Trailblazin Ministries

J.R. - Metamorphosis

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Thursday, February 16, 2006

Album Overview

It's not very often that I get the opportunity to review an R&B album, but this one I was looking forward to getting my hands on. You first heard this guy on the Cross Movement album Holy Culture, and he has been a staple on each of their albums since then. He represents St. Louis, just like his partner and label mate Flame. He's the first artist on Cross Movement Records to put out anything other than rap. Who is he? His name is J.R., a singer & producer, and the name of his album is Metamorphosis.

Now, it's not that J.R. is breaking any new ground with this album, other than being the first to do so on Cross Movement Records, but there are quite a few singers who are staples in the Holy Hip-Hop genre, with Canton Jones being one of the more notable ones. So, what makes J.R. stand out from among the rest? He keeps it street; his songs aren't churchy in the least bit, but take Jesus Christ to the streets by singing over hip-hop beats.

The album starts off with a very hot intro track that has a beat that any rapper would love to spit over; in this intro he states that this album is his heart & soul, which gives you a glimpse at what to expect in this album. That is exactly what you get with this album. And, upon a thorough listen, you can see that this album is equally broken down into two styles: 1) the songs that give praise & adoration to Jesus, and 2) songs for the streets that deal with real issues and situations that we encounter.

Overall, this is a very solid project. I didn't know what to expect, other than what I had heard of him previously on Cross Movement albums. At the very least, I was pleased with the project and think that this really sets a standard for R&B artists who are trying to reach the hip-hop generation. CMR did a great thing in signing J.R. and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future. If you don't already have this album, it's one that you should have in your collection.

Spiritual Significance

Let's take a look at the praise & adoration tracks first. These are the tracks that solely focus on giving glory to the Lord above, just like you would expect to find on this kind of album (especially coming from the CMR camp). Some notable tracks here include "Beautiful Light," "Superstar," and "For Me." "Beautiful Light" is a soulful song where J.R. describes coming into the Christian faith by seeing God's beautiful light, and then with "Superstar" you get J.R. giving praise to Jesus because He is the real superstar in his life. My absolute favorite song on the album has to be "For Me" and the "For Me Interlude." This song deals with the sacrifice that Jesus paid by allowing Himself to be crucified on the cross; here, J.R. recognizes the fact that Jesus did that just for him so that he could be forgiven on his sins.

Taking a look at the second half of the album, these songs really cater to the streets and those that are engulfed in the hip-hop culture. Some noteworthy tracks here would be "Danger," "Temptations," and "Sorry Child." "Danger" is a song where J.R. asks the listener to listen to different scenarios where people get themselves into various predicaments that end fatally all because they were living in the ways of the world. The point of this song is to encourage people to walk in the ways of Christ because the dangers of living in the world can ultimately take your life. "Temptations" wrestles with the issues of lust and fighting our fleshly desires. Thi'sl joins J.R. on this track as they break down how to fight these temptations and subject them to the authority of the Holy Spirit. And lastly is "Sorry Child" where J.R. grapples with the mistake of allowing his girlfriend to have an abortion, and apologizing to the unborn child, as well as wondering what things would be like if he/she were here today. Just like these three songs, J.R. deals with real issues and takes them head on so that the listener is able to cope and have an answer to their problems.

Topics Covered

There are a wide range of topics covered on this album, but here's a taste:

• Choices & Consequences (Danger)
• Temptation to Sin (Temptations)
• Abortion (Sorry Child)
• Jesus' Sacrifice (For Me)
• The Light of Christ (Beautiful Light)
• The Goodness of God (Amazing, The Greatest)

Key Tracks

For Me, Temptations, Danger, Beautiful Light