The Moment (Manafest album)
| The Moment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Manafest | ||||
| Released | August 5, 2014 | |||
| Genre | Christian rock, rap rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 38:40 | |||
| Label | BEC | |||
| Producer | Joel Bruyere, Adam Messinger | |||
| Manafest chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| CCM Magazine |   [1] |
| Christian Music Review | 4.7/5[2] |
| Christian Review Magazine | [3] |
| HM Magazine | [4] |
| Indie Vision Music | [5] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [6] |
| Louder Than the Music | [7] |
| New Release Tuesday | [8] |
The Moment is the seventh studio album by the Christian rapper Manafest. It was released on August 5, 2014 under BEC Recordings.[9][10] The album was fan-funded through a PledgeMusic campaign.[11][12]
Awards
The album received a nomination in the category of "Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year" for the Juno Awards of 2015.[13][14]
Critical reception
The album received generally positive reviews from multiple professional music sites and reviews.
Christian St. John of Christian Review Magazine showered compliments on the album saying: "Manafest has found himself on The Moment. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it seems to me that this album is Manafest’s defining work, his coming-of-age album if you will."[3] Speaking for CCM Magazine, Andy Argyrakis praised the release by stating: "Manafest continues to strike rap/rock gold with a dozen new tunes... the Canadian veteran spreads faith-affirming positivity over some of his sharpest rhymes to date."[1] Sarah Brehm from HM Magazine went on to say that The Moment "is filled with infectious rap-rock anthems infused with layers of trendy-pop beats... Manafast has delivered a solid, well-crafted album that’s sure to be a hit."[4] In definite agreement, Mary Nikkel of New Release Tuesday added: "The Moment pulses with immediacy, utilizing snappy rhymes and grungy guitars to demolish fear and call for faith. This is a stand-out moment in his discography, and a solid addition to any rock or urban library."[8]
On the flipside, Michael Weaver of Jesus Freak Hideout moderately stated: "Manafest has made a clear decision to head in a different direction with The Moment. Musically, the edge is gone... Hopefully when we see him next, Manafest will be living up to his full potential. In the meantime, maybe you should go back and revisit The Chase instead."[6] Lee Brown of Indie Vision Music writes: "Fans of Manafest will find an engaging album that continues his propensity towards engaging and uplifting lyrics sure to inspire on the one hand and provide great work-out music on the other."[5]
Singles
The album includes the singles of "Diamonds" and "Edge of My Life".[15][16] "Diamonds" peaked within the top 5 on the ChristianRock.Net radio charts.[17]
Track listing
| Album release | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "The Moment" | Chris Greenwood, Joel Bruyere, Adam Messinger | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Edge of My Life" | Greenwood, Messinger | 3:33 |
| 3. | "Criminal" | Greenwood, Bruyere | 3:27 |
| 4. | "Cage" | Greenwood, Bruyere | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Love Wide Open" | Greenwood, Bruyere | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Light" | Greenwood, Joshua O'Haire | 1:20 |
| 7. | "Diamonds" (featuring Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch) | Greenwood, Bruyere, Trevor McNevan | 3:59 |
| 8. | "Paradise" | Greenwood, Bruyere, Josh Macintosh, McNevan | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Bull in a China Shop" | Greenwood, McNevan | 2:54 |
| 10. | "Startup Kid" | Greenwood, Bruyere | 3:03 |
| 11. | "My Way" | Greenwood, Bruyere, Messinger | 2:57 |
| 12. | "Thrill of It All" | Greenwood, Bruyere | 3:26 |
| Total length: | 38:40 | ||
| Japanese edition bonus track[18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Track listing | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
| 13. | "Cage" (featuring AG of Noisemaker) | 3:21 |
Personnel
- Manafest - lead vocals, executive producer
- Trevor McNevan - additional vocals on track 7
- AG (of Noisemaker) - additional vocals on track 13
- Joel Bruyere - producer on all tracks (except track 2 & 6), mixing on all tracks (except track 2)
- Adam Messinger - producer on track 2, mixing on track 2
- Joshua O'Haire - producer on track 6
- Ryan Clark - art direction, art design
- Juliana Johnson - photography
Chart performance
| Chart (2014-2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Christian Albums (Billboard)[19] | 14 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[20] | 25 |
| US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[21] | 11 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[22] | 40 |
| US Hot Christian Songs: "Edge of My Life" (Billboard)[15] | 48 |
| US Hot Christian Songs: "Diamonds" (Billboard)[15] | 48 |
| US Christian Airplay: "Edge of My Life" (Billboard)[16] | 32 |
| US Christian Airplay: "Diamonds" (Billboard)[16] | 34 |
Music videos
- Lyric videos
- Edge of My Life on YouTube
- Cage on YouTube
- Love Wide Open on YouTube
- Light on YouTube
- Diamonds on YouTube
- Bull in a China Shop on YouTube
Notes
- In 2014, as with many of Manafest's releases, The Moment was given an album instrumentals release.[23]
- The track "Bull in a China Shop" was originally supposed to be a Thousand Foot Krutch song before Trevor McNevan pitched it to Manafest for the release of The Moment.[24][25]
- The track "Love Wide Open" was originally going to be entitled "East Coast Winter".[26] The song's name was changed as Manafest decided the general population did not fully understand what an "east coast winter" was like and therefore, was not relatable enough overall.[24]
- Nirva Ready (of TobyMac's Diverse City) was originally intended to be featured on the track "Diamonds" but it didn't work out and fit the song according to Manafest.[24]
- The song "Light" was originally intended to be used as an audio promotional for Manafest's 2013 book Fighter: Five Keys to Conquering Your Fear and Reaching Your Dreams.[27][28] It was however never utilized and Manafest decided instead to release it on The Moment.[29]
- The song "Startup Kid" echos back to Manafest's earlier days of straighter hip hop and was made based on the request of his fans.[30]
- "Let Go" featuring Dave Stovall of Wavorly was a song that didn't make the final cut of The Moment but was later released as a 2015 single. The song was recently pulled from iTunes (it is however still available in Manafest's store[31]). Manafest has also hinted it might make his next album's track listing.[24]
References
- 1 2 Argyrakis, Andy. "Moment At A Time - CCM Magazine Review of The Moment". CCM Magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ Brogan, Amanda (August 5, 2014). "Manafest 'The Momement'". Christian Music Review. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- 1 2 John, Christian. "Music Review: The Moment by Manafest". Christian Review. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- 1 2 Brehm, Sarah. "The Moment review by HM Magazine". HM Magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- 1 2 Brown, Lee. "The Moment review on Indie Vision Music". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- 1 2 Weaver, Michael. "The Moment review on Jesus Freak Hideout". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ Huntley, Wesley. "The Moment review by Louder Than Music". Louder Than the Music. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- 1 2 Nikkel, Mary. "Seizing the Moment - New Release Tuesday review of The Moment". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ "The Moment on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ↑ "The Moment on Amazon". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest To Release The Moment In August". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest The Moment kickstarter on PledgeMusic". PledgeMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest's The Moment Earns JUNO Nomination". New Release Tuesday. January 29, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest Nominated For Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year at Juno Awards 2015". Rapzilla. January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Manafest Hot Christian Songs chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Manafest Christian Airplay chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest Singles Charts on ChristianRock.Net". ChristianRock.Net. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
- ↑ ""Cage" (featuring AG of Noisemaker) on YouTube". YouTube. January 20, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest – Chart history" Billboard Christian Albums for Manafest. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest – Chart history" Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums for Manafest. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Manafest. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Manafest. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ "The Moment Instrumentals on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Manafest Listening Party Live Q&A". YouTube. August 19, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest -- "Bull In a China Shop" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 9, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest -- "Love Wide Open" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 11, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "International Rock Artist Manafest Sets His Story To Pen Releasing His First Book Fighter October 2013". Jesus Freak Hideout. September 16, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Fighter book Official Website". Fighterbook.net. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest -- "Light" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 14, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Manafest -- "Startup Kid" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 13, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ ""Let Go" Single on Manafest's official store". Shopify. Retrieved July 7, 2015.