Album Review: ERock – “Impact”
ERock – “Impact”
Released: 2011
Reviewed by: Neil Christian
Rating: 3.5 (Out of 10)
[xrr rating=3.5/10]
“Do my colleagues see Christ reflected in me?” “How do I impact the world working at a fast food joint?” “Am I making a difference?” These are the type of questions that plague many of us. Often, while waiting at the bus stop after work or driving home in the car, we dream what life would have been like if we had just done that course or accepted that job. The feeling of uselessness and being stuck in a dead-end job scare us into thinking we are totally worthless. So then, what is the answer to these questions? How do we impact the world? How will Christ be seen through us? Eric Muller aka E*Rock has stepped up to deliver the answers and they are closer and simpler then we think!
Kicking things off, we have SDG which flips lecrae’s last line from Show Off into a fantastic, energetic beat that has a deeper meaning than you would have guessed initially. E*Rock shows us on SDG that to impact the world, the first and foremost thing in our mind has to be this concept of Soli Deo Gloria! Without that base, we are useless. But the great thing is that E*Rock doesn’t just stop there but goes on to show that to understand SDG, we have to be familiar with scripture and theology. This is something not seen in many rappers today. It is clear that E*Rock is studying to show himself approved before ministering on stage. This is so crucial in CHH where so many artists are not devoting time to studying the Word before jumping on stage and trying to minister to people.
Unfortunately things just go downhill from here. The heavy use of auto-tune in the album made it a struggle to actually sit through each track to analyze it. For example, Sacred faith, an attempt at a rock anthem fails miserably due to atrocious mixing of the track, with the chorus vocals too loud and the verse vocals too soft. I was constantly adjusting the volume on it. The singer’s vocal key doesn’t match the beat key and sounds off.
Good Samaritan is a dreadful story telling attempt on Luke 10:25-37 which is rapped/sung/garbled through entirely with auto-tune. I just do not understand why E*Rock felt the need to use auto-tune and attempt this rap/sing hybrid on a track that he’s endeavoring to exegete. The message on the song would have been fantastic, if I had been able to understand what he was saying. This City is a cover of God Of This City, which again has the chorus in auto-tune and the same frightful pattern repeats itself.
I don’t like writing bad reviews for albums, especially for rappers with strong theology and teaching in their music. I was genuinely excited after I heard the first track but that excitement turned to disappointment very quickly. In fact, listening to the album was frustrating at best to opprobrious at its worst. However, at the end the biggest letdown was the fact that I was left without a clear answer and guidance to the questions posed by the album. How do I impact the World?
Comprehensive Ratings:
1. Music – 4
2. Flow – 4
3. Creativity / Originality – 1
4. Relevancy – 2
5. Content & Character – 4
6. Credibility & Confidence – 6
7. Personality – 4
8. Presentation Quality – 4
9. Overall Production Quality – 4
10. Potential Impact – 2
