The Moment (Manafest album)

The Moment is the seventh studio album by the Christian rapper Manafest. It was released on August 5, 2014 under BEC Recordings.[9][10] The album was fan-funded through a PledgeMusic campaign.[11][12]

The Moment
Studio album by
Manafest
ReleasedAugust 5, 2014 (2014-08-05)
GenreChristian rock, rap rock, alternative rock
Length38:40
LabelBEC
ProducerJoel Bruyere, Adam Messinger
Manafest chronology
Stories Since Seventy Nine
(2012)		 The Moment
(2014)		 Reborn
(2015)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
CCM Magazine[1]
Christian Music Review4.7/5[2]
Christian Review Magazine[3]
HM Magazine[4]
Indie Vision Music[5]
Jesus Freak Hideout[6]
Louder Than the Music[7]
New Release Tuesday[8]

The album marks Manafest's final release with his long-time affiliate label BEC Recordings before moving to a fully independent status for his next album Reborn.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from multiple professional music sites and reviews.

Christian St. John of Christian Review Magazine showered compliments on the album saying: "Manafest has found himself on The Moment. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it seems to me that this album is Manafest’s defining work, his coming-of-age album if you will."[3] Speaking for CCM Magazine, Andy Argyrakis praised the release by stating: "Manafest continues to strike rap/rock gold with a dozen new tunes... the Canadian veteran spreads faith-affirming positivity over some of his sharpest rhymes to date."[1] Sarah Brehm from HM Magazine went on to say that The Moment "is filled with infectious rap-rock anthems infused with layers of trendy-pop beats... Manafast has delivered a solid, well-crafted album that’s sure to be a hit."[4] In definite agreement, Mary Nikkel of New Release Tuesday added: "The Moment pulses with immediacy, utilizing snappy rhymes and grungy guitars to demolish fear and call for faith. This is a stand-out moment in his discography, and a solid addition to any rock or urban library."[8]

On the flipside, Michael Weaver of Jesus Freak Hideout moderately stated: "Manafest has made a clear decision to head in a different direction with The Moment. Musically, the edge is gone... Hopefully when we see him next, Manafest will be living up to his full potential. In the meantime, maybe you should go back and revisit The Chase instead."[6] Lee Brown of Indie Vision Music writes: "Fans of Manafest will find an engaging album that continues his propensity towards engaging and uplifting lyrics sure to inspire on the one hand and provide great work-out music on the other."[5]

Retrospectively in a 2015 interview, Manafest himself hinted at some dissatisfaction with the album's production when he stated, "The Chase was an all-rock record and I did Fighter and it was just an all-rock record, and those were both received really really well. But, before that, my records were mixed. I feel like I did that again with The Moment and I’m not sure that that always works the best. For me, in creating it, I feel like I’m split because I’m like, “what is this?”"[13]

Awards

The album received a nomination in the category of "Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year" for the Juno Awards of 2015.[14][15]

Singles

The album includes the singles of "Diamonds" and "Edge of My Life".[16][17] "Diamonds" peaked within the top 5 on the ChristianRock.Net radio charts.[18]

Track listing
Album release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Moment"Chris Greenwood, Joel Bruyere, Adam Messinger3:25
2."Edge of My Life"Greenwood, Messinger3:33
3."Criminal"Greenwood, Bruyere3:27
4."Cage"Greenwood, Bruyere3:21
5."Love Wide Open"Greenwood, Bruyere3:55
6."Light"Greenwood, Joshua O'Haire1:20
7."Diamonds" (featuring Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch)Greenwood, Bruyere, Trevor McNevan3:59
8."Paradise"Greenwood, Bruyere, Josh Macintosh, McNevan3:20
9."Bull in a China Shop"Greenwood, McNevan2:54
10."Startup Kid"Greenwood, Bruyere3:03
11."My Way"Greenwood, Bruyere, Messinger2:57
12."Thrill of It All"Greenwood, Bruyere3:26
Total length:38:40
Japanese edition bonus track[19]
No.TitleLength
13."Cage" (featuring AG of Noisemaker)3:21

Personnel

Chart performance
Chart (2014-2015) Peak
position
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[20] 14
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[21] 25
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 11
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[23] 40
US Hot Christian Songs: "Edge of My Life" (Billboard)[16] 48
US Hot Christian Songs: "Diamonds" (Billboard)[16] 48
US Christian Airplay: "Edge of My Life" (Billboard)[17] 32
US Christian Airplay: "Diamonds" (Billboard)[17] 34

Music videos
Lyric videos

Notes
  • In 2014, as with many of Manafest's releases, The Moment was given an album instrumentals release.[24]
  • The track "Bull in a China Shop" was originally supposed to be a Thousand Foot Krutch song before Trevor McNevan pitched it to Manafest for the release of The Moment.[25][26]
  • The track "Love Wide Open" was originally going to be entitled "East Coast Winter".[27] The song's name was changed as Manafest decided the general population did not fully understand what an "east coast winter" was like and therefore, was not relatable enough overall.[25]
  • Nirva Ready (of TobyMac's Diverse City) was originally intended to be featured on the track "Diamonds" but it didn't work out and fit the song according to Manafest.[25]
  • The song "Light" was originally intended to be used as an audio promotional for Manafest's 2013 book Fighter: Five Keys to Conquering Your Fear and Reaching Your Dreams.[28][29] It was however never utilized and Manafest decided instead to release it on The Moment.[30]
  • The song "Startup Kid" echos back to Manafest's earlier days of straighter hip hop and was made based on the request of his fans.[31]
  • "Let Go" featuring Dave Stovall of Wavorly was a song that didn't make the final cut of The Moment but was later released as a 2015 single. The song was recently pulled from iTunes (it is however still available in Manafest's store[32]). Manafest has also hinted it might make his next album's track listing.[25]

References
  1. Argyrakis, Andy. "Moment At A Time - CCM Magazine Review of The Moment". CCM Magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  2. Brogan, Amanda (August 5, 2014). "Manafest 'The Momement'". Christian Music Review. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  3. John, Christian. "Music Review: The Moment by Manafest". Christian Review. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. Brehm, Sarah. "The Moment review by HM Magazine". HM Magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  5. Brown, Lee. "The Moment review on Indie Vision Music". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  6. Weaver, Michael. "The Moment review on Jesus Freak Hideout". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  7. Huntley, Wesley. "The Moment review by Louder Than Music". Louder Than the Music. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  8. Nikkel, Mary. "Seizing the Moment - New Release Tuesday review of The Moment". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  9. "The Moment on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  10. "The Moment on Amazon". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  11. "Manafest To Release The Moment In August". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  12. "Manafest The Moment kickstarter on PledgeMusic". PledgeMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  13. "Interview: Manafest - Indie Vision Music". Indie Vision Music. April 6, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  14. "Manafest's The Moment Earns JUNO Nomination". New Release Tuesday. January 29, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  15. "Manafest Nominated For Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year at Juno Awards 2015". Rapzilla. January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  16. "Manafest Hot Christian Songs chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  17. "Manafest Christian Airplay chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  18. "Manafest Singles Charts on ChristianRock.Net". ChristianRock.Net. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  19. ""Cage" (featuring AG of Noisemaker) on YouTube". YouTube. January 20, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  20. "Manafest Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  21. "Manafest Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  22. "Manafest Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  23. "Manafest Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  24. "The Moment Instrumentals on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  25. "Manafest Listening Party Live Q&A". YouTube. August 19, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  26. "Manafest -- "Bull In a China Shop" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 9, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  27. "Manafest -- "Love Wide Open" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 11, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  28. "International Rock Artist Manafest Sets His Story To Pen Releasing His First Book Fighter October 2013". Jesus Freak Hideout. September 16, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  29. "Fighter book Official Website". Fighterbook.net. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  30. "Manafest -- "Light" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 14, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  31. "Manafest -- "Startup Kid" Song Explanation". YouTube. August 13, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  32. ""Let Go" Single on Manafest's official store". Shopify. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
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