  The song with the biggest issues is “Testify”.  He had some others featured on this song and he may not be the main culprit, but I noticed a lot of people were guilty of off-beat rhymes in this one.  Ironically, this song has a lot of potential.  It has a nice beat and a catchy hook, but whoever that guy is that tried to rap really, really fast…really needs to not do that again.  I don’t know if I’m more disturbed with him or everyone else around him who let him do it and gave the head nod as if it was acceptable.  It was so off beat, but he did it so fast others may not have noticed.  I can’t help but notice it actually.  Ironically, it didn’t turn me off on the song (that’s why I say it has a lot of potential).  To be honest, once I heard his verse for the third time I just busted out laughing, so it wasn’t irritating (probably because it didn’t last for long).  Ok, I’ll leave it alone.  Back to Yo’Conchus…

I was impressed with the concept and story within “God’s Cinderella (Go Girl)”.  I wish the writing and delivery were a little smoother.  The end of each verse was pretty weak in my opinion, but the song as a whole was a great story.  A lot of these songs you can check out yourself on his website.  Ironically either this song is too quiet or “Let My Light Shine” is too loud.  I think it’s the latter.  Yeah, it has a rock feel to it, but it’s not mixed/mastered at the same level as everything else.  It’s painfully obvious, even on his website.  Obviously, this isn’t a huge issue.  I mean, we don’t listen to Christian Rap because we like things quiet anyway.  🙂

With all of this being said, he even passed the youth test.  I had some youth in the car with me for some of the time I was reviewing the project and they were feeling it as well.  So this album is kid tested and Ed Welch approved…lol.  The positives definitely outshine the negatives and the mistakes are few and minor.  I enjoyed The Dead Testimony and I look forward to more music ministry from Yo’Conchus.  He has a lot of potential.  But hey, everybody is a critic.  I’m just the guy who wrote the review.  Peace and much love.

Comprehensive Ratings:

• Music                           8
• Flow                            7
• Lyricism                       7
• Content                        8
• Creativity                      8.5
• Credibility                     7
• Personality                    7
• Presentation                  6
• Overall Production        8.5
• Potential Impact            7