It's been a long, hard road for the three members of old-time rap/R&B group Souljahz. After much frustration with their record label and hardships along the way, the group decided to disband and sever ties with Warner Bros. Records, and now, after five more years in the industry, the group has returned, minus one of the brothers, to form The Washington Projects. The resulting record, Commanders of the Resistance, is much of the same, stylistically staying within the rap/R&B style that the previous group was known for, but also showcases the increase in quality and sound, particularly on songs like the album opener, "Crazy," which sounds like something straight off of a Justin Timberlake record.

Other songs that might whet the listener's appetite come in the form of "If I Can't Have You", which throws back to older Souljahz, and "Diamonds," which also sounds like something from secular rap radio, but with lyrics that can be quite questionable. Female singer Rachael Washington has an attitude with the way she raps, and it gives off a very prideful feeling throughout most of the record. In fact, for the majority of the album, both Rachael and Je'kob Washington seem to put a lot of pride into what they're doing. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but with the Christian witness they're trying to be, and the large amount spiritual content that was present in their debut, it begs the question, "what happened?" Some songs have borderline sexual content lyrically, on tracks like "That Girl," in which Je'kob raps "I'm a showboat, I'm not a player, but baby I could take you to the Himalayas… every show I do is gonna make big bucks, I'ma make big bucks, I'ma make truckloads of bucks." It seems that a large portion of the spiritual content is literally gone from their music, and has been replaced with love and money, and it's disheartening.

The majority of the other songs on the record, like "She Can't Love You," "You Talk Too Much," and "Love Is Like An Ocean" are all songs about relationships, and some of the lyrics almost seem like they could be taken as sexual references, even if it's subtle. The spiritual content shows up on a few other songs, like "Outside Your Window" and "You Are My World," yet these tend to be the worst songs, with beats and vocals that just do not mesh well with each other at all. Overall, The Washington Projects' debut may be a decent one, but it greatly lacks the spiritual content Souljahz was known for, and is should probably make Christians think twice before buying this new record. If you're looking for something a bit more positive than what the secular realm has to offer, I'd say check out a few other artists, maybe even the original Souljahz record, before venturing to this new invention of rap/R&B music.

- PReview date: 10/29/07, Rewiewd: 11/17/07; written by Justin Mabee