Rockwell Powers' "Faith"

Meet Rockwell Powers, one of the performers at Grynch's EP-release show July 12 at Nectar The 21-year-old Tacoma lyricist and his Seattle-based producer, 19-year-old Ill Pill, recently debuted with Kids in the Back, a loosely wrapped package of sincerity that sometimes borders on the saccharine. But Rockwell has plenty of time to edit the puffed-up sentiment and track down the essence. The album traces a jagged line of emotionally-charged narratives--the evil that men do ("Hoodie Up"), the break-up blues ("Okay"), and the vertigo-inducing climb toward independence ("Changes")--but the most affecting is the track below, "Faith."

For those of us sick of rappers, athletes and politicians treating god like their own personal genie-in-a-bottle, Rockwell's second-verse opener is damn near a revelation (no pun intended): "I left the church about a year ago/Since my soul has been restless/Scared to death--must confess." If this kid starts winning awards, he won't join the holy choir thanking the good lord above for his success as if he were the only worthy out there. Indeed, Rockwell seems more apt to question it--never a bad thing. The album is available for purchase here; press release available after the jump.

"Tacoma E mcee Rockwell Powers and Seattle Producer Ill Pill have a created an album founded in classic boom-bap, soul hip-hop, but also progressive enough to carve its own niche in the genre. The two artists have both previously released solo projects, but both consider 'Kids in the Back' the first major offering in their young careers (Ill Pill is 19, Powers is 21). Featuring guest verses from emcees Grynch and Lance Ye'Fly, and vocal contributions from Peter Baldwin, the first half of 'Kids in the Back' packs an up-tempo live punch, while the second half is introspective and mellow. Both artists are hard at work in the Northwest- Powers rocking shows on a nearly weekly basis, both solo and with his live band, 10th & Commerce and Ill Pill producing beats for many upcoming Seattle releases, including Grynch's Chemistry EP and an upcoming EP with Rockwell Powers."