Mustard's hit-making ability cannot be questioned. He was one of the producers who defined the sound of the 2010s. He has too many classic singles to count. That being said, Mustard's propensity for singles extended to his albums. He had solid solo outings, but nothing that lived up to his one-off collabs. Until now. Faith of a Mustard Seed, Mustard's fourth album, is his best yet. The Los Angeles producer finally put together all the pieces and delivered a project that's catchy as it is cohesive and consistent. There are legitimately too many standout moments to catch in one sitting.
Kirk Franklin provides a spoken word intro, and once the album gets going, it doesn't slow down. "Up Down" chops up an 80s synth line into a superhero theme for the likes of Lil Yachty and 42 Dugg. The next track, "Pressured Up," goes full G-funk with menacing verses from Vince Staples and ScHoolboy Q. Quavo and Rob49 help Mustard switch things up yet again with the string-heavy street anthem "One of Them Ones." The Travis Scott-aided single "Parking Lot" is still one of the best songs here, but it's a testament to Mustard's sequencing that the sample-driven banger fits in with the rest of the material here. The album's slower moments also stick the landing. Ty Dolla Sign sounds perfect on "A Song for Mama," while Blxst skates over "Worth a Heartbreak." There's not a weak link in the tracklist, and that includes Mustard's own bars on the epic closer, "Pray for Me." Mustard is not only still here, but he may be entering his prime.
Mustard Gets More Ambitious On His New Album
Faith Of A Mustard Seed tracklist:
- Show Me the Way (featuring Kirk Franklin)
- Up Now (featuring Lil Yachty, BlueBucksClan & 42 Dugg)
- Pressured Up (featuring Vince Staples & ScHoolboy Q)
- One of Them Ones (featuring Quavo & Rob49)
- Parking Lot (featuring Travis Scott)
- 7 to 7
- A Song for Mom (featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Masego & Charlie Wilson)
- Worth a Heartbreak (featuring Blxst & A Boogie Wit a Hoodie)
- Truth Is (featuring Roddy Ricch)
- Mines (featuring Ty Dolla Sign, Future & Charlie Wilson)
- One Bad Decision (featuring Ella Mai & Roddy Ricch)
- Yak's Prayer (featuring Kodak Black)
- Ghetto (featuring Young Thug & Lil Durk)
- Pray for Me
