Fighter

Canadian Christian rapper Chris Greenwood (a.k.a. Manafest) steps up his game on Fighter, with Justin Bieber producer Adam Messinger sitting at the mixing desk. The title track comes out swinging, with distorted guitar riffs chugging as Manafest rhymes alongside the song’s meter and sings soaring melodies in the chorus. He boasts an impressive vocal range. Musing on the human spirit’s ability to prevail through tough times, “Fighter” sets the stage for a triumphant fifth studio album overflowing with similarly inspired themes. “Throw It Away” drops a deep dubstep rumble contrasted with hushed verses, as Manafest rallies his fans to seize the day. Themes of standing one’s ground and not bending against the will surface in “Pushover,” a standout song where rock and rap coexist like old friends. The moving “Human” leans harder on the rock side, with empathetic lyrics sung to remind Manafest’s listeners that you can’t move forward in life without forgiving yourself for mistakes that are part of the human learning curve.