Reviewed by Steve Hayes

As keen followers of UK Christian hip-hop will know A Star, originally from Kenya and now based in London, has been slowly but surely building a reputation and recently undertook a UK tour with Faith Child. This 18-track project was released last year. The lead track reveals a bouncy and uplifting four-to-the-floor beat as A Star gives up control of his life, giving it to God. This gospel hip-hop album is consistently Christ-focused and is wide and varied in musicality and rapping styles - from hip-hop breaks as on "Broken Pieces" (God putting us back together) to the kick beats of "His Name" plus there's a strong hint of R&B and some attractive vocal harmonies on a number of tracks. Also, the track "Public Apology" ftg Allan Aaron has some hints of the Afro beat. On the downside, though, some of the rapping is decidedly old school and much of the production sounds rather dated but as it's been available online for free, 'Letting It Go' is still worth investigating.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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