How's this for a change? Though four-piece Shachah is the newest member of the Cross Movement family, don't think for a moment they're the next hip-hop sensation. They're actually a band that plays a likeable mix of funk, hip-hop, and rock—all styles that are rarely heard on a rap recording, much less all together.

That didn't matter much to the Philadelphia-based Cross Movement Records, a label that's known for some of the most ferocious emcees and street poets that Christian music has ever seen. In this regard, Shachah aren't such a fish out of water: the point of connection between the band and its benefactors is their mutual, unwavering commitment to a Christ-centered, ministry-minded message.

Self-proclaimed "musicianaries," Shachah realized this calling early on by leading worship in southern California and traveling the world, from Miami all the way to Russia. This zeal for the gospel comes through loud and clear on their debut offering, On the Move, a disc where lyricism unequivocally trumps the barebones production and simplistic presentation.

Musically, Shachah recalls some of the grit and urgency of early-day P.O.D., 311, and Red Hot Chili Peppers—all funk-laden rock groups that, in some ways, sounded underdeveloped when they first appeared. Shachah sounds just as underdeveloped, as there isn't much to the group's sparse combination of guitar, bass, and drums—the tracks are spacious, barebones, echo-y, and unfold with very little surprises. Hip-hop makes an occasional appearance ("Found My Place," "Hero"), but mostly as an accessory.

Whatever punch the music lacks, Shachah makes up for it with an uncompromising stance on proclaiming Christ. That alone isn't enough to make an album, as Cross Movement knows all too well, but it's a sign that the group could be poised for bigger and better things if it were to accompany its sharp-toothed sermons with an equally penetrating sound.

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