Album Review: Jim Jones-Pray IV Reign

March 24, 10:17 AMNY Hip-Hop Music ExaminerSamantha Greaves

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Pray IV Reign in stores now.

Jim Jones finally releases his solo album Pray IV Reign and his fans will be pleased. I have to admit, I was a little surprised at the outcome of the album. Here I was anticipating an album full of the stereotypical songs that rappers make about them poppin' bottles and banging..well... you know.

Instead, the album was full of diverse subjects that will suit just about any music lover. Jim made it a priority to use the same artists on a good majority of his songs as features. Starr, NOE, Ron Browz, C. Santana, and Oshy appear on at least 2 tracks each and even with their repeated appearances, the songs hardly ever sound redundant.

There are some songs I feel the album could have done without, such as "Pop Champagne", "Na Na Nana Na Na", and my personal detest "This Is For My B*tches"(which i'm sure will be a favorite of many). "How To Be A Boss" that features Ron Browz, NOE, and the Mr. word-smith himself, Ludacris; is a song about all things materialism but also the life of a person making things happen. Having Ludacris on this song was a very good look for Jim because he added a little pizazz.

Pray IV Reign allows fans and future fans to get a look into the mind of Jim Jones. He gets personal with almost all of his songs, adding a little conversation at the end by dropping jewels about life and doing what Jim does best, talk sh-t; but it really added a little something special to the album. Don't worry about ad-libs, Jim's got you covered. Known to ad-lib all by himself, Jim does not disappoint with his excessive background add on's

What makes the album a decent album that can be played over and over again, are the beats; the beats are truly impeccable. They have very theatrical sounds that sound like they were made with more than just Pro Tools. The soothing and base infused beat of "Rain" and "This Is The Life" with the pretty-esque sound of Starr's voice, adds a different spice to the album; and the southern-sounding-marching-band inspired track "How To Be A Boss" certifies that this track will be booming out of cars this Summer in NYC.

Jim gets kudos for having a diversified album; splitting it between his materialistic flaunts, his music for the ladies, and his music for the fellas, making this album not a waste of cash and earning him just a little more respect from those who doubted him.

Pray IV Reign gets 3.5/5