Taking its place among other N-Soul productions, the self-titled instrumental debut from the duo known as Faith Massive has a decidedly different feel from other ambient club releases. Despite its ubiquitous grooves, layered rhythms, and chest-thumping bass, it still manages to stand apart, in that it has a somewhat urban feel to it. The album segues easily from sound-of-the-street hip-hop to jazz-textured R&B, with stylistic influences ranging from avant-garde electronic music icon Tangerine Dream to the more sultry, smooth jazz sound of Sade.
One of the contributors to the unique sound of this project is the saxophone - not a unique voice in and of itself, but certainly for this genre. Expertly performed, it comes across very well here amid the throng of otherwise synthetic flavors in the mix, and lends significantly to the album's unique urban feel. Even the drums, while programmed, follow a similar path, rich with street-level shuffle steps and sometimes complex sub-rhythms. Smoothing out the project here and there is the intermittent use of vocals, which at times lends an occasional Enigma-esque sound to the project.
Perhaps the disc's only flaw worth mentioning is the repetitiveness of the tracks, with little real variance or modulation to break up the action throughout. To its credit, this is somewhat indicative of the genre, allowing the listener to appreciate it more as a multi-movement work rather than a mere collection of same-sounding pop-oriented songs. Still, it makes this project seem slightly lacking in terms of musical progression, relying more on repetition than on layering and mixing to evolve the songs and progress the album as a whole.
Yet overall this project works well within itself and refuses to lay down in its ambient stereotype, and did well in keeping my interest from start to finish. In the end, for a freshman effort Faith Massive comes across as a singular release amid a throng of contemporaries.
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2005Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI live in a college town and, during the school year, Friday nights beckon like the light at the end of the tunnel (if you're a college student, you know what I mean). Like the sandhill cranes returning to their roosts, or the lemmings' annual journey over the cliffs, college students descend on the main strip, standing in long lines to get into the local alcohol-dispensing establishments. Now,…7ball #20Reviewed by Derek WalkerFaith Massive creates music that taps into the consciousness of the dance music scene. Sonically, comparisons can be drawn to such seminal drum & bass artists as Goldie and Roni Size, but Drum & Bass For the Masses, this duo's N-Soul debut, is adventurous in it's own right, reinforcing N-Soul's more-than-competent skill for finding talented dance/techno artists and giving them the recognition…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by James StewartOne half of Faith Massive may be better known to those readers who frequent the web as the US-half of the Tastyfresh website--Jamie Wright. Jamie, along with Joey Davis, presents the second drum 'n' bass release on a Christian label (the first being Trip's Cultural Shift), and to these ears, the Christian dance scene is setting off on a good foot as it explores this subgenre. This release has a…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Titi Ala'ilimaFaith Massive is a new drum'n'bass outfit on N-Soul records. Various sources compare them to mainstream groups such as Roni Size and LTJ Bukem. Not being very familiar with the genre myself, I can only describe it as hyped up percussion laid over mellow synth tracks, with a few ethereal vocals thrown in for good measure. The only close comparison I can come up with is World Wide Message Tribe's…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Shari LloydDrum 'n' bass has exploded on the dance music scene. It grew out of the hardcore house/rave scene of the early nineties. It's a sub genre of jungle music which rather than using the straight 4-4 beat of house and techno music (boom-boom-boom-boom), relies on breakbeats - the sort of funky drum breaks played on old soul records sped up to between 160 and 180 beats per minute. Drum 'n' Bass is a…Similar sounding releases
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