The contemporary gospel artist’s new album would make for good background music at your next party, but that’s about it.
Dante Bowe is well-known for his work with worship music powerhouses like Maverick City Music, Elevation Worship and Bethel Music, but in his new album, “Circles,” we see the artist explore a more creative side musically and lyrically.
I can’t think of a worship song featuring Dante Bowe that I don’t like, so I wanted to check out some of his solo work. Unfortunately, I wasn’t all that impressed.
My disappointment with “Circles” may stem from a lack of interest in rap and hip hop, and it wasn’t until listening to Bowe’s album that I realized its genre fell into this realm because it’s labeled “Christian” on Apple Music. Although hip hop and rap are not my favorite genres, I still listened with an open mind.
Lyrically, the album is a bit weak. There were a few clever lines, like in “circles” when Bowe sings “Ain’t nothing new under the sun / Ain’t nothing new to the Son” — alluding to a verse in Ecclesiastes and to Jesus, respectively. Despite a few clever quips here and there, a middle schooler could have written most of the lyrics and I wouldn’t have suspected any different.
A few notable tracks from the album are “joyful,” which has made its way around Christian radio stations. This tune is upbeat, feel-good, fun and the perfect pick-me-up. It’s one of the few songs on the album that I wish was longer — which is saying a lot considering how oddly short most of the songs are.
Two other songs worth checking out are “okay. (feat. Trevor Jackson & Lael)” and “over and over (feat. Bizzle).” Each song features a guest artist (or two), which adds some flair to these two tracks. Both songs have some rapping involved and a hip-hop sound. The songs are groovy, but also a bit chaotic and messy. The rhymes and rhythm are lacking, giving the songs a choppy feel.
As mentioned above, most of the songs on “Circles” are quite short. The 13 songs add up to a 41-minute album. The longest song is just over four minutes long; the rest are four minutes or less, with a good portion being less than three minutes.
Although most of Bowe’s songs on “Circles” are short, they tend to be quite repetitive — especially towards the end. This continued repetitiveness, paired with the short run-time of each track, gave the album a feel of being rushed, unfinished and lacking creativity.
“Circles” may lack a bit of genius in the lyrical department, but you won’t find yourself in want of pop culture references if you decide to give it a listen. As a Christian album, “Circles” appeals to secular audiences through references to common human experiences. Jesus is not explicitly mentioned in the album, but God is, which, again, appeals to a more secular audience.
To sum up, many of the songs on this album have a similar sound to Kanye West’s “Jesus is King.” If you vibe with that style, “Circles” may be your next favorite.
The Beat @APU 