Here's a little something for your Sunday listening pleasure....
Artist: J Moss
Label: Sony BMG
I been searching for good music lately, actually not lately but for a while now... I discovered this cat named J Moss... He's got a joint out called V2.
It's hot. Imagine R.Kelly but blatantly Christian. Weird description, but J Moss has that kind of literal conceptual flow and soulful voice that you love about Kels, but J Moss brings the consistency of a man who's really searching and seeking something higher—and actually found it.
Thematically Moss's strength is his ability to hit you with lots of everyman struggles and some real work-in-progress vibes without sounding depressing, broken or beaten.
He writes about being a Christian while still having the kind of doubts and down moments so many Christians claim to never have. For example, "Holding On" is all about feeling alone and pushing thru daily struggles.
"I'm Not Perfect" is one of the rawest songs you'll hear by a non-emcee on the gospel tip. He just bares it all and gives to you. "Operator" reminds me of that old spiritual that Aretha Franklin used to sing back in the day about praying in the closet when all is lost. But Moss' take on it bumps hard. And "Afraid" is about standing up to fears—financial fears, relationship fears, hood fears...
Sonically, V2 flat out knocks. You don't even think of it as traditional "praise music" or church music. It just sounds like really hot soulful music from a cat that's a little conflicted about his life. There's a whole mix of beats and strings and a ton of bass from 1-14.
Also, Nobody is the one song that i hope gets flipped into a video. It's all about how you feel like you're nothing because you don't have fancy material possessions and how God has a purpose and a path for every single person even if you don't see it yet. "Nobody is a nobody..."
Praise On The Inside sounds like something you'd hear on Sunday with a full choir on the southside somewhere. It's just a cool church song-traditional but still gets you movin'.
Overall, if you're looking for something that you can blow your speakers out with all summer and get you lifted at the same time, V2: THE J MOSS PROJECT might be worth coppin'. (I might have to go back and pick up this brother's older stuff to see if there's a change in his sound.)
Here's a video for "Operator":
So lose the snooze and give J Moss a chance.
