Lecrae & 1K Phew ‘No Church In A While’

Lecrae & 1K Phew
No Church In A While
(Reach Records)
Release date: December 3, 2022

Years from now, we’ll look back and say, ‘Now that music was created during the pandemic.’ It’s something we’ll certainly say about No Church In A While, a collaboration between Lecrae & 1K Phew. The album’s title track refers to how the pandemic kept us away from church. Sure, many of us watched online, just as students attempted to do school via Zoom calls. These were (and are) poor substitutes for being there in-person, however. There are consequences to forsaking the gathering together, and this album explores some of the negative ways the pandemic impacted the church (among other topics).

This collection is a unique collaboration between a veteran (Lecrae) and a relative newcomer (1K Phew). 1K Phew is from Atlanta, and first collaborated with Lecrae on “Hammer Time,” from his All Things Work Together album. The album’s best track is “Born Sinner,” which lyrically describes the struggle of trying to live the Christian life. Performed over a radio-ready hip-hop percussion beat, the listener feels like he/she is right there in the midst of the struggle. Although the Book of Romans never used the term ‘block head,’ one of this album’s more memorable tracks is titled “Block Head.” When we don’t do what we know we should be doing, we are, well, block heads. Another one, titled “Amen,” smartly inserts church organ punches into its inviting mix.

Lecrae & 1K Phew have necessary messages for you—whether you have or haven’t been to church in a while.

—Dan MacIntosh

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