{$Joy Electric} is {$Ronnie Martin}'s musical amalgamation of Christian ideology and {\synth rock}. {^The White Songbook: Legacy, Vol. 1} is {$Martin}'s first step in a series of concept albums designed to create a meaningful legacy of work intended to uplift the human spirit and ultimately stand as his greatest artistic achievement. Employing a monophonic analog synthesizer system, {$Martin} stitches together disparate grooves and eccentric sounds into a {\pop}-song format. Whereas a great number of {\dance}/{\electronica} purveyors are content to gobble up precious airtime with relentless beats and repetitive motifs, {$Martin} fills the void with thoughtful tone poems that break into melodies with an evangelic message. Though he's not a preacher, nor does he intend to be, {$Martin} delivers his celebration of humanity and diatribes against oppression with conviction and sincerity. The old-school analog arrangements on this disc ooze with warmth as {$Martin} peppers his compositions with funky rhythms and soulful call-and-response figures.{&"The Good Will Not Be Cloned"} and {&"Sing Once for Me"} evoke {$Brian Eno}'s groundbreaking trilogy of recordings with {$David Bowie} ({^Low}, {^Heroes}, {^Lodger}) and early {$Depeche Mode}, while {&"We Are Rock"} could fit neatly onto a {$Madonna} album regardless of her fashion-of-the-moment whims. As the moniker suggests, {$Joy Electric} brings joy to {\electronica}. ~ Tom Semioli, All Music Guide