This CD is what I've been waiting for from the members of dc talk. Toby Mcheehan was (and still is) a member of the Christian super-rock/pop group dc Talk (made up of three members: Michael Tait, Kevin Max and Toby Mcheehan). After an over ten year music-making career as a member of dc Talk, all three members decided to go their seperate ways and all make solo albums. (They are still together! Don't worry all you dc fans) So, that's what brings us to tobyMac's solo project, Momentum.

Momentum was the last solo album to come out from the three members of DC Talk. It's also my favorite of the three, as the other two aren't really my style. Toby was always the hip-hop guy of the group, so it's no surprise that most of his album is composed of hip-hop. The other major element of this album is rock and he adds just a dash of rap. It's pretty hard to believe after listening to this album that Toby is almost forty years old (he's thirty-eight now, but he made this two years ago when he was thirty-six). Toby has been a huge success. He's the founder of Gotee Records, a talented singer and songwriter and a committed dc talk member. So, you still interested?

-------------------------------------------------

Get This Party Started
Blindsided by the blitz
I couldn't wait to get on this
I'm gonna tell it like it is
Somebody shut me up so I can live out loud

This song is a very good opener for this CD and I think at about two and a half minutes is the shortest song on the CD. First, a robotic voice says "tobyMac. Momentum. Begin sequence." Then it starts out with a playful, challenging little tune played by a synthesizer and Toby coming in with an almost screaming voice. This is one of the louder and faster songs on the album and Toby is screaming most of it, but in the verses he slows it down a bit and sings in his smooth and somewhat laid-back voice. There are guitars and fairly heavy bass accompanying Toby, but he mostly drowns them out in the chorus. There are also some background singers with him that go "Party everywhere" or something in between the choruses and verses. The drums are there, but you'll have to listen closely to hear them. I don't think you'd really notice them if you didn't listen because they're mostly drowned out. The song's title is pretty self-explanitory to the meaning. The song ends and goes immediately into....


What's Goin' Down
Take a look around, everything is comin' down
Do you hear the subtle sounds of our morality slippin'?
People on the go, we'll be reaping what we sow
Yet we say we wanna know, but I got my suspicions

Okay. After my mom told me, I now know that this is some cover song from way back when. It starts out with a calm guitar playing a kind of almost boring riff when Toby comes in almost whispering "Stop, what's that?" a few times. Then it goes into the wild and loud chorus where the guitars are much heavier and you can actually hear the drums. Toby is not yelling, but he's loud and strong. Then in the verses, he starts rapping, but not obnoxiously. There's a few background singers making this cool oh-oh ambience that really blends in nicely in the chorus. Near the end, an acoustic guitar makes an appearance, but only for a few seconds and then Toby takes over in his aggressive and determined voice and ends the whole she-bang. This song is about how we should treat everyone as an equal, racism and abuse and stuff. So basically, some people had some bad stuff happen to them in their childhood and they either let that get to them or they didn't. Cover song or not, it's pretty cool.


Irene
Many storms are on the way, better sharpen your faith
Count the cost, take up your cross and wear it everyday
Rest in me and I will give you strength
Blessed is she, Irene, who seeks my face

This was the song that really got me hooked on tobyMac. I heard it on the Christian alternative station of ours and I fell in love. It starts with a Spanish guitar playing for about twenty seconds and then Toby comes in with a comforting and higher than usual voice with the chorus. Then after he repeats it twice he starts rapping very smoothly and confidently. In the bridge, he has a background singer that has a husky feel to their voice. It really adds a great feel to the whole song. Near the end, Nirva Dorsaint (one of Toby's female singers for the album) sings "Father I'm stronger" over and over until Toby takes over with the chorus a few more times and eventually ends the song. This song won a Dove Award for Best Short Form Video and it was the one that deserved it. Anyway, this song is about a girl named Irene who is going through some tough stuff in her life (she's a mom dropped out of high school) and Toby is encouraging her to keep her head up because God'll pull her through it. Like Spanish-influenced rap?


Toby's Mac
Now when I say, "Where my freaks"
You can say "Woo-woo"
So where my freaks? (woo-woo)
Where my freaks? (woo-woo)

This is the first of about four (?) interludes on this album. Toby did this on what I think is his Macintosh computer. It's this robotic voice saying the above lyrics over and over. But the end is just hilarious to me for some weird reason. I'm not going to tell you what it is (look it up on the lyrics or something!) because it would kind of ruin it, but it cracks me up in that funny robotic voice. This song is kind of annoying, but it's not unbearable or anything. Robots will someday rule the world....


J-Train
Now I missed the train more than once in my life
Until the good conductor heard my momma's cry
Hades to glory in the blink of an eye
Hear me now, hear me now while I testify

Okay. Now I know that a lot of people like this song, but it's not one of favorites at all. It reminds me of my dark days and I heard the preacher saying all this stuff that really didn't make me feel any better. This song features Kirk Franklin, that black gospel dude with his little choir and stuff who keeps repeating "I've got a ticket to ride to the other side!!". Quite annoying. It also has that church organ adding to the big arrangement. Toby is yelling and sort of rapping, but more yelling than anything. It really does sound like a song you'd hear at some churches with a preacher and the organ and everything, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, you shouldn't even touch this song. It's about the "J-Train" that'll pick you up if you ask it to. So, basically, ask God to save you, he'll do it. Real complicated message, huh? The train feel is added to with Kirk's choir going "Woo-woo!" over and over and well, whatever... It's a preachy song that gets on my nerves, but Kirk Franklin fans will love it...


Do You Know
What can I do to spring your knowledge into how you roll?
Don't you have My spirit and the letters that My people wrote?
My love stretches farther than your mind can concieve
I've got a hand full of grace, a heart full of mercy

This is one cute song, though many people may think it's just boring. It starts with Toby singing in a higher and comforting voice with the chorus. Then the instruments come in: a guitar and a synthesizer. Then the verses start. The chorus is sung mostly by Nirva Dorsaint while Toby does the verses. The verses are made up all of Toby rapping in that smooth way of his and some guitars and steady drums. It starts with Toby talking to his four year old son, Truett and then by the next verse, converts to God talking to Toby. When Toby's talking to Truett, he's just saying sorry for being in his studio all the time and not spending more time with him. Then when God's talking to Toby, he's saying that he should pay more attention to him and try to understand how much He loves him. It sounds kind of cheesy, but it's really cool and laid-back. It's a great song that works well before we go into...


Tru-Dog
(no lyrics)

Oh my gosh. This has got to be the cutest thing that I've ever heard on a CD. It's a minute-long interlude where Toby's son, Truett is supposedly in Toby's studio. He's in there messing with his equipment and he's making this little mix up. He's saying all this baby-talk or whatever in his cute little voice and it's all in this cool little mix. Then after he's done, (uh-oh!) Toby comes in! Oh no! Is he in trouble or is he let off the hook? You find out. Do you like to go "Awwwwwwwww..." to little kids doing this kind of stuff? Please check this out!!


Momentum
Livin' on the edge of obnoxious, they call me raucous
I'm a freak, I can't stop this
Ardently enthused about God, no hand me down nod
You gonna get all I got

This song is not too heavy and loud, but it's not at all quiet. There's a lot of rapping in this song, but in the chorus, Toby is yelling through that megaphone effect thing again. It starts off immediately with no intro, when Toby's rapping with the steady drums and a echoing sound in the background. In the chorus, he's yelling with some background singers. It's a very simple chorus that they repeat about four times each. It goes, "Been on a roll for two-thousand years or so! We've got momentum baby." Near the end, the guitars get much heavier and the drums make their presence known. This song uses some rapping and blends it with the rock nicely. This song is about God and how he's "been on a roll" and how he's got momentum and he's never gonna stop. The best line of the song: "They call me raucous, I'm a freak I can't stop this!" which was also featured on a t-shirt I so very much wanted.... *sigh*


Yours
Bullseye to the center of my soul
One shot, but it rocked like a fatal blow
This love was your gun, your mercy your shells
Now I'm a dead man walking on a skinny trail

This is obviously the climax of the CD. All the songs before this are working up to this song and they placed this great. It's one of the most rock songs of the CD. It wastes no time starting with a heavy guitar riff that just starts getting going until Toby starts almost screaming everything. A few seconds when he just starts yelling, there's no instruments backing up and then they all crash in very heavily. The bridge is kind of annoying, but I can live with it. It goes, "Don't get me started, don't even get me started" about three times in an almost whispering voice and then he starts screaming the chorus. The verses are all fast and loud like he's rapping and screaming at the same time. I don't know how he came up with this, but it's awesome. It reminds me a lot of Chevelle because Toby adds a lot of anger into this song. It's about how this person so desperately needs God that he's pretty much on the brink of insanity. So he calls out his name and asks him for forgiveness. Awesome song that you have to listen to.


Quiet Storm
(no lyrics)

I think this interlude was just stuck in here to calm you down after Yours. If I've ever heard such a worthless interlude, it'd be this one. It's like a little news interview or something. This one lady with a too quiet voice is talking to Toby about his new disc and then it ends..... Wow. This was so amazing! They should make a National Geographic documentary out of this!!!


Wonderin' Why
I've been down for some down time, but thought it was bout time
To give my freaky people what they came here for
I guess I needed some head space, and felt that by God's grace
That my homosapiens would still be up for some more

If you read the lyrics above, you'd probably think that this song is pretty goofy. But actually, it is pretty sophisticated and smooth-sounding. It pretty much continues off of Quiet Storm, but it doesn't suck as much as that thing. It starts off with the chorus and then Toby takes over and raps the verses away. There's a tambourine (or cymbals, whichever) playing in the background with a light guitar. No crunchy guitars or anything, just stripped down rapping. In a few little sections of the song, (I think it might be the bridge) Nirva or one of the background singers is posing as a news reporter and saying, "Well, somebody told me that you're taking a break, a sabbatical from rhyming on the records you made" and other rumors... This song is basically about why he makes music and about all the rumors that get thrown at you when you're a musician. It's not my favorite song, but it's definitely not skippable.


Somebody's Watchin'
It's no joke, I've been roped in choking on a bone
From a fish in the school of your twilight zone
You shook me, took me to another place
Where the air I'm breathing is like mace in my face

Okay, now I'm absolutely sure that this song is a cover of some old song I heard before. Except this time around, Toby adds in the rap verses, cool instrumentation and a somewhat new meaning. It starts with the background singers going "ooh-ohh" and then Toby comes in, but not with what he usually does. He just goes, "Watch baby, watch baby, He got my back" which is actually a little piece of the chorus. Then the rapping revs up again with the first fast verse that just whizzes by you. Then the familiar chorus (if you've heard the original song) kicks in which is sung mostly by Ms. Dorsaint with Toby just rapping a bit in between her. By the second verse, you'll have wondered where the song went. It's a lot shorter than you think it'll be. The song is mostly backed up by some electronic beeping and synthesizers. It sounds very fresh and calm. The song is about God always being with you. He's watching you all the time. I like this version a whole lot better than the original, but I wish it was a bit longer...


Triple Skinny
I would like a triple skinny
Two-thirds decaf
Half chocolate no whip Grande Mocha
Oh yeah, extra foam, to go

This is my favorite interlude of them all of this album. It's Toby (or his little electronic robot guy) trying to order this coffee drink at his local coffee shop. It's short and sweet. I actually tried to order this drink at my local coffee shop and the guy was like, "What did you just say?" Ha!


Love is In the House
Packed like a baby nine months in the womb
Man it was packed like the closet full of Nike's in my room
Singin' oh sweet Lord, take me to the next level
Where the love's much thicker than the stares of my devils

Hey! It's like the first song where there's like not one bit of rapping! It's still really cool though. It starts out with one of those drum patterns that sound like the guy's making it with his mouth and hands (do you have any clue what I'm talking about?). Then some humming comes in and Toby is saying stuff. Then he starts singing and he almost sounds a little bit Jamaican. I have no clue what he's saying, but it's kinda cool to hear this side of Toby. Nirva's helping him out here a lot in the background and she gives the Jamaican thing stand out. Then comes the chorus. The verses come back in and they rock my world. Near the end, Toby drops the reggae thing and sings normally. Then he starts up this little thing where he goes, "Na, na na na na, na na" over and over. Then everyone joins in and ends off the song. It's about how when a little bit of love is "in the house", the house is packed. A little love goes a long way...


Extreme Days
Just the other day I saw a kid who flipped his hat to the back and called it a lid
You know what else he did?
He stacked books from the floor to the ceiling
Said something about trying to get to heaven, he was only eleven
But he climbed to the top with outstretched arms and screamed at the top of his lungs

This is the first single that came off this album. It's the closest thing to Yours that you're gonna get for now. It was also conveniently featured on the Extreme Days Soundtrack. It starts out with someone going, "We're living, living, living in extreme days!" in a low voice which will continue throughout the whole rest of the song. Then Toby starts that whole rap/scream thing again. That's how all of the verses will be for the rest of the song. After the first verse you are introduced to the chorus and onto the second verse! The second verse goes pretty fast and it might be a bit hard to follow because it kinda overlaps a bit. Then the intro to the third verse is a tune that I've heard, but I can't quite put my finger on. Then he says the above lyrics (without screaming!) and then starts screaming the remainder of the song. Whew! The song is about how these are extreme times where you need to watch what you do. Yep...


Don't Bring Me Down
(no lyrics)

Auuughh.... More useless than Quiet Storm. All this interlude is is Toby or one of his background singers going, "Please, please, don't bring me down" over and over and over for a whole two minutes and two seconds which is enough to make your brain go numb. Skip this song. Spare yourself. Please.


In the Air
We made beats and we even wrote rhymes
And played golf I think a million times
We never got around to spiritual matters
But we sure made time for our mindless chatter

The last real song! YAY! It's a good one too. It's a cool hip-hop beat with a dash of rap fused with a pop sound, but not pop enough to kill brain cells. Very catchy too. Alright. It starts out with something that sounds like a car accelerating and then Toby starts singing the little diddy that goes, "Do, do do do, do do do do, there in the air!" It's calmer than I've ever heard Toby! Then the steady drums and light guitars come accompany him. He starts with a nice rap in the first verse which goes into the chorus which is what started the whole thing off! After the second verse, you hear a choir singing, "Hallelujiah!". Then a phone dial and a little phone conversation is what you're hearing between Toby and what I assume is his best friend. The chorus plays a few more times and then I cry because the song is over. The song is about Toby's best friend who doesn't know God and Toby's scared for him when the end comes. I really love the last song and I'm sure you will too.


Afterword
(no lyrics)

This is the last interlude and last track of the CD. It's okay, but it's not the best interlude. It's basically just a little segment that they remixed of Do You Know. Just about a thirty-second slice of it, and they added more keyboards and instruments in. It's over now....

-------------------------------------------------

Okay! There you have it! My tobyMac review is finally finished. I give a solid four stars to this album for nice instrumentation, better-than-just-decent rapping and good rock elements. Though this is a bit of an older album now, you should still pick up a copy. It's worth it, but it's probably not going to be the best thing you'll ever hear. Let's get this party started, baby!!!

Tracks:
Get This Party Started: *****
What's Goin' Down: ****½
Irene: *****
Toby's Mac: ****
J-Train: **½
Do You Know: ****½
Tru-Dog: *****
Momentum: ****½
Yours: *****
Quiet Storm: *
Wonderin' Why: ****
Somebody's Watchin': *****
Triple Skinny: *****
Love is in the House: *****
Extreme Days: *****
Don't Bring Me Down: *
In the Air: *****
Afterword: ***

artist website: tobymac.com

x allison x

Recommended: Yes