*Alternate Review*

Live by Your Strength (Trinity Farm, 2008)

Biblical, one of the more promising new artists of 2007, follows up his debut with this strong set that brings back his unique brand of roots driven by fierce hip-hop-inspired beats. Although the sound isn't quite as fresh one year later, Live by Your Strength manages to equal Inborn Precepts for sheer entertainment value. It grabs you by the throat early on and rarely loosens its grasp, with only the gloomy, overly hip-hop "Lead the Way" falling flat. From the huge drum and bass of "Learning" to the funk of "Kanchas" (pronounced "conscious") to the bouncy chant of "Remedy (Real Medi)" to the old school flavor of "Immanence," Live by Your Strength is a striking statment that a sophomore slump isn't in the cards for cultural sing-jay Biblical. Take a listen at cdbaby.com/cd/biblicalmusic1.

Jah Infinite (Trinity Farm, 2008)

Jah Infinite, released around the same time as Live by Your Strength, is the lesser of the two albums, but it's not without its charm. The bare-bones groove of the title track excels, as does the booming "Beta Know," the plucky "Hold It Upful" and the cool retro jazz-funk groove "Leada." The sound is a continuation of Biblical's previous efforts -- roots driven by hip-hop engine -- and although he continues to make some of the most cohesive hybrids of those two styles, Jah Infinite is simply too long for its own good. Had Biblical stopped at 10 or 12 tracks, there wouldn't be room for more generic material to invade. Specifically, dropping the last five tracks would've made it a much more efficient album; plus, despite the talent involved (Ancient King and Midnite's Vaughn Benjamin), "Good Ova Evil" is rambling and dull. Recorded so closely with Live by Your Strength, you have to wonder if he could've just mixed the two -- straining out the filler -- and produced a super-mega-ultra-album. Still, if you like Biblical's unique sound, there's more than enough to satisfy on Jah Infinite.