Reviewed by Greg Inglis

The 'Solus Christus Project' is the debut album from a Philadelphia emcee, a title derived from the Latin phrase meaning Christ Alone. Even a cursory glance through the accompanying album sleeve makes it abundantly clear that Linne sees his music very much as a ministry rather than sheer entertainment alone. This is demonstrated from the very first track proper "Random Thoughts", a scathing attack on hypocrisy and self-centred living, exhorting the listener towards a lifestyle of grace. Echoes of NAS, MOS Def and the seminal Public Enemy shadow this album though Linne is gifted with a unique creativity. This is expressed most strikingly in the hip-hop Bible study of "Justified", a clever and thought provoking exposition of Romans 3 v12-24. Props to DJ Essence for the scratching and turntable wizardry which add to rather than detract from some killer rhymes though the similarity in style means your mind tends to drift across the 15 tracks. If you like your old-skool thought provoking then this is well worth a shot but my feeling is that in the hands of a different producer there is the potential for an even better follow up.

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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