On April 3, 2021, the Orlando-based artist Jonathan Wright dropped his first album, New Jerusalem. Self-produced by Wright himself, and Mixed & Mastered by Christopher Duncanson, the album features an intriguing kind of stylistic ambiguity. While rapping makes up the majority of the vocal delivery across the album - enough that you could almost consider it mainly a rap record - the music also seems to be equal parts R&B, Gospel, and Contemporary Worship. This ambiguity is a strong point that keeps the project feeling fresh and unpredictable, even after repeat listens.
While the album is a short one at just seven tracks, there is a pretty sizeable team of musicians represented, especially for a solo album in this genre. Background musicians include AJ Fines, Leo Je'Vaughn, Aren Bruce, and Leighton Kennedy, and there are vocal features by Musa on the title track and a couple appearances from Wilfred A. Montalvo (a.k.a. Wilfredo).
Wright has also included a video breakdown for each of the songs on the album via his YouTube Channel. Each of these short videos gives some deeper insights into the music, which should enhance the experience for listeners who love these songs enough to want to dive deeper. There's both personal depth and biblical intrigue for those willing to give the songs serious attention.
New Jerusalem is out now on all major platforms.
Tracklist:
1. MERCY
2. WASH ME
3. THINGS ONLY GET BETTER
4. NO HIGH
5. TRUST
6. I BELIEVE
7. NEW JERUSALEM
Artist Links
Instagram - TikTok - YouTube - Spotify - Apple Music - Tidal