There's nothing like having the security in the fact that Christ's sacrifice of love for us brought believers eternal victory over sin and death. Though moving through daily life brings challenges to our hope and tests the strength of our faith, in the end we know we win. Rel Paul, a Detroit native, takes a few moments to discuss some wonderful details of this fixed fight on his new album Spoiler Alert. 

1. Spoiler Alert...We Win: This two part opener is clear and strong in presenting the ultimate purpose of this project. Starting of with spoken word (Spoiler Alert), Rel Paul’s energy and passion jumps out of the speakers as he advises of the victory that has been sealed by Christ from the beginning. Things shift after that initial minute and a half as “We Win” brings a post- battle, victory feel to the forefront. I kind of like how the drums punch and guitars riff as Rel flows about the all powerful God that clinched our win.

2. Dogmatic: Although the beat reminds me a little of some East coast bangers, it falls short in overall execution. The hook doesn’t really stand out and grab you, it kinds of just blends into the verses. I was brought back to the Grapetree days because he sounds similar to C.R.O.W. on parts of the track. The overall message of standing firm against opposition of Christ’s divinity is good, but the song misses the mark.

3. Still Here (feat. Viktory & Jade Harrell): From the track to the features, this is the best song I’ve heard so far and first with true replay value. Rel’s flow fit well with the triumphant tone of the song and plays off Vik’s style nicely especially when they share the last verse. Jade Harrell makes an appearance and proves she should be considered for more hooks across the “CHH scene”.

4. Dudz: I’m not a huge fan of the beat for this one, it seems like an attempt at dance music but almost ends up being just what the song title is. Overall the track is okay, maybe the fact it became the first music video he dropped for the album helps, but doesn’t really stick.

5. Crescendo Of The Heart (feat. The Washington Projects): And right after the dud, another song that is at a truly high level. I’m already seeing that when there is a feature on the track Rel Paul raises his game both beat- choice wise and in his lyrical approach. Having The Washington Projects on this track helps make this a crossover level offering and may even have made for a better video.

6. Forevermore (feat. Elle Renee): Rel continues to provide that good exhortation/ motivation music with this track, sticking to that dance feel with an assist from Elle Renee. It is a bit awkward that someone with as aggressive a style as Rel continues to utilize these types of tracks, but it works well enough.

7. Moments Notice (feat. Marvin Winans, Jr.): The thing that stuck out most to me on this track is how Marvin went into a more rock sound for parts of the hook, then smoothed it out. Rel gives a little worship as he discusses living for now, not worrying about tomorrows trouble. Solid “maranatha” type of track that definitely has some replayable creative merit to it.

8. Rain On My Parade: I thought I was mistaken, so I went ahead and subjected myself to checking out Rihanna’s song...”Umbrella”. Sure enough, much to my chagrin, Rel reformulated the hook and I lost all desire to continue to listen to this track.

9. Sweet Painful Exodus (feat. Jeremy Spring of Abandon Kansas) : This song definitely needed to be good to make up for the setback previous. Sure enough, this song does the job as Rel pours out some heartfelt lyrics about splitting from sin. The hook from Jeremy Sprint makes this song work that much better, and also has me ready to check out his group. The mix of the snares and synths helps to make this possibly the best song off the album.

10. Revelation 22:22: I actually thought this song would have worked best as the final song of the album, it has that “finality” feel to it. Rel does a little reminiscing about some of the early pioneers of CHH and pleads the case for Christ- centered rap to the traditional- minded church. As the drummer gets busy, Rel and others harmonize a little bit. I would call this more of an intermission than anything, and it ends up working well.

11. Cry Wolf (feat. Christy Johnson of Worth Dying For): Rel gets back to storytelling on this track, speaking about an individual who is raised to be Christian but not rooted in Christ. Christy Johnson brings crisp vocals to the table and Rel adjusts his flow well for the task at hand. The way Rel wrote this out was impressive, providing imagery and putting the listener in a spot to really visualize the story.

12. Devil I liveD: This is one of the first times I’ve seen a palindrome used in a title, let alone a song so that piques the interest for certain. Similar to the title though, the song is pretty cool, nothing about it really makes for extra replay value, but it is a solid track.

13. Finally (feat. Canton Jones): Cajo has never been one to shy away from collabs and shows up strong on this one here. Another track that focuses on the victory that is at hand, this has plenty of synth sounds to bring across an authentic message. Another strong song as the project winds down to the last third.

14. Foolishness (feat. TeTe): I really am thinking the hook was designed to be slightly off and weird to coincide with the song title, but I’m not sure it works either way. The message is clear but the music and Rel’s flow are knocked off kilter by TeTe’s singing for much of the hook.

15. Cherry Pickers (feat. Valdez Spikes): Rel takes it to the West Coast on this track as he makes it clear what his standards are for who he rides with. He also makes it clear that his aim is to please The Father and none other. This style actually fits perfectly for Rel, a couple more songs in this lane would really have been cool to here. Valdez has a bit of a Cee-Lo tone to his voice and holds the hook down well.

16. Sinbad (feat. Oz & Tyman Ray): Things continue to move to a more hip hop tone as Rel links up with two other rappers that brought pretty good verses to the table. The track is simple and straightforward, a perfect background for the fellas to go emcee over it.

17. Citizenship Award: I love the beat on this one, chopping a sample and adding some drums to make a big sound. Rel goes at the establishment of apathy, sin, and pride with full lyrical force. Utilizing a few choice punchlines and plenty of conviction, Rel make it clear he is not aiming to please anyone for the sake of being accepted.

18. Stone Age (feat. R-Swift): Few can match the passion and energy Rel has shown throughout this album, but R-Swift is definitely one of them. Both speak on the Lord breaking and replacing the heart of stone we all are born with and encourage us to remember the depth of His grace. This is a solid song with a strong beat, another standout song as the album closes.

19. Breathe Out: Rel steps back out of the hip hop mold a little with this rock- inspired track. The guitars sound works well with the subtly piano and drums to create a decent instrumental. He encourages the listener to breathe out, Christ’s love is what they’ve been waiting to exhale for.

20. Anonymous Triumph (feat. Cortney Joi): The key to being a part of the impending win that Christ alone snatched, is to deny ourselves and follow him. Rel speaks on that hear as he makes it clear he doesn’t want to make himself known in the process of preaching Christ. Cortney Joi provides sweet harmonies and this final song is decent musically, ending the album out well.

Categorical Ratings Breakdown:

Originality/ Creativity (3.5/5): Rel Paul is an artist that instantly comes off as an individual that may take note of the style of the times, but doesn’t let it drive his style. The album cover stands out, the album title is clever, and the overall musical direction lends to Rel’s ultimate attempt to separate from the “norm”.

Lyrics (3/5): I read that Rel Paul is a writer for various artists of different Christian music genres, and it makes sense when listening to this album. With that being said, there are several rhymes and hooks that aren’t quite as polished or crisp as they could have been. Overall though, Rel is no lyrical novice and has plenty to say in the anthems and stories he crafted.

Delivery (4/5): I believe everything Rel said on this album, period. Starting with a strong spoken word piece, the project also shows Rel’s bellowing flow and hints of harmony here and there. I personally liked when he changed up his flow to fit the musically softer or more thoughtful songs, adding to the range of the album.

Beat Selection/ Production (3/5): To be honest the production was pretty much either or on this project. In my opinion most people with either love or strongly dislike each track on here, with maybe a couple that could hover in the middle. Rel tried to bring a wide range of musical styles together, with uneven results. Someone with Rel’s style can hit a dance beat here and there but the amount he used on this project didn’t necessarily create a perfect marriage of sound. The mix was pretty good though, so that part of it was good.

Concept/ Arrangement (2.5/5): The thing that brings me to this rating is the length of this album. Sure, you’ll get your money’s worth and have plenty to listen to but there are also too many filler tracks. If this playlist was shaved down from 20 to maybe 13 or so, then it would possibly be an entirely more desirable project. Concept- wise, the idea of driving home the truth that we are living a life of temporary affliction knowing that the battle is already won in Christ, is every bit of encouraging. This is a good album to hand someone who is either new in the faith or in need of strong exhortation.

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