Review: Andale's Voice of Reason

Andale’s newly released mixtape, Voice of Reason, provides a late pass to those who may not be familiar with the Tennessee-area MC. The mixtape is essentially a highly entertaining electronic press release, a melange of 9 earlier works of Andale’s and snippets of interview time with Trig from Holy Culture’s Corelink Radio mix show. Through songs that range from Dirty South bangers brimming with Twista-fast rhyme cadences, to more introspective fare, the songs show the versatility of Andale. The interview clips take us into the mind of this Christ-minded rapper.

Andale comes to holy hip-hop after choosing not to embark on a secular rapping career at literally the last minute--in the recording booth. The secular world’s loss is our gain, as Andale proves himself to be engaging, either by using the aforementioned rapid-fire flow or through compelling storytelling. A good example of the latter is “Fly Away.” The song jacks the beat from Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick, Push” and, like that song’s theme of escapism, Andale raps about people in several vignettes wanting to escape hardships by wrapping themselves in the word of God through good Christian music.

“Ride Out” has Andale discussing challenges God’s male representatives face with women who are not saved. Juxtaposed against the interview footage where Andale says women have been responsible for the downfall of powerful men throughout history, it’s comforting, as a woman, to hear Andale encouraging men to take more responsibility for their behavior in avoiding sin in the song.

Like “Ride Out,” there are many tough messages for many different groups. But the biggest message has to be for fans of holy hip-hop: watch out for the White Flag, anticipated to drop in May.

Other Standout Tracks: "Change Gone Come," "Trouble Don't Last Always"

Download Voice of Reason here.