21:03 - Total Attention

Verity Records

As if PAJAM does not already have a packed schedule of artists to cater to and record; somehow the in-demand urban production gurus find quality time to mentor, groom, and choose three male voices for the next aspiring group who balance singing with ministering the gospel. Sean Grant, Evin Martin and Torrence Green are collectively known as 21:03; the name being dubbed after their introduction on the twenty-first day of January 2003. Shortly after the group formed, Grant was replaced by Jor’el Quinn. Some skeptics might question another manufactured boy band created by production Svengalis, competing for critics and the music buying public’s favor.

With one PAJAM (Paul Allen, Walter Kearney, and J. Moss) produced project successfully in the books, the vocal band returns for Total Attention, a mix of edgy beats, urban and pop ballads, uplifting the Lord in praise and worship. It took two grueling years to realize their self-titled recording debut, which has been compared to several eighties and nineties urban vocal groups including Color Me Badd and Silk. Two areas that the Chicago-based Verity Records artists vouch for is that nothing is manufactured about their affection for Christ, and their shared creative input with PAJAM. Besides performing with major gospelteers - Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary - on tour plus an upcoming television appearance on Bobby Jones Next Generation on the Gospel Music Channel, 21:03 has been privileged to travel to Bermuda to share their testimony with youth groups.

In comparison to their self-titled debut, Total Attention explores a bit further outside the contemporary urban box. An excellent example is the opener, Riverside, flipping the musical script between complex jazz harmonies and gospel passion on the classic spiritual Down by the Riverside.

The band also gets their feet wet with the throbbing techno jolts that accompany You, a song about warning the body of Christ about friends in sheep’s clothing: “Sometimes the closest ones to me seem like enemies.”

The title track provides another warning – that tomorrow is never promised today and that our faith in Christ should never be taken for granted. PAJAM’s production genius sprinkles piccolo loops throughout the marching cadences.

Holding Onto You, a mid-tempo, slick R&B ballad reminiscent of Ne-Yo & Chris Brown, asks to be broken before the Lord and “feed me until I’m hungry no more.”

Besides the tracks with busy beats, there is quieter fare that meshes well with the trio’s unabashed vocal approach and assured harmonies. Several pieces come to mind. The pop/urban crossover Power of Christ, a concert version of a song from 21:03’s debut, stirs an energetic worship mood without the instrumental pyrotechnics or production trickery. The frosting on the cake comes on the all too brief closing acappella rendition of the hymn Oh The Blood Of Jesus. The piano-only accompaniment, Testimony – The Dedication, provides a perfect backdrop of hope when various trials such as suffering abuse or persons gossip behind our back overwhelms our spirit.

Another pleasant special moment Free, is set to subtle Latin rhythms. Being free in Christ is the ultimate freedom that can no match no other, now that we no longer live in condemnation (Romans 8:1).

For an encore, we can’t leave out a trio of cotemporary gospel’s best, as 21:03 teams with J. Moss, Smokie Norful, and Fred Hammond on the first single, Cover Me, which emphasizes the power of prayer and to keep Jesus’s name on our lips and heart.

For those who desire their music a bit harder, PAJAM still accommodates. Brace Up, which describes the fight between spirit and flesh, sneaks in samples of a definitive R&B smash from Prince, When Doves Cry. PDA’s rap verses somewhat resembles producer/rapper Timberland’s futuristic approach.

Since their debut three years ago, 21:03 has been allowed to stretch their musicality with their already strong vocal pipes beyond the modern R&B genre for this sophomore project. There are a few duds in the mix, though, including Talkin’ Bout and Time For A Change, the latter borrowing excessively from Michael Jackson’s rock-influenced hit, Dirty Diana.

Even though this group was hand-picked by PAJAM, and certainly not intending to knock the production team’s capabilities, Jor’el, Torrence and Evin have enough vocal maturity and ministry gifts to start producing their own projects from this point on. For more information on 21:03, please visit their MySpace page.