[ ART | MUSIC | KNOWLEDGE| HEALTH ]
I can make one guarantee here: You’re not expecting this CD. It’ll catch you off guard whether you’re familiar with its artist, Mahogany Jones, or you’ve never before heard her name. And when will this realization begin to sink in? The minute you scope the cover art: There she is, Mo Jones tuned into the sounds of a flashy headset, eyes closed, lids painted, pleasant expression; and laid over this cover are words in a font that is a cross between art deco and funk era. They read “Mahogany Jones” and the title of the CD: “Morphed.”

Then there’s another unexpected surprise. You’ll load your CD player (or download to your mp3) with music from this talented and proven hip hop artist … but the first thing you’ll hear will be … wait a second! That sounds like techno! Electronic? Disco-ish? What’s going on? I told you so. But don’t worry. I didn’t completely ruin it for you. Hearing is believing in this case; and nothing that I can write will cause you to entirely snoop these sounds. That is, not until you cop this project yourself.

As you sit back and let each of the tracks from this album rush over you, it’s likely you’ll experience an astonishing sense of satisfaction. Morphed is music. Good music with a seldom-touched message, hot vocals, superior production and gifted lyricism. If you’re able to deconstruct the categories you may have that define music genres and not determine your ability to enjoy songs based on their adherence to those genres, you’ll love this album. And the irresistible sounds of Morphed will gain heavy rotation in your music player.

As is deftly communicated in its introductory track, this project is an effort to divulge Mo’s transformation from a non-Christian to a convert, and an immature believer to a more mature one. In other words, she’s “morphed” from one being to another and, in fact, she’s still morphing. In so doing, this first official Mahogany Jones solo release encompasses all kinds of tracks that deal with assorted topics in no particular order. It seems it’s up to the listener to determine the proper sequence of thoughts and events, and how they’ve played into the life of the artist.

“Easy,” for example, digs into the near-insanity survived by folks who wrestle with the challenges of human love. Encased by BeeLee’s creative tempo, the song follows Mo Jones’ signature exhaled delivery, consistently punctuated by the beautiful voices of Chris Lawson and Aisha Johnsie:
Another illustration is the incessant attempt to show that part of the morphing process was Ms. Jones’ departure from using her artistry according to the expectations of others to rhyming & making music in concert with her own personal style. This is displayed throughout the album, but one lyrical segment in particular shows off Mahogany’s ability to mention concepts, ideas, and terms you don’t normally see in hip hop lyrics: “Let me get that techno, disco, hip hop, bee bop, neo-soul / merengue, calypso, reggaeton, blues, jazz, Afrobeat … it can all be Gospel.” “Afrobeat”? From the H.E.R. Project through The Gathering, I must admit that Mo Jones never fails to display her knack for pulling many aspects of human existence into her rhymes. Including names of international music many hip hop heads have never even heard of.

A third example of the assortment of tunes revealing this artist’s transformation is “Hate this Life.” Mo Jones introduces this song this way: “You know, some mornings I wonder am I actually living in someone else’s dream. And if so, I wish they’d wake up. ‘Cause sometimes … life really sucks.” After giving a taste of the hook, which will only fully unfold at the end of the song, Mo Jones spits over a sharp array of strings and an undeniable bass. The agonizing chorus at the end is bound to have anyone who has ever been through anything nodding in agreement by the time it’s all over.

These and, frankly, every last one of the tunes on display in Morphed are well worth a listen. This album is exceptional to the point that even its questionable attributes are muffled by redeeming qualities. For instance, Mahogany Jones’ vocals sometimes sink and are hard to hear, plus there are times she seems a bit out of breath and is rushing to catch up with the tempo. But much of this is related to her personal style and unique delivery. At times she spits with a bit of a pant involved and her accent includes points where the ends of words come out low. That’s simply the way Mahogany Jones spits, for better or worse. Also, her vocals on this album are simply not as rugged as many fans are used to from this artist. But again, this project exchanges ruggedness for passion; moreover, Mo’s ability to rap over these largely electronic tracks is noteworthy. It’s also noticeable that though a lot of Christian elements are mentioned (including repentance, prayer, and God’s Word), there’s arguably no clear explanation about why Christ is necessary or why He’s simply not one option over many. Nevertheless, the fact that this album could easily drive someone to further investigation about sin, its wages, and God’s plan can’t go unnoticed.

Morphed is an amazing effort on the part of Mahogany Jones, her producers (especially Temple and I-Ron-ic-Lee), and other contributing artists. The lyrics niftily present broad concepts combined with Mo’s trademark inflection, the sound quality is superb, the singers are head and shoulders beyond typical vocalists found on hip hop CDs, the interludes are fantastic, and, ironically, the persistent bass screams “hip hop” all the way through (you’ll be delighted if you have a quality set of subs).

So, if you’re interested in expanding your horizons with a different sound and want transparent subject-matter, Morphed won’t disappoint. You’ll be glad you copped this CD and got on board Mahogany Jones’ journey as she becomes who God designed before