Sonik Boom of Love

Item: A Love Supreme
Author: Titi Ala'ilima

A Love Supreme

(1998)

Reviewed by Titi Ala'ilima

Discogs YouTube

Label N*Soul RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1998

dance pop electronic r&b soul

With a thumpy, grooving intro, Sonik Boom of Love announces their entrance into the Christian dance scene. With the words "Love is chief among them" looping, they set the tone for a catchy, grooving love fest. This lyrical theme carries fairly well through the album, though the music doesn't sustain interest quite as well. There is a light funk undertone to a lot of the tracks, sometimes mixing or alternating with an R&B feel, while a general house beat drives the majority of the songs, with occasional forays into a nearly bassless trance vibe.

There are a few shining moments, which may make you want to keep your eye out for this group in the long run. Most notable of these is the third track, "Got My Mind Made Up". This song could easily find its place in the club scene, and even has radio written all over it. It embodies everything one could ask for in this kind of music: driving beats that aren't oppressively redundant, soulful melodies and harmonies, sonic progression and development, and worshipful lyrics. The kind of song to get your body, mind, and spirit moving.

However, most of the tracks, particularly the later ones, seem more focused on beats and neat effects than with melody, lyrics, or musical flow. There are few that could truly be termed songs rather than merely beat-heavy repetitions and variations of sounds and motifs. Such a criticism could be leveled at the majority of the dance music out there, and these guys are by no means the worst offenders in this respect. They do show that they can craft songs, and have the technical skill to produce some solid booty-shaking beats. (I've grown accustomed to finding only a couple tracks on any given dance disk which I would play at a party, even with some of my favorite dance artists. So on that score, A Love Supreme delivers.)

Though they show they have the juice to produce, Sonik Boom of Love still needs to mature a bit more beyond the thump-and-bump tendency to secure a lasting place on my turntables.

3.5 tocks