As the protagonist of …Church Girl, Ja Rule portrays Miles Montego, a former CA-area drug kingpin who’s converted his skills into concert promoting. Montego isn’t ’bout that life’ anymore, but since he’s still employing his posse of drug-dealing around-the-way rolldawgs, the Feds are looking for any excuse to turn them in and keep everyone under constant surveillance (“He wears what we make in entire year on his wrist,” one detective snarls to his superior, Martin ‘sweep the leg’ Kove). Despite his celebrity-level street cred, the loyal crew, immaculately-kept Bentley and a palatial crib, Miles’ life seems hermitic and unfulfilled.

What changes his destiny, however, is an invitation from his broker (The Sopranos’ Vincent Pastore) to a Fourth of July family BBQ, where he meets the angelic Vanessa Leon (Bailon). Like the aforementioned holiday, sparks fly and their evolving relationship forces each of them into uncharted territory: celibacy, church attendance and Bible study for Miles, VIP hangouts and pistol-whipping turf wars for Vanessa.

A ‘one step forward, two steps back’ dynamic seems to unfold….(click here for the full review at Soultracks.com)