Unfortunately for Kanye West, his 2016 track “I Love Kanye,” a song about wishing he still released good music, rings true for yet another project of his.
Jesus is King is a far step away from West’s best work, in both style and quality. But to understand Jesus is King, West’s most recent album, it is important to first understand why the album sounds the way it does.
While it’s fair to say that there are enjoyable songs on Jesus is King, such as “On God,” the premise of the album overshadows the songs themselves. West is at his best when you can separate his views from his music, and you can’t do that here.
That is the major issue with the album; it is average hip hop paired with average gospel, but I could never listen through the album without thinking of every embarrassing thing West has ever said. This is more pronounced here than in, for example, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, because of his decision to infuse the hip hop with gospel elements.
Without looking too hard at the preaching lyrics and their subpar flows, there are a number of quite powerful moments within the album. “Every Hour,” the opening track, features a gospel choir exclusively, and sets the mood of the album incredibly well.
By far, though, Jesus is King is worst when the focus is on West himself. While I enjoy “On God,” the flow is held back by the cheesy and at times embarrassing lyrics, and this problem gets even worse in some songs. “Closed on Sunday” is cringe-worthy, and I have no idea how it ended up so bad when ten writers and five producers are credited to that track alone.
Despite how short the album is, it is a slog to get through. I can’t help but stare at the time when playing tracks like “Water,” which isn’t even three minutes long, and this problem persists through the rest of the album. The production is beyond boring, and while I do enjoy the jazzy instrumentation in tracks like “Use this Gospel,” it just isn’t enough.
In fact, nothing on the album is interesting enough for me to care enough to give it another listen.