The name is so familiar, but with storming beats and outstanding skills of musical word pattern and rhyme, Sean Slaughter really doesn’t demonstrate any musical influence from his well-known father, praise and worship maestro Alvin Slaughter.

But that’s where the difference ends, for this twenty-something-year-old brings the same awesome conviction, anointed power and 'from-ashes' testimony that Alvin has delivered for so many years.

Take a cue from the cover art. The World Is Not Enough is an edgy, in-yo-face, East coast hip-hop effort that benefits from a crew of gifted producers (Dre, Quest, Nut) who collaborate with Slaughter as he offers quick-paced, Queens-accented flows.

Cuts such as “Rock Solid” put Slaughter’s hard rhymes up front with soft and surreal chording muted in the background. The chorus makes great use of a toned-down track from producer Dre, a subtle key change, some judicious studio reverbs and a female guest vocal to declare that we who walk with Christ are sold out —rock solid.

“Street Corner Catz” is self-defining, an infectious cut that features a crazy-quilt chorus with an incredibly complex web of interwoven flow lines that demands replay for true appreciation.

TESTIMONY

Sean Slaughter’s testimony is one of deliverance from early involvement with drugs, sex and alcohol, and a subsequent squandering of a lucrative football scholarship. Wanting nothing to do with church, for the sake of the money he nevertheless took on audio engineering gigs, working as a sound engineer for his father’s concert ministry. Soon convicted by the Holy Spirit, Sean repented, confessed and saw the lie of the ‘thug life’. Turning to Jesus Christ, he began his own music ministry.

On “WWJD”, Slaugter teams up with Mark Prentice for something more on the side of a soft urban jam, with keyboards and organ. Prentices’ soulful vocals soothe before Slaughter dishes out rapped lyrics that dictate the familiar acronym.

“Life & Breath” features True-Asia flowing with Slaughter amidst some innovative chamber ensemble samples with prominent cello. The catchy line here is ‘this is more than rhymes, this is life and breath’.

Slaughter is partial to these orchestral-themed vibes, yet on this project he avoids the cookie-cutter pitfall, succeeding in bringing diversity to each them. “Narrow”, “It’s On Now” and “Word of The Lord” each use orchestral samples to varying degrees, but every cuts stands apart. Some are slow, some are hype, all are quality.

That’s the beauty of this album. The message is real and true, and the beats and effects —while certainly following recent hip-hop musical trends— reflect innovation.

Serious supporters of holy hip-hop now have several rising East Coast artists (Treasure, Riff-Raff) to keep an ear open to. Feel free to add Sean Slaughter to that list.