The Six Beats of Ephesians
Artist: Ed Grice
Label: Ephesians Six Ten Productions
URLs: http://www.ChroniclesOfWorship.com/, http://www.MySpace.com/EdGrice

Though they nigh unanimously come in compact disc or download form now, the mix tape has for some years now been a vehicle for disseminating the latest in hip-hop. Both up & comers and established acts lay down some rhymes over either the backing tracks of already-released rap cuts or whi[ up original backing; because of their often borderline-legal nature, distribution occurs at indie record and DJ equipment shops, swap meets, flea markets and that ultimate refuge of most anything a body can sell--online.

Veteran radio announcer Ed Grice mashes up the mix tape format with scripture to unique effect on The Six Beats of Ephesians. Per the CD's insert, Grice is on a mission to provide "worship centered resources that reach beyond evangelism, and aid in discipleship, edification, and spiritual growth" (his punctuation).

To that effect, Grice reads all six chapters of the book of Ephesians from the King James Version in one of those rich, slick voices that sound so good late in the evening on an FM R&B station. And he does it with appropriate emotional variety that complements Paul's exhortory, didactic writing style (as it was translated into 17th century English, anyway).

Underneath Grice's clear diction,  he places hip-hop of various styles and tempos. The music is mixed seamlessly as Grice reads the text, with little room for listing the chapter before diving into the meat of the Word.

Grice liberally incorporates the chopped-and-screwed mixing style native to his Houston environs. For the uninitiated, chopping and screwing is roughly the turntable parallel to dub reggae's use of studio effects; DJs slow down, speed up, flange, echo and stutter edit words using two two copies of the same record. Since chopping and screwing is said to have been developed by Houston's late DJ Screw to simulate the woozy-making effects of codeine-laced cough syrup (the apparent drug of choice among unsaved Houston hip-hoppers, the main factor in DJ Screw's death and the subject of Three 6 Mafia's "Sipping On Some Sizzurp"), the American body of Christ has sort of come full circle from the days of Jesus hippies urging people to get high on the Lord.

To the music, Grice adds occasional female singing, male rapping and sound effects. One of my favorites in the third category is the swish of a sword during the rundown of believers' spiritual armaments in Ephesians 6. The singers and rappers are, alas, uncredited, at least on the copy I was sent.

Included as bonus peeks into future work are recitations of Psalms 24 and 30-33, at least one of them by an uncredited woman who gets a poetry slam vibe just so--more imaginative music of various tempos ensues underneath.

Along with the rappers on Cross Movement Records and a few other folks, Grice is making good on the ministerial usefulness--and appropriateness--of the music he enjoys and, unlike the earliest of godly M.C.'s under the marketing difficulties of cCm's infrastructure of the time, aiming it at the music's prime demographic. He could stand to give his contributing musicians and vocalists credit, but he's hoping to hear more from Grice soon.

Jamie Lee Rake January 5, 2008