Brent Jones + The TP Mobb are back, and back with a vengeance with their sophomore project.

The Southern California aggregation's first release was successful in showing themselves to be innovators rather than duplicators. With Beautiful, Jones & Mobb enter this project with renewed vigor, with the results being nothing short of stellar.

The 12-track journey combines a mixture of a number of musical styles that, while diverse, are decidely urban and show that the Mobb is secure in their place.

Joining on production is the acclaimed Alex “Asaph” Ward and Walter 'Lil Walt' Milsap Jr., among others.

The leadoff cut, "Get Up", is a feel-good dance track that admonishes listeners to praise the Lord in their own way. It starts the praise party off right and sets the stage for a joyous musical ride.

The high energy continues with tracks such as Ward productions "Spiritual Things" and "Holy Ghost High", a west-coast vibed track with guitars from Jonathan Dubose Jr. that chronicles the beauty of being under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Jones and Mobb continue to excel at putting that easy ‘sit back and ride’ flow to their material, and that’s evident here.

Another musical gem is "Rich", a lyrically-sound offering set to a heavy dancehall reggae beat. With Mobb member Stephen "Rasta GT" Dolphin as the lead hype man, you can't help but to move to this track. The catchy hook ("I'm so rich, I'm so rich, it doesn't make sense that I could be rich like this") is accented and amplified by Dolphin's lead which reminds us that the true treasure is not Bentleys and ice but rather Jesus Christ.

Simply put, Brent Jones can write. Penning or collaborating on eight of the twelve selections, Jones has an obvious gift to write songs that make you think, jam, and worship all at the same time while addressing practical living in Jesus Christ.

Brent Jones and the TP Mobb Debut

Brent Jones + The TP Mobb debuted with a self-titled project that contained the hit, "Good Time". Worth checking out now, if you haven't done so already.

"When I See You", penned by Jones, talks of how Christ sees us not as we are, but as we're going to be. In that, we see that Christ views us "spotless", "perfect", and "how we're going to be". The song is sung as a one-on-one conversation between us and the Lord. LaShana Dendy and Chris "CC" Cuffie do a spectacular job on lead vocals on this track and delightfully illustrate God's love for us and the beauty of an intimate relationship with Him.

Similarly, Jones puts his stamp all over the title track "Beautiful", also taking lead vocals on the song. No-one quite sounds like him, hi rich tenor tonal colors and ear-grabbing vibrato make him instantly recognizable. The chorus speaks to Jones’ writing ability:

The track is upbeat, urban, and downright in-your-face. Who can ask for anything more? But there is.

Just when you think you can't handle more on your plate, Jones brings former SWV lead singer, Cheryl "Coko" Gamble to the mic, as she adds her trademark vocals to the lead of "Midnite". Penned by Jones, "Midnite" is filled with crashing synth motifs as it slowly unfolds as a 7-minute ballad. It’s a powerful number in which Coko tells how Christ admonishes us not to only come to Him when things are going bad.

“Midnight” is a song that addresses situations that almost all have experienced —when we discover that we’ve only been speaking to the Lord as things are going sour. Gamble's powerful vocals remind us why SWV was so successful, yet Gamble is totally at home and in her place on this awesome song.

Jones + Mobb have left no stone unturned with their latest release. It's prolific. It's anointed. It's timely. It's hype.

And yes, it really is beautiful.

Producers: Various album release date: April 9, 2002
Holy Roller Entertainment / EMI Gospel

— reviewed by Gerard Bonner —

---

  All content in GospelFlava © copyright 2002. No information to be reprinted or re-broadcast from this site without the expressed written consent of GospelFlava.com. All rights reserved.