It’s a fascinating fusion of gospel and hip-hop that keeps the listener engaged throughout, although the brevity of … Like every Kanye West album, Jesus Is King is filled with moments of undeniable brilliance. “JESUS IS KING,” on the other hand, is very scattered in its themes and musical palette. God saves, and that’s all you need to know of the matter. A year ago, I said that I was done with Kanye after all of the things he’s pulled. It’s a sweeping epic, lightly affected organs opening to bludgeoning percussion and a crescendoing choir singing only “hallelujah,” nearly unaccompanied, for 45 seconds. “Jesus Is Lord” is as bright as the College Dropout album cover. "Jesus is King," the album, doesn't fare much better. Nowhere is the view muddier than on “Closed On Sundays,” featuring a newfound, poorly articulated dedication to women’s purity in the social media age. Kanye albums used to stretch our perspectives and imaginations. “God Is,” with its straightforward address to the listener, sent me back to “Only One,” one of two West collaborations with Paul McCartney. n/a; Lossless Digital). Kanye West never stopped talking about God. On Jesus Is King, Kanye’s rap world becomes one big Sunday Service. Full Review. Hip-Hop, Kanye West. While they’re all top notch, Closed on Sunday is so good that it can stand alone. Life is not black and white, and neither is the experience of communing with any god. Kanye’s rise is inseparable from his drive to prove people wrong: 15 years ago, a host of detractors told Kanye not to rap — he dedicated a 13-minute spoken-word outro to the struggle on his debut album — and the world would be worse off if he’d listened. The year is 2019, and Kanye West, yes, that Kanye, has released a gospel-centric hip-hop album called JESUS IS KING.What a beautiful, and most surprising twist in this thing called life. That's the best way I can describe it. But I’m doing it anyways because I have some thoughts on this particular project. Loved it, as well as the album. certainly has moments echoing some of his less endearing public turns — briefly referencing the 13th Amendment, retrograde riffing on women staying off Instagram, claims that merch sales count as tithing — it’s typically getting more tough to grasp what, exactly, he’s trying to say. While his ninth album. Jesus is King is dedicated to Sharing the Good News that Jesus is King of all Creation. Jesus Is King Review. His mythical rap-camp format, popularized with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’s Hawaii origin story, unifies the contributions of producers as disparate as Timbaland, Pi’erre Bourne, Boogz, and Evan Mast of Ratatat into 27 minutes of pleasant, if not entirely transgressive, textures. The epistolary song, written from the perspective of West’s deceased mother Donda assuring her son that she’s proud of him, encapsulates much of what Jesus Is King strives towards before falling short. From his breakout “Jesus Walks” to last year’s ye, religion has always been, if not a fixation, than a thematic concern, something to pick at and analyze, to mythologize and aid in his own self-mythologization. Now they illuminate the contours of his increasingly shrunken world. Featured peformers: Kanye West (vocals, producer, executive producer, composer, lyricist), Josh Berg (recording engineer), Josh Bales (recording engineer), Mike Dean (mastering engineer). Review — Jesus is King. The gospel-soul sample deployed on “God Is” harkens to his early days as an in-house producer at Roc-A-Fella. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Review Summary: In love, war, ... On the rest of Jesus is King, Yandhi takes the bold yet brilliant Fear Inoculum approach to songwriting by releasing an album of meandering interludes. Jesus Is King Review: A Story of Redemption. Introduction to Kanye. It leads to moments of undeniable beauty, but little to hold onto. Ostensibly a love song directed at Kim Kardashian West, he solemnly intones “Hold the selfies, put the ‘Gram away / Get your family, y’all hold hands and pray.” It doesn’t work (and makes less sense when he elaborates). It’s unlikely that any listener would select “God Is” as the strongest entry on Jesus Is King, but it admirably lays out what West is attempting to do. The rapper’s IMAX movie, Jesus Is King, puts a choral Christian concert into an artist’s crater to beautiful—but cold—effect. The plaintive, direct singing mode is West’s best delivery vehicle across the album. Truth be told, it is one we should find familiar because it is the story of us all. While critics always focused — unfairly — on West’s technical prowess, a forceful clarity of vision was never in question. I don’t attest to any religion that tells me that other people gotta go to hell,” West said in 2008. The music of Jesus Is King is pretty, and the message is mostly positive. Take “Selah,” the album’s true kick-off after his Sunday Service Choir’s introduction, and the first inessential album opener in West’s oeuvre. Categories: All, Reviews, US Rap Tags: Clipse, GOOD Music, IMAX, Jesus Is King, Jesus Is King Album, Jesus Is King Album Review, Jesus Is King Review, Kanye, Kanye West, Kanye West Jesus Is King, Kim Kardashian, No Malice, Pusha T, Sunday Service, Ty Dolla Sign Spencer Kornhaber October 25, 2019 Update: 2019-11-01. "Jesus is King," the album, doesn't fare much better. The Avalanches Announce ‘Since I Left You’ 20th Anniversary Reissue, Celebrity Animal Expert Jack Hanna to Leave Public Life Following Dementia Diagnosis, Bassist Rudy Sarzo on His Years With Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, and Dio, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Ariana Grande Lead Record Store Day Drops 2021, Flashback: Carly Simon Performs Cat Stevens-Inspired ‘Anticipation’ in 1971, 070 Shake Doesn’t See Time the Way Everyone Else Does, Tekashi 6ix9ine Releases First Post-Prison Song. Whether or not you like the lyrics or believe their intent is genuine is ultimately determined by your belief in West’s actions speaking louder than his words. 3 . His rapping, though, capsizes the vessel. Lyrically, the music sounds as if West picked up a Bible yesterday, took everything at face value and decided to make an album about it. Kanye West performs onstage during his "Jesus Is King" album and film experience at The Forum on October 23, 2019 in Inglewood, California. , but it admirably lays out what West is attempting to do. , you begin to see where they may have been coming from. Though the album is not, strictly stylistically speaking, a gospel record, its steadfast call to worship is its defining feature. Jesus Is King is a spiritual work thanks to its deep feeling -- pure expression brought to today's calamitous social condition. I really believe in absolute truth.” His thoughts, obviously, have evolved in the decade since. Beyond superficial gestures at biblical references and the capitalist leanings of American prosperity gospel, there is virtually no indication here as to what it means to follow Jesus. "Jesus is King" presents audiences with a difficult predicament: the film's content is fascinating, innovative and even inspirational. The day of deliverance has arrived. Loved it, as well as the album. Historically, it has been the vulnerability with which he expresses his own hypocrisies and moral failings that have made West a uniquely compelling artist; unfortunately, there is very little of that complexity on Jesus Is King. The streets of Jerusalem, the royal city, are open to Him, and like a king He ascends to His palace, not a temporal palace but the spiritual palace that is the temple, because His is a spiritual kingdom. Undercooked tracks on this gospel album don’t delve deep enough into West’s spiritual enlightenment . Jesus Is King, an Album by Kanye West. Featured peformers: Kanye West (vocals, producer, executive producer, composer, lyricist), Josh Berg (recording engineer), Josh Bales (recording engineer), Mike Dean (mastering engineer). B-HOP. “Father I Stretch My Hands To Thee,” an unsmiling Methodist hymn written by Isaac Watts in the early 1700s and turned into a rousing standard by black gospel singers over the next century, has since transcended the church pew. But in typical Westian fashion, the song dramatically shifts, and very nearly redeems itself. Some of the hallmarks of 20th-century gospel are evident, and warmly applied: the rise and fall of a formidable choir; the velvety growl of a Hammond organ; an undulating piano; rhythms that stretch through history and geography, all the way back to West Africa. Take “Selah,” the album’s true kick-off after his Sunday Service Choir’s introduction, and the first inessential album opener in West’s oeuvre. Barrett’s version on 2016’s The Life of Pablo, in a song that opens with a non sequitur about a bleached butthole. Spencer Kornhaber October 25, 2019 You know? The plaintive, direct singing mode is West’s best delivery vehicle across the album. Nowhere is the view muddier than on “Closed On Sundays,” featuring a newfound, poorly articulated dedication to women’s purity in the social media age. I really believe in absolute truth.” His thoughts, obviously, have evolved in the decade since. Such was the power of the gospel. Jesus Is King is impersonal, repetitive, boring, and somehow too long at just 27 minutes. As West sells it, figuratively and literally, Jesus Is King is a repudiation of his past sin, an absolution, a blank slate from which to spread the word of a very specific God, one whose blessings rain down on a cul-de-sac in Calabasas and a ranch in Jackson Hole. Instead, he’s simply hanging on, delivering slightly more focused versions of screeds delivered last week in lengthy interviews. On Jesus Is King, West’s relationship to Christianity and the Church is simpler. Though Jesus Is King followed what is now a characteristically chaotic album rollout for West, the result is much more focused than his 2018 album ye. This one-of-a-kind experience features songs arranged by West in the gospel tradition along with new music from his forthcoming album. Jesus Is King clocks in at just 27 minutes—slightly longer than the stump of an album that was Ye—and feels heavy on shortcuts and light on tension. His rapping, though, capsizes the vessel. But listening to Jesus Is King, it’s clear that West’s religious moment hasn’t really changed him. Yes, the bassline on “Water” is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time, but a moment like this feels like a consolation, not a highlight. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Singing with admirable vulnerability, he invokes some reliable Old Testament imagery — Jesus Is King is filled with demons quaking before an almighty power — an earnest attempt to get his point across that ultimately characterizes this project. November 15, 2019. The most interesting moment, thematically, comes in the inherent tension between a reunited Clipse—Pusha-T and his older brother No Malice—on “Use This Gospel” for the first time in several years and at different stages of self-reflection. The writing that pulls off that difficult task seems woefully out of reach on Jesus Is King. The scope here is narrow, a distillation that clearly brings West some measure of comfort, but it comes with a simplification of the music itself. The maximalism of his leather-skirt phase is all over the expansive soundscape of “Use This Gospel,” whose Kenny G sax solo might be the 2019 equivalent of throwing Elton John onto a hook, just because you can. Though Jesus Is King offers some resolution to the darkness hinted at on Pablo, it lacks the deeply human searching that made that album effective and moving. Full Review. On that front it barely coheres, but the delivery sells how deeply felt these convictions are. It’s no secret that West’s albums are often mined from whatever it is he’s thinking about at that moment, but before his latest pivot he at least tried to add punchlines to his verses. , West’s presence front and center weakens his work as a producer. The film accompanied the release of Jesus Is King, West's ninth studio album released after a series of delays on October 25, 2019. Rated #1399 in the best albums of 2019. While Jesus Is King certainly has moments echoing some of his less endearing public turns — briefly referencing the 13th Amendment, retrograde riffing on women staying off Instagram, claims that merch sales count as tithing — it’s typically getting more tough to grasp what, exactly, he’s trying to say. The stylish and cold Jesus Is King movie worked along the same lines—bringing iPhone maximal-minimal sleekness to a millennia-old institution. The rapping is uniformly lackluster when not delivered by one of the brothers Thornton in their return as legendary rap duo Clipse. Though it will likely be placed alongside last year’s ye as a distinctly lightweight entry in his canon (thanks in part to a brisk 27-minute runtime), the album reminds us that even West’s lesser work can be capable of extreme dynamism. There is not enough depth here to distract from his politics, or to complicate them. The title was a play on words comparing himself to Mahatma Gandhi, but God had other plans. The rapping is uniformly lackluster when not delivered by one of the brothers Thornton in their return as legendary rap duo Clipse. November 15, 2019. Jesus Is King is a 2019 American experimental concert short film by Kanye West and directed by Nick Knight, featuring West's gospel-rap group, Sunday Service. It's visually stunning, that utilizes all of the #IMAXmovie format & feels like a IMAX movie than a theatrical movie, and gives the viewer a. is filled with songs that echo earlier moments in his catalog. Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. If West really, truly believed that it could save someone’s — everyone’s — immortal soul, you wish he had tried a little harder. Sing every hour (Every hour) (’til the power) ... Jesus is King is a relatively short LP of 27 minutes and 11 songs. Description. Though Jesus Is King offers some resolution to the darkness hinted at on Pablo, it lacks the deeply human searching that made that album effective and moving. Bold-name producers (Timbaland, Pi’erre Bourne, Ronny J, FNZ) and members of … Recorded (and, apparently, re-recorded) in the months after he announced a recommitment to Christianity, the album is West’s first offering in the wake of Sunday Service, the performance series he’s turned into something of a global church brand. Offering up a 35-minute art film for the price of an IMAX ticket … In This Article: Jesus Is King nods to a handful of moments from the past 15 years of West’s career. (An exception is “Follow God,” where an argument with his father prompts consideration, however shallow, of what it means to be “Christlike.”). Time and time again on Jesus Is King, West’s presence front and center weakens his work as a producer. Here, he often cedes a point of view, or any sort of detail. Having teased a pivot to Christ with his mysterious Sunday Service performances – viewable on that most holy of platforms, Kim Kardashian’s Instagram stories – Ye’s new album Jesus Is King serves as his confirmation; an official renouncement of the devil, new dresses and all his other works.. As you might expect, Kanye’s sound on Jesus… Sign up for our newsletter. By Andrew Barker Released 25 October 2019 on Good (catalog no. Lately, West is not as dedicated to stirring up controversy on record as he is speaking off the cuff. Written by Max Funk on December 15, 2019. Daring, spiritual, and deeply personal, it includes lines like “You’re not perfect, but you’re not your mistakes,” merciful asides that gesture at the kind of comfort the Church offers. What seems wholly different on Jesus Is King is that those inconsistencies are almost completely absent. Kanye’s rise is inseparable from his drive to prove people wrong: 15 years ago, a host of detractors told Kanye not to rap — he dedicated a 13-minute spoken-word outro to the struggle on his debut album — and the world would be worse off if he’d listened. JESUS IS KING is an album that perfectly describes the state of Kanye's faith journey...in process. Want more Rolling Stone? Kanye had been working on a new album in 2018, set to be released in 2019, entitled Yandhi. His call for the abolishment of the 13th Amendment, for example, is in direct opposition to his avowed support of a racist, punitive, incarceration-obsessed president. . Jesus Is King is a spiritual work thanks to its deep feeling -- pure expression brought to today's calamitous social condition. In 1964, in the small, rural community of Longdale, Mississippi, a group of black worshippers at the Mount Zion Methodist Church were ambushed by the Ku Klux Klan. TheDyingSun . Jesus Is King is a 2019 American experimental concert short film by Kanye West and directed by Nick Knight, featuring West's gospel-rap group, Sunday Service.The film accompanied the release of Jesus Is King, West's ninth studio album released after a series of delays on October 25, 2019. Almost. Sounding as if he were recorded from one room over, West. Kanye had been working on a new album in 2018, set to be released in 2019, entitled Yandhi. On Jesus Is King, West’s relationship to Christianity and the Church is simpler. Lately, West is not as dedicated to stirring up controversy on record as he is speaking off the cuff. The religious, meanwhile, identify as more devout. It is ostensibly a favorite of Kanye West, who sampled Pastor T.L. Yet when West sings, it becomes clear how urgent this album is for him (of course, those moments are in turn undercut by his meandering on songs like “Water”). Voice straining, he literally tries to enumerate what God is to him. The year is 2019, and Kanye West, yes, that Kanye, has released a gospel-centric hip-hop album called JESUS IS KING.What a beautiful, and most surprising twist in this thing called life. It’s unlikely that any listener would select “God Is” as the strongest entry on. It’s not the highest peak available, but it’s one of the only plainly endearing sections. Rather than the grace, justice, and love that characterizes faith at its most transformative, West internalizes the religious entitlement that props up the wealthy and powerful, validating months of jokes about his ambitions as a megachurch pastor. This is my honest review of JESUS IS KING, I hope that by reading my review, that everyone would take a different approach to JESUS IS KING and hopefully take a chance and listen to it. Though the album is not, strictly stylistically speaking, a gospel record, its steadfast call to worship is its defining feature. “Follow God,” whose title is as literal as gospel can get, is organized around a sample of a burning vocal: “Father I stretch, stretch my hands to you,” goes the singer of an obscure 1974 track, Whole Truth’s “Can You Lose By Following God.”. This one-of-a-kind experience features songs arranged by West in the gospel tradition along with new music from his forthcoming album. “I don’t attest to any religion that tells me that other people gotta go to hell,” West said in 2008. Kanye West is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and fashion designer. It’s not the highest peak available, but it’s one of the only plainly endearing sections. Arcadia Episode 002 - JESUS IS KING REVIEW. is filled with demons quaking before an almighty power — an earnest attempt to get his point across that ultimately characterizes this project. He’s always presented as religious—“Jesus Walks” imagined the club as a holy temple back in 2004; the Kardashians’ labored, glamorous Easter photos have become something of an annual tradition; Pablo was explicitly an album about faith—and yet the timing is notable. It’s hard to take West seriously when the obstacles he distresses over are Instagram likes and steep tax rates (the IRS, he complains, wants “half of the pie”). On. Taka praktyka raczej spłycała te numery niż dodawała im nowej jakości. It’s a fascinating fusion of gospel and hip-hop that keeps the listener engaged throughout, although the brevity of some songs leaves one wanting more. On Jesus Is King, you begin to see where they may have been coming from. Kanye West: Jesus Is King review – rap genius can't see the light. It’s no secret that West’s albums are often mined from whatever it is he’s thinking about at that moment, but before his latest pivot he at least tried to add punchlines to his verses. You know? All things considered, Jesus Is King is chaotic, but not a bad album by any means. It’s a sweeping epic, lightly affected organs opening to bludgeoning percussion and a crescendoing choir singing only “hallelujah,” nearly unaccompanied, for 45 seconds. Jesus Is King, an Album by Kanye West. The sample of a 1974 tune by Christian soul act Whole Truth on “Follow God” is neck-snappingly good, the kind of textured punch that, still, only West seems capable of; the effervescent triumph of the “On God” beat, the result of a Pi’erre Bourne collaboration, is one of the most immediate joys available on Spotify right now; “Use This Gospel” is a glowing deployment of the stylistic muscle West developed on 2013’s, However, the strength of those moments are often derailed by the presence of West himself. While. It’s the kind of drama West can orchestrate in his sleep, and few others can convincingly execute. It’s an album of slogans, dashed-off and too short, and as he continues to test the edge between spontaneous and half-finished, it gets harder to ignore the facts hovering outside the frame. Album Review: Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Is King’ The artist's ninth album contains flashes of inspiration — divine and otherwise — but that's all. Christianity is the unwavering focus of Kanye’s gospel album, a richly produced but largely flawed record about one man’s love of the Lord (and himself). Filmed in the summer of 2019, Jesus Is King brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turrell’s never-before-seen installation in Arizona’s Painted Desert. is filled with moments of undeniable brilliance. Kanye West released his new gospel album Jesus is King and we have your album review right here. Genres: Christian Hip Hop. Three years and a religious rebirth later, the motif returns on West’s ninth album, Jesus Is King. Yet when West sings, it becomes clear how urgent this album is for him (of course, those moments are in turn undercut by his meandering on songs like “Water”). Some albums grow deeper with subsequent listens; Jesus Is King shrinks. Comparing Kanye albums is difficult because of the stark contrast between their content and their time of release, and because Kanye West is an amazing artist who has had an undeniable influence over rap and the music industry. Ostensibly a love song directed at Kim Kardashian West, he solemnly intones “Hold the selfies, put the ‘Gram away / Get your family, y’all hold hands and pray.” It doesn’t work (and makes less sense when, ). Revelations in recent weeks—that he admonished his wife for wearing tight clothes, asked collaborators to abstain from premarital sex, and began keeping a Christian scorecard that includes limiting himself to two curse words a day—suggest his interpretation of the gospel has been more dogmatic than faithful. Review Jesus Is King Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews. JESUS IS KING is an album that perfectly describes the state of Kanye's faith journey...in process. “God Is,” with its straightforward address to the listener, sent me back to “Only One,” one of two West collaborations with Paul McCartney. Unfortunately, it’s the sort of work that would have made this album into something transcendent. Released 25 October 2019 on Good (catalog no. Like many of West’s later albums, Jesus Is King is filled with songs that echo earlier moments in his catalog. Ditching secular music is fine; it’s a breath of fresh air even — especially for a rapper. Sounding as if he were recorded from one room over, West is no longer the brash bandleader standing in the center of the storm. Reviews . His game-changing ninth album, Jesus Is King, was no different.Between 2018's complicated Ye and this 2019 gospel rebirth, West's position as a cultural firebrand and his own worst enemy was further … Almost . , religion has always been, if not a fixation, than a thematic concern, something to pick at and analyze, to mythologize and aid in his own self-mythologization. He’s no longer poking at contradictions, but reveling in a newfound zeal. The writing that pulls off that difficult task seems woefully out of reach on. But in typical Westian fashion, the song dramatically shifts, and very nearly redeems itself. Genres: Christian Hip Hop. Review Summary: In love, war, ... On the rest of Jesus is King, Yandhi takes the bold yet brilliant Fear Inoculum approach to songwriting by releasing an album of meandering interludes. “How you got so much favor on your side?/‘Accept him as your lord and savior,’ I replied,” he raps on “On God.”. For the better part of a decade, a cavalcade of headlines and controversy accompanied each fresh Kanye West release, causing as much of a stir as the rabid anticipation from diehard fans. Na szczęście, okazało się, że te niedzielne sesje nie miały wielkiego przełożenia na ostateczny kształt Jesus Is King i studyjnie Kanye standardowo poleciał na grubo. While they’re all top notch, Closed on Sunday is so good that it can stand alone. "It features guest appearances from Clipse, Ty Dolla Sign, Kenny G, Fred Hammond, Ant Clemons, and the Sunday Service Choir. What Kanye has given us instead is an album that draws stylistically from rap and gospel, but one that focuses exclusively on Jesus and His identity as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the midst of the chaos, a woman named Beatrice Cole launched into a spoken prayer of despair: “Father, I stretch my hand to Thee, no other help I know. Conclusively, “JESUS IS KING” is a solid record with superb production connecting the Kanye West characteristics that make him the icon he is. Now, I’m still done with him. Jesus Is King is the ninth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West.It was released on October 25, 2019, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings.The album follows a Christian theme, with West describing it as "an expression of the gospel. His music has spanned a broad range of styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, synth-pop, industrial, and gospel (Wikipedia). On his ninth album, West turns to religion as his muse. What Kanye has given us instead is an album that draws stylistically from rap and gospel, but one that focuses exclusively on Jesus and His identity as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. On Jesus Is King, Kanye’s rap world becomes one big Sunday Service. , West’s relationship to Christianity and the Church is simpler. If Thou withdraw Thyself from me, where shall I go?” Improbably, the Klansmen retreated. Singing with admirable vulnerability, he invokes some reliable Old Testament imagery —. Jesus rides into His capital city as a conquering King and is hailed by the people as such, in the manner of the day. They connect the relatable universality of gospel as delivered on Jesus Is King by Fred Hammond, Ty Dolla $ign, and Ant Clemons, whose singing collectively comes closest to expressing the inspiring, sustaining gentleness of a warmly held faith. I didn’t want to do this. Voice straining, he literally tries to enumerate what God is to him. I really didn’t. Bold-name producers (Timbaland, Pi’erre Bourne, Ronny J, FNZ) and members of … 8 were here. And I don’t really believe in any of that. Kanye West – ‘Jesus Is King’ review: an iconoclast sounds peaceful and fulfilled on this jubilant gospel collection. “I don’t believe in a religion that has something against gay people. “I don’t believe in a religion that has something against gay people. Creators of 'Host' Horror Film Are Teasing a Live-Action, Real-Time Horror Game. Jesus Is King is the album you make after listening to Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN back-to-front and front-to-back. While critics always focused — unfairly — on West’s technical prowess, a forceful clarity of vision was never in question. It is a markedly more cohesive and enjoyable album than I believed him capable of creating at this juncture. Jesus Is King is a spiritual work thanks to its deep feeling -- pure expression brought to today's calamitous social condition. It goes without saying that the Jesus Is King film is intended for Kanye West devotees. And I don’t really believe in any of that. Think, for example, of the mountain to be traversed on “Climbing Higher Mountains” or the storm to be crossed on “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” Whereas much traditional and contemporary gospel invokes struggle, salvation, and transformation, Jesus Is King is largely focused on the ways in which religion has served Kanye himself. The sample of a 1974 tune by Christian soul act Whole Truth on “Follow God” is neck-snappingly good, the kind of textured punch that, still, only West seems capable of; the effervescent triumph of the “On God” beat, the result of a Pi’erre Bourne collaboration, is one of the most immediate joys available on Spotify right now; “Use This Gospel” is a glowing deployment of the stylistic muscle West developed on 2013’s Yeezus. He’s no longer poking at contradictions, but reveling in a newfound zeal. That has something against Buddhists. Here, he often cedes a point of view, or any sort of detail. Jesus Is King is also merciful: It’s as unimaginative about its hollow ideas as Ye, but it is a comparatively tuneful 27 minutes that isn’t as crippled by prideful ugliness.