Arist: Flame
Release: The 6th
Label: Clear Sight Music
Release Date: March 2012
Reviewed By: BMer
Track Listing:
- Try Me ft. Young Noah
- The 6th Day ft. Chris Lee
- The Great Deception
- Show Out ft. Lecrae
- Trap Money ft. Thi’sl & Young Noah
- Man
- Caught In The Lights ft. V.Rose
- He Did It Again ft. AD3
- Scripture Alone
- Running ft. Steve T
- Against The World ft. V.Rose
- Devil’s Bread Intro
- Devil’s Bread
- Christ Alone
- Let Go ft. DecembeRadio
Christian rap veteran Flame is back with his sixth full-length album aptly titled The 6th. While Flame can be credited with being a trailblazer in the Christian rap game, The 6th brings his same-old recipe to the table, falling short of the freshness needed to stay relevant in the quickly improving Christian rap game. The 6th features an almost identical cast from his previous 2010 release Captured (Thi’sl, VRose, Chris Lee…) and the tracks that leave a lasting impression are those where the guest has lifted the track to another level.
The 6th opens with the high energy track “Try Me” featuring Young Noah Flame’s deliberate style is strong and clear, yet it lacks contrast in it’s delivery. As soon as Young Noah starts rapping on the second verse you sense that he’s on another level. The theme of The 6th is that Man was created on the 6th day, and Flame basically explores the history and failures of man throughout the album. It’s a solid theme and no one can question Flame’s thorough knowledge of the subject (he is a seminary graduate who practices biblical counseling) but quality lyrics are only part of the game today.
The first standout track on The 6th is Lecrae’s heavily influence “Show Out” with its bouncy, quirky beat which forces the vocals to come out at a quick staccato. Once again though Flame’s delivery pales in contrast to Lecrae. The rock breakdown feels fresh on the track. Flame does have moments of creativity, the rock breakdown on “Show Out”, the dubstep influence on “Christ Alone”, the live band on “Caught in the Light” and even featuring Christian rock vets DecembeRadio on the closing track “Let Go”. Thi’sl’s spot on “Trap Money” is a little tiresome with it’s repetitive hook and feels almost clumsy at points.
The brightest spot onThe 6th comes from “Caught In The Lights” which features an excellent performance from V.Rose, a consistent guest on Flame’s albums (she’s also signed to Flame’s label Clear Sight Music). The track has that big ballad feel and a solid, simple beat, reminscent of old school beats. Flame is on-point with his punchline’s “Fullfilling your dreams may get you out the trap, but there is a sin problem that is way bigger than that!” Another creative track follows with “He Did It” featuring AD3. The track has a great danceclub feel that almost has that late Fall Out Boy feel (can’t believe I said that) when combined with AD3’s tag. It’s a fun track that gets Flame out of his shell a little bit.
OVERALL: The 6th will be a solid addition to fans who have been into the Christian rap game for some time. There are definite standout moments where Flame shows that he still has something left in the tank, but there are also moments that just fall flat. The short interlude tracks like “Man” and “Scripture Alone” actually stand out as some of Flame’s best raps, solid theology and thorough knowledge. The bottom-line, as Flame puts it: “Ask the real Rick Ross, all that most can get lost. God’s gonna ask how you respond, to his son on a bloody cross.”