Andy Mineo’s New Album Hits Right for All the Wrong Reasons

He must be taking notes from Toby Mac, because the new album (and his tour) hits deep.

Given Mineo’s track record of putting out hits like “Comin’ in Hot” (which is, of course, featured on the album), “Shibuya Roll Call”, “You Can’t Stop Me”, “WILLY”, and many more, I think fans were ready for more high-energy tracks like those. There is, after all, a lot more competition now in the CHH world. Kanye put out his new album this year, Lecrae released his, and it seems that each week, an artist is trying to get the next hit single on the radio. Fans are expecting big productions and songs that will make for a great TikTok meme.

And while Mineo’s album does have some great tracks to fit the bill, I think fans weren’t quite ready for what they got. If you listen to Never Land II expecting to hear Christian references in every other line, you’ll be disappointed. This isn’t your typical P&W gospel rap album. And you try to fit it into a box, you’ll miss out on the beautiful artistry at work in this project. And for me, that’s where things hit just right on Never Land II.

“Am I…” sets the tone for the relatively short 38 minute project. It gives me chills every time I hear it. Not only is the song a beautiful, theatrical production, but it’s like a montage of some of Mineo’s classic songs. It opens in the same poetic style as “Clarity” (I: The Arrow, 2018), and has a subtle ad-lib motif as heard in “Vendetta” (Uncomfortable, 2015) before dropping into the second track “…Falling?”

The album’s songs are broken up by some personal interview recordings of his mother talking about Andy’s childhood. And that’s why Never Land II has a wafting nostalgic energy. It’s an experience, maturing the more you listen to it. The songs that follow are…raw, to say the least. “Trying“ is about Andy’s struggle to be all things, to all people, all the time. “Nobody’s Coming” (a personal favorite) is a socially-aware track with an inspiring message: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world; nothing changes until we do, and no one’s coming to save us from our mistakes.’ “Remind Me” is deeply intimate and out of place for your typical “gospel rapper” because it’s inspired by real-life events (and arguments, it seems) with his wife.

And, yes, his hooks are still there. But they’re mindful, not mindless. This chorus was often on repeat in my head:

Again, these are not the kind of pop, sugar-high hit songs we’ve come to expect from Mineo, Lecrae, KB, or really any other mainstream CHH artist on the airwaves today. This may be a little ambitious to say, but I think that Never Land II sets up Mineo to place himself in a new category. It raises the bar for what a crossover Christian rap artist could look (or sound) look like (since NF appears to have given up that title). “Working On It” is a great example of this. The track has a few striking similarities to Post Malone’s “Wow.”

In an attempt to bridge the gap between Christian and secular audiences, there’s also a recurring theme about how not everyone goes to heaven, or at least how not every Christian rap song needs to be about being here for a good time instead of a long time. In fact, there are less than 10 plain references about Jesus on the whole album. And that’s what makes it particularly edgy! Some tracks have an air of somber, hopeless, introspective, helplessness about them.

The answer, of course, to that helplessness is hope in Christ, but again, Mineo doesn’t always come right out and say this. That’s where the artistic interpretations begin. A believer and non-believer can hear the same song and have their unique interpretations. Then, hopefully, they can have a productive conversation about life, love, and God.

This theme repeats throughout the album. “Not Gon’ Do” is a playful, sarcastic, but respectable song about avoiding self-righteous and self-sabotaging behaviors. It is, in a sense, about how to live life “awake”, not just “woke”; it’s about living with a critical worldview, not a cynical one. It’s a message that I very much sympathize with here at Koshiz Music. I got the sense that Mineo wanted to give his audience the chance to take stock of who and where they are in life, and where they want to go. This, again, puts that contemplative nostalgia back in play.

Andy mentioned in a recent interview about his desire to diversify, and perhaps even go independent entirely, now that his contract with Reach Records is ending. But as art does imitate life, if you asked Andy what’s next for him, he’d probably just say “I Ain’t Done”. So, I guess it’s true what they say: You can go anywhere you want as long as you Never Land.