YEAH!
It’s about time. That’s one of the first things that come to
mind when listening to
Kingdom Business,
Canton Jones’ third full-length album. For one, think of the timing: Usher’s
Confessions happened four years ago, yet there hasn’t been
anything remotely similar in urban gospel since its release. That is, not until
Kingdom Business.
Like Usher, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown,
Jones is an R&B crooner who favors slick urban
grooves and smooth serenading—not to the ladies, but their Maker. This is a
sound that has been done before in mainstream circles, but it’s a novelty in
Christian music; very few artists, if any, are catering to the urban-pop
contingent with the surefootedness of Jones.
This is rhythm-and-praise at its most accomplished, never
more remarkable in bangers like “Living Clean” and “The Professional,” both of
which seem lifted—rap for rap, synth for synth—from the Ludacris and Lil Jon
playbooks. That’s not necessarily a knock; the vibe may be copycat Dirty South,
but the lyricism is entirely Spirit-inspired, as the foundation of just about
every song is Scriptural—even when dubious titles like “Pimp Hard” and “Hater
Day” may suggest otherwise.
For all its sanctified street posturing,
Kingdom Business is a well-produced shot
in the arm to an ailing faction of faith-based music. It’s almost guaranteed to
make fans of the style go, “Yeah!”
–Andree Farias