Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Canadian Covenant Award-winning singer/songwriter and worship leader Andrew Marcus has released a seven track release under the moniker of Addition. During a time of experimentation in the studio, Marcus found himself revisiting his love for '90s style hip-hop (think Toby Mac's Gotee Brothers project and you'll not be far off) and the result is a delightful blend of old school rap, organic grooves and biblical truth that just works. Undeniably more melodic that much of today's hip-hop fare, this collection shows that Marcus is not afraid to seize hold of a memorable lick or two to help communicate God's word and he keeps proceedings varied by augmenting rapped passages with sung sections by female vocalists - all set to a sturdy and largely non-electronic musical backdrop. For instance, a string section kicks off "Under Your Wings" whilst a female singer who sounds very much like Dido adds the icing on the cake to the title track. Packed with references to Scripture, the first and 91st psalms are given a fresh and inventive slant on "Still Waters" and "Hiding Place" respectively and Marcus' genuine and passionate spoken delivery on those tracks in particular will hopefully touch those on the brink of coming to know Christ. The laid back hip hop of "The Story" - an intelligent and credible piece of evangelism that reaches out to the lost - is arguably the highlight of this innovative offering from Addition/Marcus.

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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