Restoration | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 21, 2020 | |||
Genre | Christian hip hop | |||
Label | Reach | |||
Lecrae chronology | ||||
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Singles from Restoration | ||||
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Restoration is the ninth solo studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae,released on August 21,2020,through Reach Records. The album features appearances from YK Osiris,Marc E. Bassy,John Legend,Jozzy,Kirk Franklin,DaniLeigh,BJ the Chicago Kid and Gwen Bunn. A deluxe edition of the album,with six additional tracks,was released on November 13,2020,which included additional guest appearances from Rapsody,Ty Brasel,as well as labelmates Andy Mineo,Hulvey,WHATUPRG,Wande and 1K Phew. The album peaked at No. 1 on the US Christian Albums chart and No. 5 on the UK Christian &Gospel Albums chart. It received universal critical acclaim. It also received a Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song nomination at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for the song "Sunday Morning".
Lecrae announced the album along with a new upcoming book,I Am Restored:How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith,in February 2020. [1] [2] Lecrae subsequently left Columbia Records and returned to being a fully independent artist. [3]
During the several years prior to the album's release,Lecrae had struggled with clinical depression,anxiety,suicidal thoughts,and marital problems,and considered abandoning Christianity. [4] [5] [6] He attributes much of this to trauma he encountered in his childhood, [5] trauma which resurfaced when he started facing relentless criticism from many Christians. [7] After a trip to Israel with a group of Christian hip hop artists,including labelmate Andy Mineo as well as FLAME,Derek Minor,Canon,and Spechouse,which included the group being baptized in the Jordan River,Lecrae was restored in his faith. [7] He also went to therapy and repaired his relationship with his wife. [5]
On March 20,2020,Lecrae released the album's lead single "Set Me Free" featuring YK Osiris. [8] On June 24,2020,the second single "Deep End" was released. [9] On July 17,2020,the third single "Drown" featuring John Legend was released. [10]
Lecrae has stated that the theme of the album is about mending what is broken,both as an individual and in society,and finding holistic restoration and healing,particularly from God. [6] He told Forbes that "I think a lot of times we're looking for where that restoration can come from and we're missing the reality that we have the God-given ingenuity and the light in us to do the work that we want to see done in society and in the world. I believe that's possible. I've sat in therapist chairs. I've done meditation. I believe holistically we can be restored,regardless of our circumstances. That's the heartbeat of the album." [6] In an interview with The Christian Post ,he said that "God is more perfect than I am and there's nothing we can do to make Him love us more or less. There's no situation that we're in that He's not wanting to help us through." [5]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
American Songwriter | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Jesus Freak Hideout | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five and considered it the best album of Lecrae's career. [11] Scott Fryberger of Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album 4 stars out of 5,praising the theme,sound and lyrics of the album. He also praised Lecrae for his vulnerability on the album by saying "Lecrae's journey through hell and back is inspirational and relatable,and the music it's paired with is some of his best work in years". [13] Tess Schoonhoven of American Songwriter rated the album 4.5 out of 5. They were of the opinion that the feature credits on Restoration rendered it more multi-dimensional than 2018's Let the Trap Say Amen ,and remarked that it "sheds a surprising and approachable light into the niche genre [of Christian hip hop]". [12]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Restore Me" |
| Ray Castro, Ace Harris, Alex Medina, Dave James, & Taylor Hill | 1:17 |
2. | "Set Me Free" (featuring YK Osiris) |
| GAWVI | 2:58 |
3. | "Wheels Up" (featuring Marc E. Bassy) |
| Inc. No World, Epikh Pro, Kelvin Wooten, & S1 | 4:04 |
4. | "Over the Top" |
| 30 Roc | 3:12 |
5. | "Self Discovery" |
| Kelvin Wooten & S1 | 2:28 |
6. | "Deep End" |
| Anthony Gardner | 2:41 |
7. | "Drown" (featuring John Legend) |
| Danny Majic, DJ Frank E, & Ace Harris | 3:21 |
8. | "Saturday Night" (featuring Jozzy) |
| Oshi | 2:08 |
9. | "Sunday Morning" (featuring Kirk Franklin) |
| Anthem, Ace Harris, Epikh Pro, & SAK PASE | 4:02 |
10. | "Zombie" |
| Epikh Pro & Taylor Hill | 2:32 |
11. | "Keep Going" |
| Quay Global, Carvello, & Ace Harris | 2:28 |
12. | "Still" (featuring DaniLeigh) |
| NOVA WAV & Mike Woods | 2:56 |
13. | "Only Human" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid) |
| 30WON, Dave James, Ace Harris, & 42 North | 3:49 |
14. | "Nothing Left to Hide" (featuring Gwen Bunn) |
| Ace Harris, Inc. No World, & S1 | 3:37 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "10 Toes" |
| Carvello & Lasanna "Ace" Harris | 3:09 |
16. | "Rich and Famous" (featuring WHATUPURG & Ty Brasel) |
| Epikh Pro, Kheilstone, Lasanna "Ace" Harris, & Shama "SAK PASE" Joseph | 3:26 |
17. | "Come Thru Jesus" |
| Carvello & Shama "SAK PASE" Joseph | 2:09 |
18. | "Deep End (Remix)" (featuring Rapsody) |
| MrWriteNow | 2:39 |
19. | "Restored" (featuring 1K Phew, Wande, Hulvey) |
| Carvello, Lasanna "Ace" Harris, & Taylor Hill | 4:37 |
20. | "Celebrate More" (116 featuring Lecrae, Andy Mineo, & Hulvey) |
| Dave James, Epikh Pro, Inc., Kelvin "WU10" Wooten, S1, & Taylor Hill | 3:11 |
Total length: | 1:00:37 |
Sample credits
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Christian & Gospel Albums (OCC) [14] | 5 |
US Billboard 200 [15] | 69 |
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [16] | 1 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [17] | 13 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [18] | 39 |
Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.
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