Album Review: Nfluence – “Reason to Live”
Released: 2011
Reviewed by: Bradford Davis
Rating: 6.4 (Out of 10)
[xrr rating=6.4/10]
Though it would be silly to oversimplify what it takes to make a quality hip-hop record, there is a definite short list of what it takes to be successful. There must be strong rhymes. There must be strong production. There must be quality production. And the emcees have to have a nice flow. Nfluence has two of the four down-pat. Some progress on the flow and the rhymes, and we really might have something here.
Reason to Live excels at two of the aforementioned necessities for a well balanced hip hop album. The instrumentals chosen do an excellent job at matching the moody, sometimes dark tones of the lyrics. When looking at the album cover, there’s no surprise to me that Nfluence chose to have a sepia-toned, barren field with an overcast sky as his backdrop. Every instrumental conveys a consistent theme, putting the feeling of living in a fallen world on full display.
The musical direction of Reason to Live accompanies the lyrical content (note: not skill or technique—we’ll get there soon) quite well. From Nfluence’s desperate plea to “Rearrange My World” to his stern resolution to trust in God no matter the difficulties he faces in “Where You Go I Go”, the content remains focused. This project aims to paint the struggles in life with the hope sprung from a trust in the Gospel. A risen Lord is Nflunence’s Reason to Live.
Unfortunately, the album runs into trouble with the mediocre flows and rhyme schemes. Though I freely admit this might be a stylistic preference—I was not fond of Nfluence’s voice. In some songs (e.g. “Mercy”), every line is delivered with the same strained, guttural inflection. If he had done a better job of picking his spots to use that extra emphasis in delivery, I think a lot of songs could have come out much better. I believe the pain he’s trying to express will get lost on a lot of listeners. Even though the rhymes are truthful, they aren’t particularly interesting, descriptive or creative. Fortunately, these are issues that provide reasonably clear solutions.
The goal of Nfluence’s somber and dramatic Reason to Live is to deeply move each listener by the brokenness of sin and the beauty of a Savior. To that end—it is a success. Incremental improvements in the weaker areas could make the next drop a real gem.
Also of note: Reason to Live (a fairly long album to begin with) includes a 7 track bonus disc. I’ve never been one to gripe about free music.
Music- 7
Flow- 5
Lyricism – 5
Content – 8
Creativity/Originality/Relevancy- 4
Credibility and Confidence -8
Personality and Character- 5
Presentation Quality- 7
Production Quality- 8
Potential Impact- 7
