Music has the power to put its listener in different states of mind; music that doesn’t take you to another place is not real music at all or at least is not effective music. I love to sit and listen to an album that affects me deeply; you know the type of album that you can’t stop listening to because each time you hear something that you didn’t hear previously. I have to say it’s rare that I run across work like that but shai linne’s Attributes of God is one that fits into this category. Lets take a look into this project and explore the Attributes of God.

1. The Perfection of Beauty (feat. Blair Linne): This powerful spoken word sets the stage for the whole album. The beauty of God is beautifully described in a way that points to God as the only one that deserves this title as The Beautiful One. Blair shines the light on our flawed attempts of beauty and shows how we fall woefully short because of our sinful nature. This sets the table for our journey into the Attributes of God. I can’t fail to say also that throughout this cd shai uses excerpts from sermons that fit well where they are placed, not forced at all and enhances your experience of worship throughout the project.

2. The Glory of God (Not to Us): This song just like many on this project pulls you into a deep worship of the God. The very feel of the song musically and the first lyric you hear is an anthem, “Not to Us, Not to Us,” but to your Name be the glory. I could not help not only to nod my head to the beat but lift my hands in worship to the Lord as my heart joined with shai’s heart in quoting Psalm 115:1 in praise to God. Lyrically Shai brings it as usual with a clear presentation and a masterful way of controlling the track.

3. Taste and See: Man! This track is bananas and is another example of an anthem worship song screaming that God is Good. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) is the premise for this song and shai linne once again puts His majesty on high speaking on how God’s nature weather things are good or bad is always good, that’s just who He is. Bless the most high God.

4. Our God is in the Heavens (feat. God’s Servant): God’s position his, bigness, His awesomeness, His power is far higher then we can imagine. God being in the Heavens speaks of position as well as power which both are far superior to anything we can attain to. The simple fact that  shai linne and God’s servant brings out in this God does whatever He pleases and this is something as man we can’t understand. God’s Servant murders the track on this one as well. Once again when you meditate on what’s being said on this song you can’t help but be brought into a state of worship of God for his awesome attributes.

5. The Holiness of God (Reprise): Awesome arrangement in a musical sense. You get a dramatic theatrical feel from this one it’s like a soundtrack from a movie and then the phrase Holy Holy Holy is the Lord rings through the speakers once again putting the focus squarely on God. The second part is Shai asking Who is like you oh Lord amongst the gods, who is like you oh Lord. Man you can get caught up if your not careful in some serious praise on this one. Although it’s just a 2 minute 41 second reprise it’s one on the most powerful tracks on the cd.

6. Mercy and Grace (feat. Timothy Brindle): The vets are back at it again, shai gets a little help from his friend Timothy Brindle on this one and he lace the track with lyrics displaying the vastness of God’s mercy and grace. These attributes of God are so similar but different at the same time. Mercy not getting what we deserve, grace getting what we don’t deserve or as shai says God’s riches at Christ expense, awesome.

7. Lord of Patience (feat. Melissa T.): Patience an attribute of God that I know all of us are glad He possesses. This song is a beautiful expression of how his long suffering and patience extends to us that while we were sinners Christ died for us. How His patience towards us didn’t allow God to just crush us in our offensive state towards him and His love.  This is another song that follows that common feel of putting the listener in worship to God.

8. All-Consuming Fire: God is an All-Consuming Fire as displayed in the Holy Scriptures, I love the way shai linne starts this one off with an excerpt from a John Piper sermon that details with accuracy what sin is. This song is heavy the baseline, the drum hits, the strings and shai’s flow gives a solemn feel to it. He is exploring the wrath of God so it’s fitting. If you want to feel conviction over a track this is the song. What’s so cool to me about this one is that shai linne is talking about God being a consuming fire and about his wrath but the way it’s laid out it puts you in a mindset of worship once again. It’s like once you realize God’s power, dominion, and wrath it commands praise. This one is definitely one of my favs.

9. Perfect Love (feat. Monielle): Ahh the love of God how perfect it is. We are so flawed in our love that it’s hard to understand the love of the Holy God. shai linne does a great job up helping the listener wrap our minds around God’s love. I think the best thing said about God’s love is in the hook that is that His love transcends our understanding but we can definitely get a look at God’s love through the salvation He’s provided for us. Dope song great hook nice feel.

10. Faithful God (feat. Chris Lee & Sovereign Grace Kids): Awesome man I tell you what as you let these tracks play all I can say is straight worship. I mean the feeling and emotions I felt listening to these song one right after another was like listening to a Chris Tomlin cd or something and that’s no joke. God is faithful and it’s displayed in this song in a beautiful way. Chis Lee and the Sovereign Grace Kids lay down an awesome chorus that just blends so well with the track musically. Again straight worship!

11. Judge of All the Earth (feat. Sovereign Grace Kids): God is the Judge of all the Earth something that all Christians adhere to but shai dives into the subject showing how even when His judgment seems in our eyes to not be right it’s always right because He’s always right and will always do right. Once again I love the feel of this song. One thing that shai linne did do in this project was getting the perfect feel musically for each individual song it’s almost like each track is like a movie score. It’s as intense as listening to a movie soundtrack and he definitely captures that here. Awesome song, serious joint.

12. The Jealous One (feat. J.R.): Another attribute of God, He’s a Jealous God. This statement causes some to stumble when they hear this even people like Oprah Winfrey said this is what made her question her Christian faith that she grew up in. When she heard her pastor say God is a jealous God she said that basically she couldn’t serve a God who could experience jealousy. This is a great flaw in the understanding of many. God is not like us we are human and our jealousy many times hurt others but God’s jealousy is a virtue and it’s good. Yet another thing we cant understand about God but He’s holy. Musically another great job and you know if J.R. is hooking it it’s on point. Great song.

13. The Omnis (feat. Andy Mineo, Giano & Omri): Another one of my favs this song speaks on different aspects of God being ALL as in ALL Powerful, ALL Knowing and ALL Present (if I may say that), the OMNIS. Man this song with the features from Giano and Omri with Andy Mineo singing the hook is a perfect combination. You just have to hear this one. Another awesome song with great flow and musically excellent.

14. Self-Sufficiency By Timothy Brindle: Ok now shai does something a lot of artist don’t do. Like the cd is flowing, he’s flowing and now he give his podna Timothy Brindle his own song on his joint and I must say in my opinion it’s a good move. The song stays in the same vein and it’s powerful. I remember years ago I travelled to Philly when I was a campus minister and we found ourselves on Temple University’s campus where we linked up with some Christians there and they asked me at that time if I had heard of Timothy Brindle and I was like no but after that trip which was like in 02 or 03 I looked him up and man I found a treasure in this man of God and he gives nothing less then a pure picture of the self –sufficiency of God that everything is in himself. God does not have to go outside of Himself for anything because He is everything and holds everything together. The project looses nothing by Tim Brindle having a song of his own on it.

15. Triune Praise Remix: What a way to end an awesome project. As seen in the title this song is pure praise to the Triune God. This song lays out the nature of God in three persons blessed trinity the same in essence and distinct in ministry. What an awesome God.

Categorical Ratings Background:

Originality/Creativity (5/5): I have known shai linne in his past projects to be a pretty creative dude putting out original and creative stuff in the past but this project has surpassed them all in my opinion. If you take a look at shai linne’s artwork it’s pretty creative just a plain white cover with the word attributes of God written on it. The reason why I think this is so creative is because it’s clear of all the business. I think great thought was put into making the cover not the focal point that the message contained in the project would be the shinning point.

Lyrics (5/5): Lyrically this is a masterpiece. If you’ve heard any of shai’s previous work you know he’s a lyricist. This project doesn’t fall off at all in the area of being lyrically sound and clear. I don’t know if this is true but it wouldn’t surprise me but I read on another review of shai linne that he submits his lyrics to a pastor that he trust to look over them before he puts them out. If that is true I really admire that and think that’s a good look.

Delivery (4/5): shai linne’s delivery in this project fits well. Personally this is not what draws me to shai linne’s projects I don’t think he has the best delivery but in this project his delivery fits well. Shai’s flow can sometimes be a little monotone but for this project it plays perfectly because of the tone of the project and the subject matter. Shai’s voice blends well in Attributes of God and is totally on point with delivery The tone of the project is pretty serious, we are talking about the Attributes of God so with that being said I will say that the feel of the project fits shai’s delivery although personally his delivery is not the best in the game to me. Somehow I think delivery doesn’t matter as much to shai as much as lyrical content and getting over the message and I can jive with that.

Beat Selection/Production (5/5): Shai excels in this area of selecting beats and productions that work well with his subject matter. The producers that he gathered for this project definitely involved a planned out process, and man it worked. The feel that I got musically from this project was very theatrical. I really think shai and the Lampmode crew knew this was a hit musically because they have made it available to purchase just the instrumentals. This project has the feel of a movie soundtrack with symphony type strings drum rolls that you can feel in your soul and even the effects are on point. Effects like rolling thunder add so much to the feel of this one. I don’t know how long this concept took to develop but it definitely worked for me.

Concept/Arrangement (5/5): The length of the album was perfect. There isn’t one song that I think should have been excluded from the set. You will definitely get your money’s worth from this cd plus some. Concept- wise, it worked. shai linne had a clear theme in mind and he stayed on that theme throughout the project and bigger than just staying on the theme he helps the listener through the lyrics and the music understand these attributes and succeeded with me in bringing me and my wife into worship of God. Just a side note, when my wife likes a cd as much as she liked this one it’s definitely a winner. She is the worship leader at our church and she commented on how much this project brought her into worship of God. Nuff said.

I give this cd Attributes of God a 5/5 rating, listing it as a classic, in my opinion.