storm, weeping with him
and making sure he had a
shoulder to lean on.
“That’s something you have
to be led by God to do,”
Jor’el, 19, says. “We had to
support him because we’re
accountable for each other.
We’re brothers. We’re family.
It was almost second nature.”
Fittingly, Total Attention is a
testament to the new level
of artistry and ministry 21:03
has reached. Uninterested in
following trends or stylistic
conventions, the guys shatter any and all preconceived
notions their first album may
have created, for a wellrounded sound and consistent message that is bound to
make listeners stand at full
attention.
Take the progressive,
buzzed-out digital single
“You.” The song is unlike anything 21:03 has recorded in
the past—a daring, forward-
thinking piece of danceable
electro-pop that testifies
where every good and perfect thing comes from. The
rhythmic title track picks up
where “You” leaves off, a blazing banger with steady beatsper-minute and a frenetic,
Indian-like whistle that rouses
the world to direct its mind
and affections to that which
truly matters.
The barricade of sound
continues with addictive,
radio-friendly fare like the
contagious “Talkn Bout,” a
N.E.R.D.-like composition that
rides an addictive groove; and
the rock-inflected “Time for a
Change,” an urgent call to action for believers to stand up
for Christ.
Total Attention shines even
brighter as things get more
reflective. Perhaps indicative
of their maturation, 21:03
knows how to handle the
smoother material with poise
and cool, like the soulful “U
Got Me Through,” Torrence’s
favorite song and also a strik-
ing example of the synergy
between the group and their
producers, who spared no
expense in this undisputed
highlight.
Silky, worshipful numbers like
“Power of Christ – LIVE” and
“Free” find the group flexing
its Christian pop side, while
pensive balladry is displayed
beautifully with “Everybody
Can’t Go” and the sumptuous
“Now.”
Respectful of the gospel
legacy upon which their
music is built, 21:03 take it to
the old-school in “Riverside,”
a contemporized remake of
the traditional gem “Down
by the Riverside” that recalls
Take 6 and the Winans but
with 21:03’s unique stamp.
Total Attention’s showstopper, though, is “Cover Me,” the
debut radio single, a heartfelt
prayer featuring three titans of
gospel music: Fred Hammond,
Smokie Norful, and J Moss.
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