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The Cross Movement
Holy Culture
2003, BEC Records
I‘d wondered what happened to the CM after 1999 saw them release House of Representatives, a seven-MC-strong, lengthy affair that was a good comparison to The Roots‘ back catalogue. Now it‘s 2003 and the Cross Movement have trimmed the fat, as it were, slimming their number to four, including the Ambassador, whose voice and flow is reminiscent of the Roots‘ Black Thought. Signing to BEC for their fourth full-length, the Philadelphia crew have upheld their high standards, particularly after Human Emergency, this album‘s weak predecessor.
Holy Culture is far more mainstream than Representatives; a lot more studio polish and exacting cadence, probably because they have a little more production money to throw around. High-lights include the title track, a Dirty South-styled jam, immediately followed by ‘When I Flow...(It‘s Gospel)‘, a tautly-wound, skipping-stone-beat of a track. Party jams more your thing? Check out ‘Rise Up‘. And while you‘re at it, ‘Free‘ has some vocal gymnastics that kill.
Cross Movement have been about Christian apologetics from first to last, right from their first album, ‘96‘s Heaven‘s Mentality, and their faith and unwavering willingness to speak out remain a bright distinction without getting hamfisted and tiresome. Holy Culture doesn‘t break any new ground, but it‘s a good listen.