Album Reviews

When Toby McKeehan (Mac) says "Comin' at ya like a whirlwind," it isn't just hype. Momentum is intense. It moves quickly, evolves quickly, and is likely to keep almost any listener engaged.

Momentum is McKeehan's much-anticipated solo effort, and the third such effort from a dc Talk member. McKeehan's music would most likely be categorized as hip-hop, but shouldn't be restricted to that box. There's a huge dose of hip-hop in nearly every track, but there are so many other ingredients that saying Momentum is hip-hop music is like saying pepperoni pizza is just bread.

The album starts off with an over-driven mosh pit masterpiece called 'Get The Party Started.' The song does an excellent job of kicking off the energetic feeling the album carries throughout. Just before your neck gets sore from headbanging, the second track begins.

Older or more seasoned listeners will have a strong case of deja-vu from 'What's Goin' Down.' Yes, that's a direct sample of Buffalo Springfield's 'For What It's Worth,' the famous Vietnam War protest song. Many people would recognize the song by its chorus: "Stop, hey, what's that sound / Everybody look what's goin' down." It doesn't take McKeehan long to bring in the hard rock guitars and looped hip-hop beats, but the chorus remains intact. Only this time rather than protesting a war, McKeehan is protesting racism, an issue his fans would likely identify as his most-visited topic.

The third track begins with a beautiful Spanish guitar, and continues by weaving in elements of reggae, jazz, and hip-hop. This song is pure genius, and became my first personal favorite on the album. The dark harmonies and rhythmic backbeat organ slip into your head quickly, and won't leave until... the next track.

I won't even bother to describe 'Toby's Mac' except to say that I laughed out loud for several minutes, then emailed all my friends (on my own Mac no less) and insisted that they go to McKeehan's website to check this track out. You'll see.

'J-Train' is the album's first radio single, and this track absolutely bounces. Kirk Franklin and McKeehan have finally teamed up to create a gospel/hip-hop song with a wonderfully catchy fuzzy bass line and an incredibly singable chorus, and it's a delight. You'll probably find yourself responding to McKeehan and Franklin's prompting from your living room as though you were at a live concert. McKeehan's rap stylings are unique on this track, seemingly combining his typical style with an approach reminiscent of Dr. Teeth from the Electric Mayhem.

I can't give a track by track analysis of Momentum, but so far I've mentioned the first five tracks, and let me assure you the quality continues. Overall I would highly recommend Momentum to any fan of McKeehan, most fans of dc Talk (especially those who enjoy the "old school" style), and certainly any fan of hard rock and hip-hop. But for any readers who aren't certain which group they might fit into, hop onto McKeehan's website or head down to the local record store and give Momentum a spin before you buy it.

                                                           ~Josh L.

This album is quite an interesting one to say the least. It starts off with a quite heavy / upbeat track aptly titled Get This Party Started. This is one a couple of the guitar based rock songs [that Pete Stewart lends his stringed talents too] on this disc. Others include the title track Momentum as well as Yours and the title track for a movie recently released, Extreme Days. Most of the other tracks are hip-hop such as the song Irene and J-Train.

Lyrically this is a decently strong album. The opening track is basically an invocation where Toby asks Father most high, won't You show Yourself and shine on this record like no one else. Some of the other tracks deal with tough challenges people face in life while Yours proclaims that we are God's and asks Him to draw close.

Musically this is also a quality album. The variety of musical styles demonstrates Toby's diversity and talent. Personally I liked the faster songs better than the hip-hop ones, but that's just me. If you are looking for a couple of different styles on one cd, then this one is worth checking out.

                                                            ~dan klassen

Closely following his DC Talk band mates' solo releases, is the debut solo album of Toby McKeehan (Toby Mac to us hardcore DC fans), called Momentum. Not only has Toby Mac been considered by most as the driving force behind DC Talk, but this band has also been one of the major role players in the development of the Christian rock scene as we know it today.

Moving away from past successes, Toby Mac showcases his own music style and identity on Momentum. The album consists of that which is essentially Toby Mac, without the outside influences of band mates, DC fans or general public expectation. Although he finds his true voice in the styles of hip-hop and rap, McKeehan has successfully jumped onto the nu-metal bandwagon. With scorching and screaming tracks like Get This Party Started, Yours and the much acclaimed title track from the Extreme Days score, Toby proves that he can rock it up just as hard as any other rap-core outfit.

Actually the whole of Momentum is kind of like a knitted together quilt of music styles, from the beautiful flamenco and reggae feel of Irene, past some true old school hip-hop tunes, right down to the hardest and loudest guitar anarchy that this generation could hope for. The album also features Kirk Franklin, DC rocker Michael Tait and the incredibly gifted vocalist Joanna Valencia.

By far the best of the DC solo releases, this album deserves to be owned by and listened to by everyone… including your neighbours!

                                                          ~c-kruis.com

Toby Mac (homepage)