Grace Hotel
  Overall rating: +++

Album Review

I opened this CD with great expectations, after my very pleasant discovery of Soulfire last summer. Well, I wasn't disappointed. It may not be the hottest release of the summer, but Valley of Decision was well worth the listen, and Christafari is definitely not a "one-hit wonder". And at 67 minutes, it's also well worth the price!

The first and title track, and the idea behind the entire album, is taken straight out of Joel 3:14-21, which speaks of judgment day and the refuge God promises for His people.

In the smooth, rhythmic style called Reggae, Christafari comes at you with a dismal tale of people running from God, from judgment; a tale of gloom, of death, of darkness ... "People all around me seem, they seem so sad. I see them I hear them bawl, I see their backs against the wall, I wish I could wipe away their tears." The mood quickly changes, though, when they speak of Mount Zion, the throne where God resides, and then go into a spiel of courage and faith - "Even though I run through enough hills and valleys, I fear no evil because God is with me."

"Valley of Decision" is a warning that Judgment Day is coming, and that those who are not the Father's should fear that day greatly. Joel 3:15-16 says that "The sun and the moon will be darkened, and the stars will no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the Earth and the sky will tremble." Whether you interpret that to be nuclear war, natural disaster, or a never-before-seen supernatural disaster, the message is clear: the end will come, and the Earth will be annihilated one day, and we will all face judgment by a holy God.

The good news comes in the second half of verse 16: "But the Lord will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel." In our valley of decision, we have a choice: we can turn to God for our salvation and refuge, or we can go our own way and face judgment and destruction. It's an easy decision to make, but it has to be made by you.

A fun little praise gig follows in the form of "Can't Stop." It begins with a trumpet salute, followed by the plain and simple statement "I can't stop praising the Lord!" Isn't it funny how God always seems to humble us when we won't do it ourselves? Christafari sings about this - "I can remember when I was younger puffed up and full of pride. Well I needed no one, I had my own fun, then Jah came in and changed my life." Simple as that. When the Lord humbles you, you are humbled, and you're left with one choice: praise the Lord! This song is full of excitement, fun, and plain old praise.

We've got more than enough reasons to praise the Lord. He gives us strength, He is our refuge, He is our strength, He promises Heaven to us, He died on the cross and returned from the grave for us, He'll carry our worries for us ... why bother with other things? Just praise the Lord, and everything else will fall into place! Besides, "who else upon the cross died for your sins? Who else from the grave rose again? Praise the Lamb the Conquering Lion, the only Messiah He rules from Mount Zion!"

One great reason to praise God shows up in "Best Friend." We don't serve religion, or a "spirit" - we serve a living God, and have a living relationship with Him. What other religion allows you to have a relationship with the deity? And why would anyone worship a god that they can't have a relationship with to know that He's real? That makes about as much sense as worshipping a tree! We can have a relationship with the Man of Jesus Christ, and not only that - He's our very best friend.

A funky little drum solo follows. "Dinghi" just makes you want to move your feet, and it flows right into "My Eyes" - a song about a miracle that sparked a lot of questions. The song begins with the story of Jesus healing the blind beggar, and ends with the beggar asking "listen, here man of mystery; where are you from? Where's your destiny? You've shocked me with your burning vision, I want to follow you on your mission." Sometimes God uses miracles to get His point across and to show Himself to the world. And anytime the Lord works, people ask questions. And when people ask questions, people learn of Jesus, the Son of God.

"Modern Day Pharisee" speaks of the "holier-than-thou" type, the type who wear their righteousness on their sleeve. You know the type - the guy who thinks his works will get him to Heaven, the person who hears how he is "respected by society" one too many times and takes it to heart. But Jesus said that there is only one way to Heaven. He said that there is no one righteous, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And Ephesians reminds us that there is but one way to Heaven: Jesus Christ.

Some sweet chanted harmonies open the next smooth groove: "Surrender." A song about letting go and letting God move, the song flows with the mellow rhythm that Christafari in known for.

This is the great paradox of Christianity: you are set free by surrendering to Christ's Lordship. The ultimate freedom is giving up all rights to your life! Thank God for paradoxes! This whole CD carries this message in various forms.

Another song about freedom is "Set Me Free." A plea for freedom from sin, from the world, Christafari sings "No chains are on my feet, but I am not free, captive of my own devices, down in slavery ... Entanges I am strangled by the pride of life, first it gives me a kiss, then it cuts like a knife." Ever since Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, humankind had been a slave to sin. "Set Me Free" cries out about this, asking for freedom, a way out. "I ask forgiveness and then I fall into sin [again] ... I pray 'lead me not into temptation' then I lead myself in." They end on a happy not, though, proclaiming that God provides freedom, through His son Jesus Christ.

"Jungle Inna Babylon" puts a twist on reggae. To get a feel for the song, imagine rave a la Scott Blackwell or 2 Unlimited mixed with Christafari-style reggae. Yeah - it's different, but then again, so are Christafari! You've got a fast beat, lots of sound effects, and lost of rapid transitions between techno-reggae and rhythm-reggae, and even an old Gospel quartet mixed into the background here and there. It's amazing what you can do with sound mixing equipment and an imagination!

The CD then flows right into a very catchy, mellow song with a possible hint of UB40 influence that kind of sneaks up on you and gets you hooked on reggae. Before you know it, "Keep On Looking Up" has your spirit lifted and your outlook brightened ever so slightly. "Hard times knocking at your door, you've never felt so alone before. You struggle each day to survive, and long to live the better life. You've gotta keep on looking up!" The next verse changes perspective, and is a monologue to God. We see God everywhere in our life and in our world, but trials still find us, and hard times still find us. We've got to live by faith, knowing one day we'll see Him face to face, and it will all be worth it! "No more crying, He'll dry your eyes that day. And no more suffering, He's gonna ease your pain. One day He'll reclaim all of His people,and until that day you got to keep on looking up!

It's hard to be depressed when you know what all we have to look forward to! A life with no pain, no grief, no crying, no suffering, none of the ills this world has! And an eternity with the God of all creation, an eternity of joy, of laughter, of happiness, of utter wonderfulness! How can we possibly complain about a mere 75 years or so of a less than perfect life on Earth when we have a million years of perfection in Heaven, and another million after that, and another million...? Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

With all that to look forward to, it's no wonder Christafari is going to "Live This Love!" I'm not talking sappy, romantic, Hollywood love ... I'm talking the pure awesome love of God. The love that "falls like the rain upon the just and the unjust the same." Jesus has so much love for us that He was willing to die a horrible death on a wooden cross, beaten and mocked, for you. And for me. That kind of love is not found on Earth, and is not natural to mankind, but it is to God. And for us, His children, He has given the gift of that kind of love.

Hollywood has given the word "love" a much different meaning than God originally intended. Love, God-style, is described in I Corinthians 13. Through the inspiration of God, Paul writes that without love, faith that can move mountains and brilliance that can explain all of the unfathomable mysteries of God and the universe are utterly worthless. Eloquence of speech is nothing but noise, "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." True love is being willing to accept wrong from others, knowing that we wrong them just as often as they wrong us. It always trusts and hopes for the best. Prophecies come true, strength fails, but only love is eternal. That's why it is such a precious gift, and such an awesome thing to have. And that's the kind of love God gives us, and gives us the ability to have, and that's why we can "Live This Love."

Another paradox of the Christian life is brought forth in "Time." The more time we spend with God, he more time we have, and the more we can get done in our day. Martin Luther King said that he had so much to do in each day that he couldn't afford not to spend at least 4 hours each day in prayer. It makes absolutely no common sense, but God doesn't obey the human laws of the universe. He created the universe, so He has every right to disobey the laws of physics. Time has become one of the most valuable commodities in our lives. We pack as much as we can fit into every day, working on tight schedules, never taking time to smell the roses. The irony is that we have all of eternity ahead of us. Why rush to fill every minute of the day?

Time spent with God is time very well spent ... it lets us get to know the creator better, it unstresses us, it makes life much more enjoyable, and it actually lets us get more done that if we didn't take time out for God. An investment of time with God is probably the wisest investment you'll ever make, and the only investment that's ever guaranteed to yield a favorable return! Now why is it so hard to make that investment.....? I wish I could answer that - my life would certainly benefit from more time with God.

Valley of Decision is a fitting follow-up to Soulfire, Christafari's debut album. It carries more of the same mellow, very listenable music, as well as biblical lyrics on top of biblical lifestyles. Christafari has become one of the bands I respect most, because of their unhidden Christian beliefs, and because they truly practice what they preach.

And if you want an added bonus, check out the Spanish remix of "Can't Stop" that ends the album!

~ David Longenecker