Brent Jones & The T.P. Mobb - The Ultimate Weekend

The music business can be cruel towards a hard working, high reputable soloist or group.  Those who minister for God sometimes exercise their faith and perseverance knowing His will is the priority.  Even after two successful projects, both with critics and fans, Brent Jones & The T.P. Mobb started shopping for another recording outlet.  They dealt with rejection and a potential label deal that went sour. 

Jones’ 2004 release, The Ultimate Weekend, was an obvious labor of love.  Three years later, Tyscot, one of the most respected gospel labels, signed Jones’ 18-member vocal group, then launching The Ultimate Weekend, in 2008. The project embraces various urban elements but clearly with a praise and worship slant, in a manner similar to their first efforts; a self-titled debut and Beautiful.  Both the CD and DVD capture Jones & The T.P. Mobb inside the historical Capital Recording Studios in Los Angeles.  A major gospel music innovator in the millennium, Jones has extended his gifts to movies (Boycott) and stage productions (The Fabric of a Man), alongside ministry projects with Byron Cage at the renowned Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Washington, DC.

This concept CD breaks down a typical weekend scenario.  Starting with Friday as a day to wind down from the long week, it is fitting that this section serves up ballads, mostly with a modern R&B slant.  The relaxing The Ocean is the essential quiet time to release all that’s on our mind: “I can focus on my problems; I can focus on Your glory.”  Spectacular Jesus possesses a bumping rhythm track and a thoughtful reading by Wendy Jones, it implores listeners to express themselves while focusing on His indescribable greatness:  “I wanna’ scream, but I’m afraid I’d miss something.”

Next comes Saturday, a time to have some fun as long as Jesus is in charge.  Stephen ‘Rasta GT’ Dolphin, a Mobb favorite and the CD’s co-executive producer, spices up the party with two Reggae-accented pieces: Fun in the Sun, kicking it with dancehall energy, and roots Reggae highlights The Lover, a song about God who is an unconditional lover.  Never knowing where the Mobb will venture next, I Don’t Wanna’ Go To The Club, is propelled by a throbbing electro funk backbeat, and it digresses in several tongue-in cheek directions, including the talk box (made popular by Roger Troutman) and chiming in on Orbit’s version of The Beat Goes On.  Even though the beats lean for the club, the lyrics lean for Christ: “Don’t wanna’ drink, need my mind to think.”

Sunday speaks for itself, as it’s all about adoration in the first degree.  The first single, Cry Holy, is high octane all the way.  Soloist Orlando Wright busts the praise door open with his rich, quivering tenor for Blessings with Your Name on It.  The temperature rises as Go Through The Storm, which challenges all to push forward when the chips are down: “You threw in the towel; God threw it back in your face.”  Jones wrote Father of Lies about his worst enemy.  The Mobb and Onikhol Wells add a sense of urgency, warning the body of Christ to be on guard at all times.

There are other great tracks, but The Ultimate Weekend has no clinkers.  Besides the Capital Recording Studio sessions, the DVD also includes concert footage at Christ Second Baptist Church in Long Beach, CA, where at times the sound mixing went awry.  Jones, who demonstrates the gracious servant of Christ, gracefully acknowledges that God, no matter what the circumstances, has control in everything.  The Mobb & Jones choose not to be anxious for the sake of another project and the industry politics, but took the highest road so God receives the ultimate glory and listeners can bask in the ultimate weekend.

More details are available at www.myspace.com/brentjonesandtpmobb.