To be honest, it took me maybe 4 listens to get into the sway of the album. Initially I was unknowingly listening to it on shuffle, [shoot myself], so it wasn’t flowing the way it should. When I really heard the album in its true form, it sounded different, better if you will. He opened with T.R.I.N.T [The Revelation Is Now Televised]; a track addressing the current state of the world i.e violence, terrorism, natural disasters and politRicks… to name a few. It had a spoken word kind of vibe over a looped warped beat that kept my head nodding. The track itself reminded me of the work of NY/Birmingham, Alabama MC; Sharrif Simmons.
My fav section of the album began @ Close Encounter. Lyrically these songs touched me b/c I simply love love. Musically, it was a perfect dose of instrumentation accented by his vocal performance… melodious harmonizing filled with passion. His story teller style became apparent at this point where he sang about the first sightings of a love interest, and everything that ensued. He updated us on that situation in the song/spoken word track She’s The One, a short track with a few descriptions of “the one” and the characteristics that made her special. This Moment spoke to living in the moment and appreciating your love. Outta Body described the feelings he gets from being in her presence and all that that entails. The culmination of the love story featured on The Paradox was Down the Isle. As the title suggests, it describes the wedding day of the couple and how blessed they were to find each other.
It is Finished! is perfect for today’s climate filled with despair. Laced with words of encouragement, catchy choruses, and synthesizers, the sophomore project seeks to motivate. Covering topics about God, one’s purpose, and love; V succeeded at bringing us into his world. The conscious/spiritual tone of some of the tracks were refreshing to hear on Anotha Plane, A Sign Meant (4 The World), and Praise To Thee. What’s Still Goin On soulfully reminded us of things that need changing, and our purpose in society to change them.
The key thing that makes this album a success is the ability to balance love and social consciousness without one overpowering the other. His voice never failed to electrify while educating. He delivered the album in the form of poetry and song, while maintaining the rhythmic upbeat tone of the album. Where it lacked in production [an overuse of drum machine synthesizers], it made up in harmoniously electrifying, soulful lyrical content!
