LABEL: LAMPMODE RECORDINGS
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 1, 2011

hai Linne, aka “the lower-case emcee,” has finally released his fourth offering entitled, The Attributes of God. Anyone who has ever heard Linne’s previous works knows that he has a unique gift of being able to communicate weighty truth using a hip-hop platform through a style he coined “lyrical theology.” This project just might be the weightiest of them all.  It seems weird that I have to point this out (with CHH being so popular these days), but the entire album is about God.  What I mean is there is not one song on this album that speaks from an egotistical perspective.  Every song is either speaking collectively as the church or pointing directly to the attributes of God.  How many rappers can we say have pulled this off?

The production on The Attributes Of God is some of the best that I have heard on a single album. Overall, it has a bit of a movie score feel to it. Each song has a unique sound yet still compliments the other arrangements. Something I particularly appreciate about this album is that the production does not overshadow everything else; specifically, it complements the vocals rather than becoming the main attraction.

Another aspect of this album that I really enjoyed is the feature artists. There are no artists featured on TAOGthat take away from the album. From the poetry of Blaire Linne, Shai’s wife, to the many talented singers on this album, everyone comes with their “A-game”. But features I specifically want to highlight are the hip-hop artists. God’s Servant really outdoes himself, offering his distinctly raspy vocals on “Our God Is In The Heavens” to speak about the ruling authority of Christ. “The Omnis” features Andy Mineo, Giano, and Omri.  Where I usually prefer Mineo’s rapping over his singing, the way he executes the chorus on this track really adds something special. And Giano and Omri both absolutely kill their verses with top-of-the notch lyricism, wordplay, and biblical accuracy. One of the highlights for me, as far as features go, was to hear Shai Linne and original label-mate Timothy Brindle back together again. If my CHH history is correct, I think the last time these two were on the same record was the “Intro” to Timothy Brindle’s 2005 release, Killing Sin. “Mercy and Grace” was a great way to reestablish this classic pairing, and Brindle even has a solo song on the bonus track “Self-Sufficiency.”

I have always been a fan of Shai Linne’s music but The Attributes Of God definitely hits a few notches above his previous works. From the God-exalting content, to the execution of each song, there is nothing on this album I do not like. Linne’s flow even exceeds what I have come to expect from him. Though, each individual song could hold its own as a single, I think this particular collection of songs works best in collaboration with the others. Without taking the album as a whole, we get an incomplete picture of the character of God. However, in its entirety, this album offers the worshipful musings of a community of believers for the various attributes of our Almighty God.