Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Pastor Troy, Timbaland, Ms. Jade, Bun B., Blackout, Pinhead, Peter The Disciple. | | Personnel: Pastor Troy, Ms. Jade, Bun, Timbaland, Peter The Disciple, Blackout, Pinhead (rap vocals); Pastor Troy, Sr. (spoken vocals); Craig Love (guitar); James phillips (keyboards); LeMarquis Jefferson (bass); Candace Jackson (background vocals). | | Producers include: Pastor Troy, Timbaland, Tont "T-Cap" Sims, 'Lil Jon, Benny Tillman. | | Personnel: Craig Love, Tony Love (guitar); James Phillips (keyboards). | | Audio Mixers: Dale Ramsey; Dale "Rambro" Ramsey; Kevin Parker; Jan Nerud; Jimmy Douglas; Mike "Hitman" Wilson; Timbaland. | | Recording information: 1210 Studios, Atlanta, GA; Audio Vision And Flamingo Studios, Atlanta, GA; Madd House Studios, Atlanta, GA; Off The Top Studios, Atlanta, GA; PatchWerk Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; RamTrax Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sound Lab Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA. | | Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. | | Unknown Contributor Roles: Ms. Jade; Bun B. | | Pastor Troy's second attempt at a breakthrough album only furthers the frustration that many expressed with 2001's Face Off. The record tries to throw around Troy's beliefs and opinions without direction, which leads to songs that shoot off into tangents that have little to do with the subject matter. The fantasy thug anthems where he threatens his enemies are typical of the Dirty South genre, but often he'll contradict those threats with lyrics about his righteous devotion to Christianity. He tries to come off as a pious voice of reason on most of the tracks here, but this tactic fails when the next moment he's talking about his sexual exploits and marijuana intake. This spotty approach to lyrics really hurts certain tracks, as his religious beliefs are in direct opposition to almost everything else he raps about. His other negatives are related to the production work, as few of the producers here, outside of Lil Jon and Timbaland, do anything very interesting beyond the generic crawl of Dirty South. Still, when he reins in these bad habits, Pastor Troy can be a fascinating lyricist. "Bless America" quotes "Real American," Rick Derringer's ode to Hulk Hogan, while blasting terrorism, which already makes it seem ridiculous from the outset. But Troy meditates over the effect that bombings have on victim's families and the psyche of the American public, giving the chorus a depth that is hard to fathom without hearing it. The lush throb of Lil Jon's "Who, What, When, Where" is another highlight, as Troy proudly claims Georgia as his home with a clever defensiveness that never strays from the topic. And when he simply leaves Jesus out of songs, like in Timbaland's awesome club anthem "Are We Cuttin'," Troy can be downright fun. It isn't that Christianity is what makes this album so uneven, it's Troy's poor judgment of when to discuss the topic. When Pastor Troy is focused, he's on top of the Dirty South genre. But the sloppy way Universal Soldier is put together reveals more of his faults than his positives, making it another average record from a rapper who shows so much potential. ~ Bradley Torreano | | Pastor Troy's follow-up to 2001's FACE OFF continues his themes of Dirty South living and loving. He's a more thoughtful rapper than some, and doesn't confine himself strictly to these themes, of course. Cuts such as "If I Wasn't Rapping" (of course he'd still be living the life he loves) and "I'm A Raise Me a Soldier" show a deeper-than-usual sensibility and consciousness. The Timbaland-featured "Tell 'Em It's On" is gargantuan rolling funk, while the Latin-inflected "You Can't Pimp Me" ("I'm 'a pimp myself") is the defiant cry of a full-time survivor who's taking control of his own life. | | UNIVERSAL SOLDIER further cements Troy's reputation as one of the deeper exponents of the Dirty South sound with its brooding synth backdrops, skittering beatboxes and slow, menacing vocals. Troy's preoccupations remain family, violence, and social commentary, and here these themes coalesce into a seamless whole. |
Producer: Big Floaty; Jazze Pha; Timbaland; Carl-Mo |
Engineer: Dale Ramsey; Dale "Rambro" Ramsey; Kevin Parker; Jan Nerud; Senator Jimmy D; Taj Mahal |
Musical Guests | | Timbaland | | Ms. Jade | | Bun B | | Peter The Disciple | | Pinhead | | Blackout |
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