Resolution

Item: Politically Incorrect
Author: Roger Appelinski

Politically Incorrect

(1994)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

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Label N*Soul RecordsThe LighthouseMay 1994

dance pop electronic techno

Christian dance music is seeming to be a little sparse around "the industry" lately-except for N-Soul, that is. Consistently constructing ground-breaking musical assemblies with some of the boldest Christian lyrics around, Scott Blackwell's little company is a shining force in the dance genre. Their latest effort, Politically Incorrect, takes a strong lyrical stance against our spiritually and morally warped society.

The lyrics are nothing short of bold, making statements such as "A suicide solution for the ones who are too much a bother/you started with the people too little to fight/I call murder what you call right," "there's a voice/and it's not pro-choice/it's pro-right," "entitlements used to be called charity," "you fill our schools with pornography/then you wonder why little Johnny can't read," and "tolerance-the creed of the fallen," just to cite a few. And, not stopping at pointing out the ills of society, Resolution points directly to the true answer-most blatantly in the title track: "not politically correct, not by a country mile/it's the cross of Christ/I said it's the blood-soaked cross of Christ/that's the only reality." They also have a reading of Psalm 91 over a slick instrumental, and mention Proverbs 16:25 ("There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." NIV) in "Another Solution."

The music is heavily programmed with strong bass beats. It ranges from grooving ballads to a slow techno/house feel-the best label I can offer is alternative dance. Upbeat enough to kick up some heels dancing, it's not too extreme to sit and listen to around the house.

Four of the tracks are written by Calix Reneau, who along with "Lift" (hopefully a pseudonym) handle the keyboards for the group. Gary Scott does the programming with Jeffery Lankford doing the vocals and guitars. Greg Hobgood [Prodigal Sons], who co-produced the project with Scott Blackwell, wrote two of the songs.

One of the other tracks is Larry Norman's "Watch What You're Doing." It has a quick bass track with distorted guitar accents and vocals reminiscent of industrial-type vocals. I couldn't help but think it was something I'd expect from ZZ Top. Another is a fairly close remake of Squeeze's "Tempted." "Ditto Heads" is a standout that melds jangly guitars with a heavy bass beat that is led by the vocals.

The breathy vocals of Lankford were rather interesting. At times they reminded me of The Moody Blues' "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," while in other spots feeling close to some of those in Real Life's "Send Me An Angel." I wouldn't say they are exceptional by any means, but understandable and expressive enough to carry the cutting message of the group.

One of the most likely albums around, musically, to appeal to secular dance fans, the straight-ahead message could make quite an impact. I was all but chanting for more, as there is only about 40 minutes on the disc, but I found it easy enough to repeat a few times.