OUTTA SPACE LOVE

     On OUTTA SPACE LOVE (2010, Fervent Records) Group1Crew's third full length album, group members are Manwell Reyes, Blanca Reyes Callahan, and Pablo Villatora.  Past hits of theirs include: 'Love is a Beautiful Thing', 'Forgive Me', and 'Movin'.  Of their work, Manwell says: "We feel like music should just be music.  We feel like an album should coexist within the Christian realm and benefit believers, but at the same time exist in the mainstream realm to inspire people who don't even believe in God or who have never listened to Christian music."
     'Live it Up' starts things off.  It is danceable and is simply about having a good time: "My energy is out the box man, I can't seem to stop when/Everything about my life is blessed and oh so evident/You can take away the lights, shut the cameras down and I /Wouldn't even care cuz all my homies goin' out tonight."  'Need Your Love' has a club feel to it and speaks of a need for God in one's life: "Then You-found me/I got lost inside the feelin' that You provide/I know You won't leave me/I'm the reason You stepped out of eternity cuz I need Your love/I need Your love, coming over me, undeniably/I need Your love, take my breath away, I want You desperately."  'Walking on the Stars' is a heavenly sounding ballad about finding security in God: "And I can see, much more clear/When I'm lost in Your atmosphere/You pull me close, to the place/Where you're always waiting/So I won't stop, the walls are down/Make my way at the speed of sound/Hold me now, hold me now."  'Let's Go' features superstar TobyMac.  It is a great motivational pop song: "We got brighter days ahead/I know you got dreams, I believe in them/I know you got problems too, forget them/'Cause life's too short so let's begin/Yep, see it's all about you/You are the change the world needs to view/'Cause when we change the world changes too/And it's a small world after all."
     'Lean on Me' is hard not to sing along to.  It speaks of the value of friendship: "When there's no one you can think to call/And nobody seems to care at all/If it makes you feel better-you can always lean on me/And when everybody fades away/Just remember that I'm here to stay/When you wake up in the morning know-you can always lean on me."  'Beautiful' is about learning to see oneself through God's eyes: "I've been thinking about the way I see, myself and I, just can't understand why I say/All those hurtful things about myself, my insecurities, they don't seem to just go away/And it's hard for me to understand, You loving me, through all the mistakes that I make/I'm so glad that You will never leave, keep reminding me, how You see me each day I wake."  'Transcend' has the group come out swinging with purpose: "We've been through the fire (that's right)/It only helped us ignite a fervent passion to fight/Why you think they signed us? (that's right)/Can't lie, we were designed to climb/Rely on the fact that Christ died/Don't need lights when He's inside/Made me bright so He can shine." 
     'Outta Space Love' is evidence of a band that's going places spiritually: "I'm outta space with mine, you innerspace wit yours/Let's put them all together so we can become one voice/And let the world see now, just what we talking about/And take a trip to outerspace and let your faith ring out (2X)...If you want to come and join the party/Just come as you are and bring somebody/There's room in the back so don't you worry/But we takin' off soon so you betta hurry."  'Please Don't Let Me Go' finds the group passionately conversing with God: "I can't love me how You love me/But obviously there's something that You want from me/'Cause You don't want to let me go/Owner of the world/But You want my soul/My heart is crying out/'Lord please take control/I need You, I don't wanna let go.'"  'Wait' breaks things down musically.  It's a song single people may relate to: "I'll patiently wait/For you to come my way/And I won't hesitate when you/Make your way right to my heart/For now I'll patiently wait/For that one sweet day."
     'Breakdown' has a Britney Spears sound to it.  It finds the group bragging about their talents: "This ain't ya typical typical, group that you heard, it's a miracle/Little bit of funk wit a whole lotta soul/That'll bump da bump on ya radio/Simmer simmer down all you haters/Didn't lose our style we just got better/Beat so cold did my verse like brrr/Still spittin' life so forget what you heard."  'Manipulation' ends the album and reveals the purpose of their lives: "If you following/Hope that you can see/All that we believe/That's all we wanna do (2X)." 
     OUTTA SPACE LOVE won the Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year in 2011.  It is a good album to test the bass on your stereo out with!  Fans of The Black Eyed Peas and early Christian rap groups like P.I.D., E.T.W., and S.F.C. should give this project a spin.  Blanca's vocals are great!  I think whe could pull off a great solo project in the vein of Fefe Dobson, Natasha Bedingfield, and Rihanna.  It should be noted that Pablo is no longer with Group1Crew.  On January 24th the group will release a BIGGER LOVE EDITION of the album with six extra songs on it, including 'He Said' featuring Chris August.  I'm rating the standard version of OUTTA SPACE LOVE 84%.  For more info visit http://www.group1crew.com/ and http://www.wordlabelgroup.com/.