Based out of the beautiful hills of Northern California and relentlessly touring nationwide both with the Vans Warped Tour this past summer as well as rocking the mic on his own watch, J Ras will be releasing his much anticipated sophomore album titled Find My Way. J Ras started his career at an early age as an emcee, his talents stretch far beyond just being a vocalist or event host. He is also a producer, recording engineer, DJ, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist featured on multiple albums including: SouLifted’s debut album Higher, Soul Medic’s albums Soul Medication and Now You Know, Mendo Dope’s album Planter of the Trees, Wild Oak Music Group’s Peace of Mind compilation CD, and much more.
J Ras strikes a certain balance between the explosiveness of the lyrics with the complexity of the instrumentals
The must listen tracks from this album are “Find My Way” and “Speaking Truth” which features international reggae superstar Prezident Brown and local NorCal artist Mendo Dope. The adrenaline spikes that are contained in these tracks are immediate and effectively spine tingling as J Ras strikes a certain balance between the explosiveness of the lyrics with the complexity of the instrumentals. There is no doubt that J Ras has the musical chops for this genre bending album, flexing his songwriting skills throughout the entirety of the album while keeping his message positive and inspiring for current, as well as future generations.
I have personally seen J Ras live in action a few times—once at the 2nd Annual Lake Tahoe Festival in 2013, and another during the 2014 Reggae in the Hills festival. Both of his performances during these two festivals were absolutely mind blowing. The amount of energy exerting out of a single person along with the lyrically masterful flow was literally off the charts. It’s this very formula that will shoot this NorCal artist to stardom. If asked if there was a single flaw in this album, it would probably be the lack of live performance energy that was witnessed at these two events, which understandably is extremely difficult to reproduce in a studio setting.
There’s a whole lot to like on Find My Way. With an assertive presence, a distinctive voice that is recognizable throughout the masses and inspirational lyrics which permeates throughout the entire album, J Ras constructs an impressive album which is guaranteed to compliment your music collection.
For more information about J Ras, give him a follow on Facebook or check him out on his website.
Preview and download Find My Way on
Find My Way track listing
- Find My Way
- Rising Up
- Join the Party
- It’s Time
- Way Back (ft. Scarub and Lil Chase)
- Guess What (ft. Jahworks the Revolutionary and Lady Grace)
- Let It Play
- Speaking Truth (ft. Prezident Brown and Mendo Dope)
- Put Me Down
- Long Time Coming (ft. Lady Grace)
“Find My Way” official music video
Released November 11, 2014 • SouLifted Records
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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