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 occasionally 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.
By Titi Ala'ilima (8/14/98)
Alexander East releases his first full-length album through N*Soul.
From the first boom of the bass you know that something is happening at
East's house and Minnesota didn't give all its funk to Prince. It is a
breath of fresh air in a cookie cutter world of Christian dance music.
Alexander East is a known name within the secular dance scene, having released
two vinyl mix records and a soon to be full length CD on his own label
(Planet East Records). Sonik Boom
of Love's style is a sort of funky/disco/hard house sound. Matt Ylvisaker
and Somphavanh Soudaly join East on this project, providing additional
keyboard and BGV's.
The CD starts off with the soon to be hit "Spirit of Love" which
has a hard house anthem sound. The recurring lyrics of
