Lyrical Theology

While I’m sitting here with my mom watching another wonderful movie thanks to Netflix for keeping the hits coming, I thought I’d review the latest album I’ve gotten, Lyrical Theology by Shai Linne.  Let me just say, I wish all albums produced such giddiness in me. 

I LOVE THIS ALBUM.  It was love at first hearing.  Listening to each song was like opening another wonderful present.  I never knew this music was missing from my heart until I heard it and it brought such joy! 

Maybe the beats are an old school throw back, but Lyrical Theology delivers with it’s lyrics.  These songs are very deliberate in unfolding Biblical Reformed theology in an easy to understand way, so you don’t have to be a scholar to understand what he’s saying. 

I don’t know, I’ve never heard an album just break down in a systematic theology path.  But literally I smile listening to every song. I’m not lying or exaggerating when I say it makes me giddy. 

Table of Contents gives an overview of where Shai’s theology will go in the album, and this song introduces the powerful theological truths that are about to be broken down.  There is no mistaking where this man is going, and it’s in a "no apologies this is what the Bible says" direction. 

And then Shai takes us there, from the hypostatic union, to active obedience… and let’s clarify, the active obedience is the active obedience of Christ, not our works.  Exalted is a sweet praise song thrown in the mix.  Regeneration, The Holy Spirit, Election… who writes songs unpacking these theological truths?  Shai, thank you brother.

Cosmic powers brings us the reality of the spiritual battle we’re all in, and it’s important to have that perpective, especially… our culture tends to ignore anything supernatural.  I wish there were more songs like this, how to engage in spiritual warfare.  Maybe that’s because of my own struggles with experiencing spiritual warfare and delusions and hallucinations, and I’m desperate for encouragement.  That to say, I appreciate this song a lot. 

False Teachers is by far the most controversial song of the album.  But I love it, it really blasts a lot of the blasphemous teachers out there getting away with lies virtually unscathed.  There will always be people wanting the health and wealth prosperity gospel, but the more people that are warned that that is NOT the Gospel, the better.  Shai takes responsibity of teaching his fans how to discern false doctrines.  Then he actually calls out some of the many false teachers in our society, Joel Osteen and then some.  I haven’t heard artists outright explicitly name those false teachers so I’m glad to hear it said.  This song should stir up conversations that need to be had, especially in the church, because false teachers really are confusing the flock and misleading them. 

Preach it Shai!

The rest of the songs are just as vibrant.  I really enjoy the Q and A with Stephen the Levite… but I enjoy them all actually.  I love a song that challenges us to read the Word, and With All My Mind seems the most fitting song to end an album that has engaged our minds with rich theology. 

I love the album because it brings these great theological truths into songs that people can understand and follow and learn from, and it's straight up good rap.  Music is SO influential to a person’s life, mind, soul, everything.  So, any album that can engage the Gospel clearly, explicitly, theologically sound, is a hit in my book.  Lyrical Theology is not just another hit, though, it hits the ball out of the park.  Please get the album and listen up J  and be blessed.