Trailblazin Ministries

Tru-Life - The Journal Vol. 1

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Sunday, February 12, 2006

Album Overview

We're now into the third installment of the Cross Movement solo album releases. First we had Phanatik with his look at the Incredible Walk, and then we had Ambassador take us to school with The Thesis. Now we have Tru-Life stepping up to the plate to release his debut solo album titled The Journal Vol. 1.

To be frank, Virgil Byrd was never one of my favorite emcees in the Cross Movement camp because out of all the crew members I had the hardest time feeling his tracks. With that, I wasn't sure what to expect from this album. Did he really have enough material to carry an entire album? Would this album bore me to death? Well, from the very first track, Tru-Life put all those questions to rest and left me listening to a very enjoyable album.

The Journal Vol. 1 is setup very nicely from the jump and the theme is carried throughout the entire album. It starts off with Tru-Life at a coffee shop picking up a drink to start his morning, but as he finishes his drink he leaves his journal behind, where a worker there picks it up and begins to read it, even though he knows he shouldn't. The tracks on the CD then become the musical & lyrical expression of the words that are contained in Virgil's journal. It shows the life of someone who is living their life trying to follow Christ and walk in his statutes. Then you get interludes where this guy is so busy reading the journal that he's not doing his job, which eventually ends with Tru-Life coming back to claim his lost journal and talking to this waiter about the things that are contained in the journal and what it really means to be a Christian.

As far as the music on this joint, it's very complete album from start to finish with no fillers in-between. Always known for his production skills, Virgil doesn't disappoint with his solo release; maybe even to the point of making me believe that he saved his hottest beats for himself. He displays a diversity of sounds & styles on this album, but is still able to keep a very relaxed & laid back vibe for the duration of the album. Musically, some of my favorite tracks would include: "Just Listen," "Moments," and "If I Could" just to name a few. Tru-Life really surprised me with his lyricism on this album; his lyrics were very insightful and heartfelt, and his delivery was crisp. With the combination of his production and lyrics, this made for a very solid album. I can't even really pick out any particular songs because there was something I loved about each of them.

Overall, I was very surprised by this album. I'll admit that my expectations for this album were pretty low, but now after listening to it quite a few times, I must admit that I absolutely love it. Tru-Life has made a believer out of me, and I'm bold enough to say that I like this album better than Ambassador's The Thesis, which is saying a lot! I'm glad I didn't sleep on this album because I would have missed a good one.

Spiritual Significance

Just as you would think, a journal is a rather private and personal account of one's life. Well, this is sort of what you get in Tru-Life's album; you get to look at the life and heart of a Christian who is working out his faith with fear and trembling. Each of the tracks on this album are pointed at different points of the life of a believer, from the highs to the lows. This is reflected very clearly in the music as there are some songs that are pretty serious and somber, while there are others that are very upbeat. The key to this album is to stop talking and "Just Listen" to what Tru-Life's journal has to say to you about how to walk out this faith.

The purpose of Tru-Life's journal? To show you how to be a man or woman of God, regardless of the everyday situations you might face. I really like the interludes as they provide an honest look at a person who is really curious about the differences he sees in the life of this Christian man. That is how we should be, in that people should see a difference in our lives because we aren't living like everyone else. So, what's in your journal?

Topics Covered

Here's a list of some of the topics covered on this project:

• Remaining steadfast and not falling to temptation (Steppin Out)
• Making wise choices in life (Choices)
• Living the Christian life (I'm Still Workin)
• Anticipating heaven (I Can't Wait)

That's just a taste, but there is plenty more where that came from if you give the album a thorough listen.

Key Tracks

Just Listen, Moments, If I Could