Music Review: In Process by Average Joe

If you search online for "Average Joe" then you will find a lot of different stuff, but you probably won't find this artist. Average Joe is the stage name for Joe Bragg who is the Executive Pastor of Cherry Creek Community Church. It's amazing that this guy actually has time to put together this album given his role at the church overseeing the ministry and the additional youth responsibilities that he also has within the church. This album is free to download as mentioned above so you really have nothing to lose with this release.

This album sits comfortably in the hip-hop style with lots of electronic effects going on through the different mixes. The lyrics come thick and fast in the first track "Sin=Death" which talks about following Jesus, no matter the cost. This song leads straight into "Masks" which is about the reality of life, compared to what we show to the world. This song encourages us to show the brokenness that we hide and then to see that we don't need to be broken any longer because Jesus has paid the price.

"Wolves" features some great input from The Legend Of Xero and looks at the people that we trust in our lives, and to be careful and wary of the wolves in sheep's clothing. It's really got a great sound to this track that really draws you into the message of the song. The female vocals of Leyna Ceville makes "As Long As I Am Alive" instantly different from the previous tracks. This is a song of commitment to living for Jesus, serving His purposes as long as we are alive. There are more great sounds as "Pied Piper" comes to life, reminding us to have some original thoughts and not to dance to other people's tunes. On this track Joe is assisted by AKA FIsher which helps to drive the point home with a lovely bit of tongue-in-cheek and very slick rap. This album could be seen as a compilation of some great up and coming artists in the urban music styles. "NEJW" features Deonte Hall and reminds us to consider our trials joy and the difference that God makes in the life of a young person.

"Salt and Light" has a little flurry of guest artists involved. This track features Quese, Renegade Redeemed and Andre Right all on this one track. This track looking at what we are meant to be as Christians in this world and so often fail to be either salt or light in the world around us. The very fast paced "Bent" is next which ramps up the tension on the album before everything drops to the subdued intro to "A Sense of Urgency". However once the lyrics burst in and this song carries us to the end of the album.

There is no doubt that this album is about Jesus, and presents Him as the answer to the needs in our lives. There is encouragement for us to live as disciples and to make sure that we believers affect the world around us in the way that we are called to by Jesus. The difficulty that I found with this album was it was sometimes difficult to grasp the key lyrics. With many sounds being layered over one another there are tracks that are hard to decipher, at least on the few times that I have been able to listen to it for this review. Having said that I enjoyed the overall experience of the tracks, the music is challenging and uplifting - there are some good strong talents on this album backing Joe and really you just can't complain when an album with this kind of production is completely free!