Kirk Franklin: "The Nu Nation Project" (Gospo Centric)

The American gospel star, Kirk Franklin, uses rap to preach Christian values, substituting the F-word for the Jword, and hammering the message home with Biblethumping hip-hop beats. No humble servant of the Lord is Franklin: he seems to revel in his maverick status, delighting in his role as a musical thorn in the side of Christian purists. The opening interlude, Verdict, gleefully lists the charges against rap's beleagured saviour: secularising gospel and breaking down the barriers of religion. We are then invited to judge for ourselves via the hard-hitting polemic of Revolution and Riverside, and the smooth, soul salvation of He Loves Me and Something About The Name Jesus. The first track, Lean On Me, features guest vocals by Bono, Mary J. Blige and R. Kelly; Franklin draws excellent vocal performances from each singer. Other musical guests include Franklin's original group, God's Property, Crystal Lewis, Fred Hammond, Rance Allen and Men Of Standard, but every song is deftly steered by the guiding, cajoling voice of Franklin, who keeps everything on a high-minded note and never rests on his pulpit. In another life, Franklin could have been just an old-fashioned TV evangelist, using CD for his own nefarious ends, and dazzling his congregation with cheap, shoddy showmanship; in this life, however, Kirk Franklin delivers his musical sermons with convincing panache, and every reading has the ring of truth. His endless requests for a witness do grate a little after a while, but they sure beat listening to gangstas guffing on.