to listen or purchase
Though J Moss had already established himself as a songwriter and producer for nearly a decade, 2004's The J Moss Project surprised much of the gospel music world as Moss, 1/3 of the PAJAM production powerhouse, proved himself a legitimate gospel front-man, able to successfully interpret his own brand of contemporary gospel music. And with V2 he advances to the next level, presiding over a brilliant contemporary gospel/R&B disc that should catapult him to the top of the Gospel heap.
Though J Moss had already established himself as a songwriter and producer for nearly a decade, 2004's The J Moss Project surprised much of the gospel music world as Moss, 1/3 of the PAJAM production powerhouse, proved himself a legitimate gospel front-man, able to successfully interpret his own brand of contemporary gospel music. And with V2 he advances to the next level, presiding over a brilliant contemporary gospel/R&B disc that should catapult him to the top of the Gospel heap.
V2 boasts an A-List of contributors, as duets with Gospel and R&B greats like Kirk Franklin, KiKi Sheard, Marvin Winans, Byron Cage, Karen Clark-Sheard and Anthony Hamilton dominate the first half of the disc. But those great talents play a supporting role only. This disc clearly belongs to Moss and his PAJAM partner Paul "pda" Allen. Their ability to successfully blend melodic dance scorchers such as "Jump, Jump, Jump," sweet midtempos like "Know Him," more traditional call-and-response numbers such as "Operator" and lush ballads like "Abundantly" into a seamless garment results in a near-perfect album. A clear indication of the unstopping quality of the material on V2 is the song "Florida," an uncredited ten minute, 3-song "hidden" medley at the end of the disc that is brilliant enough to be the highlight of most gospel albums -- but which here is almost an afterthought.
Moss and his PAJAM comrades Allen and Walter Kearney continue to spend most of their time providing hits to other gospel acts, but with V2 they've saved the best for themselves. It comes out of the box as the best gospel album thusfar in 2007 and one of the most consistently pleasing discs of any genre you'll hear this year.
by Chris Rizik