When Jesus likened a quiet Christian to putting a candle-lit lamp under a bed, He wasn't talking about the Broken Chainz band. Likening Broken Chainz to a blow torch is more like it! A meteor shower. A solar flare, even. A kind of Shekinah...ok let me stop...

Imagine Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men got married to Joan Jett of The Blackhearts and gave birth to a Rock Opera Prodigy who then produced the remake of Jesus Christ Superstar. A little weird, I know. But it is the best way I can describe this groundbreaking rock group, Broken Chainz Band.

Their Emancipation album begins like a scene from a movie. In fact, their music video for the song "Freedom Cry" is just that: a mini-movie. Synth pads set the dark tone with sound effects of chains, snorting horses and a speech from someone who sat under the warrior tutelage of Scotland legend William Wallace. This intro had me thinking they were British, but they hail from Brooklyn, New York. I didn't know it was "like dat," Brooklyn.

Jerry "Juice" Alexidor cries "Freeeedom!" He is the first vocalist on the track "Freedom Cry" who sets the stage with a keytar in hand! His smoky voice holds you until the next singer Saaed "SR Soul" Renaud takes the baton and sets the precedent for the rest of the album with his R&B vocals. I enjoyed the blend of soulful singing sprinkled across heavy rock.

If that wasn't enough for you, Miya "Mayo" Bass is featured on this song, adding a delicate, feminine touch with her strong yet jazzy soprano voice. Honestly, I wanted to hear more of that "cipher" effect, where each singer is given a verse. Just something about that dynamic that keeps you engaged. The up and down, rock-operatic style of this album will remain through the duration of the listen.

Note: Though this is not a video review, I have to set aside a paragraph to mention how much I like their video. Energetic. And the beginning had a Mad Max feel to it. Kind of like The Book of Eli part 2. Quick! Somebody call Denzel!

"Musicians Cry" certainly sounds like a cry of mercy to the Lord. The singer laments: "I don't know why I do things that you dislike. I don't know why I think thoughts that you despise."

It certainly feels like that sometimes when we struggle with the flesh as we attempt to walk in the Spirit. As a lyricist, it's important to be relatable to your audience. Some artists are adamantly abstract and lose listeners when they sing or rap content that's only understandable in their own galaxy. 

Some Christian songs are characterized by that kind of "honky-dory" living in a field of daisies and daffodils. Yet, sometimes we have a lamentation on our heart that needs a song to channel the sentiment. This is the case for "Musicians Cry." Artists who bring it down to Earth relate to people's sentiments the most. What's more, this dude sang it with a touch of AutoTune.

I don't hate AutoTune. I like it when it's used to bring oomph to a vocal. It wasn't necessary but the effect added a gritty, metallic sound that complimented the lamentation. I can picture this song on a soundtrack for a movie sometime.

The hook: "Bring me back to your arms. To your aaaaaaarms..." Yes, Lord! It definitely ministered to my soul, which is one of the things music is supposed to do for an individual. I can continue going on about this song. The screeches of the guitar accompanied with some mean tom tom rolls courtesy of drummer Carlin White made it feel like a roller-coaster of a journey that would impress the most die-hard rockers. Finally, the lead singer is found alone, leading the audience to surrender to the Lord with "Here's my body, here's my soul. Mend its heart. Make me whole. Here's my mind. Take control and Father never let go". Hmm! Truth be told, I didn't want this song to end. Then, it did.

The tempo and feeling remains the same on "Broken Glass" where a tinge of acoustic guitar sneaks in during the verse. The R&B mentality remained strong with background harmonies strengthening the chorus. For a moment, I thought, what if Anthony Evans decided to roll with these songwriters and producers. Hmm?

"Come into the light" was another melodic roller coaster that will definitely have mosh pits in full swing. This was the first song I've heard to ever set full-blown exorcism to music. The spoken word that appears during the bridge begins to list all the sins that pervade all cultures and nations. They then begin to chant for these unclean spirits to "come out" and I have no doubt that the demons got the "hell out." Bassist Marcus Reddick led the charge with the rest of the bandmates following. This song definitely had to be Holy Spirit-inspired. I didn't care for the hook very much, but by the end of the song, it made sense and I fell back in line.

Much like my last review, my wife looks at me and says, "What is that hot mess!?" because I have my headphones blaring, but this time I grinned and gave her the thumbs up. I say, "You HAVE to hear this loud. It's the only way to." I finish the statement by playing some air guitar -- a tribute to the gifted guitarists on this project, Phinees Robert and Eliode Guillame -- right in front of her.

They slow things down, thankfully, with "The Cross." Naomi Raine's vocals were lovely but I felt like this track veered a little too far from the identity of Broken Chainz. If it was meant for an interlude, then it served its purpose. Still, interludes don't run for almost three minutes. I wouldn't have minded hearing Naomi more often. If the guitars and drums had crashed in "The Cross" ala Evanescence, then that would have been hot. Yet, that would have bordered on a "bite" of someone's style...but it still woulda been nice though...(Do it for me next time....just sayin'...)

Things pick up again with "Cross Anthem" but by then I'm wishing for a new dimension to be added to the album. I thought they were going to swerve into Kirk Franklin territory with the arrangement but SIKE YO MIND!

The same tempo remains with the band sustaining the intensity and the vocals. Much like Jay-Z is to rap lyrics, Broken Chainz is to vocals; they just can't mess up if they wanted to. Just when boredom attempts to settle in, a rapper drops 16 bars and ushers in the singer to wail as if Queen's song Bohemian Rhapsody got born again.

When I first mentioned "Rock Opera" at the beginning of this column, "Cross Anthem" was the song I was mainly speaking of. It's what the musical Jesus Christ Superstar should have been. Again, the practice of exorcism and the message of emancipation reverberates throughout this song. It was similar to my experience with the movie Austin Powers. It had to grow on me after hearing it a few times.

Every rock band must have its rock ballad. "Merciful God" makes sure that the unwritten rule is not broken. What's the difference? The heartfelt vocals and lyrics. When the bassist and drummer collide, I imagined the group transforming to a Glam 80's Hair band, but that would mislead you because the feeling is anything but. It sounded like the interlude and I felt as if it deserved a little more time like the other songs.

I wonder if this band is a new wave of innovative musicians who have committed to thinking outside the lines of genres that people place us within. What's beautiful is not that they're just mixing sounds for the sake of being different. And, they're not CeeLo Green different either. They've captured a sound that I hope they build on for years to come.

I hate clichés but how else can you describe these bandmates without saying they "rock?" That thought lingers in the ¾ key signature rhythm of "Forever." The rock-opera-Jesus-Christ-Superstar feel continues here and I'm already a fan of their sound. Nothing makes me grin like innovative production and originality.

Judge: "The defendents are charged with copycat-itis which is Latin for unoriginal. How do you plead?"

Broken Chainz Band's lawyer: "NOT GUILTY, YOUR HONOR!"

The ever-changing dynamics push the envelope on this band's emotional music. One thing I learned about Hillsong and the gazillion other Contemporary Christian songs that saturate our beloved Christian radio stations is that when it comes to worship, you want to sing in a manner that invites the listener to worship with you. At times, I felt like that was missing. The singers and musicians of Broken Chainz are so talented that you're left watching or hearing rather than singing along.

I can't sing like Wanya from Boyz II Men, so I'm consigned to watching you sing runs rather than freed to sing along with you. I've heard this band get compared to Jesus Culture and I don't think that's a fair comparison. I honestly don't remember any choruses except for probably one song. I learned long ago from a Stevie Wonder interview that it's important to make melodies and/or hooks that people can hum on their own because that means they're memorable. Looking back on the journey Broken Chainz took me on, I am left feeling like that part was absent. Maybe more listens will cure that. I won't have a problem playing this song in my car and memorizing their hooks. 

But that is a part of the charm of Broken Chainz Band. They're not Hillsong or Jesus Culture and I'm not asking them to be. I tend to favor songs that are chant-ish and stay close to a range that I can hang with, I won't fault Broken Chainz for that. I find myself enthralled by their Spirit-inspired words (I don't ever offer that generously with Christian music), heavy rock grit, pulsating energy and masterful musicianship. It's a beautiful thing when you can align your emotions with truth. Their lyrics do just that.

 I like this album. I find myself anxious to see what they will do on their next project.

In short, nothing sucks quite like spending your precious time listening to music you wish you hadn't. Not the case here. And, by the way guys, get the bloody website done! I want to be in the fan club already with my fist pumping, yelling Braveheart-style, "Freeeeeedom!"

Their NEWD rating: 4 New Yorks and no Miami's (because Miami is not known for its affinity to hard rock).

The self-proclaimed Zig Ziglar of rap, Billy Delgado, is a Music Producer/Artist and Writer by day and sleeping pillow-drooler by night. He is currently producing the debut album for his band The 288's, a God-inspired Hip Hop/R&B group that combines soul-baring lyricism with an electric innovative sound, breaking from the norm and reaching all cultures & ages (save senior citizens). He still can't believe he's a family man with a beautiful wife Mari & three boys Chris, Nelson and Joshua, so he continues to pinch himself silly to this day.