tobyMac (Official Thread)

[GuitarGuy]

I'm a little surprised nobody's made a thread for him, so i decided to go ahead and make one. I'm a huge fan of his! I've heard that he puts on some of the best shows out there. I haven't seen him in concert yet, but I'm sure he'll make it down here to Texas eventually.

[Troggy]

I have seen him live, but I'm not a fan :shrug:

[GuitarGuy]

I got his Alive and Transported DVD and that's what really made me want to see him live. It's amazing how talented he and his Diverse City band are.

[Moth To A Flame]

The older I get the more I dislike him. He used to be the cool thing but I matured. I saw him twice live. I saw him live this past summer and I just wasn't feeling it.

He is okay. The only thing really keeping him afloat is that popular among almost all Christians.

[Brand-new-123]

xJesusFreakx has a new favorite thread.

[Smeee]

Dude used to be the best back in the day. Never saw him live. Saw Tait and he put on a pretty insane show. Had some incredible musicians backing him.

[oncedarkness]

Dude used to be the best back in the day. Never saw him live. Saw Tait and he put on a pretty insane show. Had some incredible musicians backing him.
It's funny that Tait is now the lead singer of the Newsboys

[june182]

tobyMac is a Christian artist that never disappoints me

[cwya]

He opened for Relient k when I saw them a few years ago. I'm not a fan of the music but his set had a ton of energy and was pretty fun to watch. Music isn't the best though.

[Smeee]

It's funny that Tait is now the lead singer of the Newsboys

You what?! For real?

[Regards]

Like most people in this thread, great live show, but eh on the albums.

[Brand-new-123]

It's funny that Tait is now the lead singer of the Newsboys
Have you heard the new song yet? It's so good.

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They finally got out of their slump.

[Regards]

You what?! For real?
Did you not know that?

[Smeee]

Did you not know that?

I did not! Just done some wiki research and filled in my knowledge gaps. Alas, my CCM knowledge is lacking these days :-(. Don't listen to much of it anymore, so don't really keep track.

[Regards]

I did not! Just done some wiki research and filled in my knowledge gaps. Alas, my CCM knowledge is lacking these days :-(. Don't listen to much of it anymore, so don't really keep track.
I got to see them the first show he filled in

/swt brg

But yeah, he does a wonderful job. I haven't listened to the new tune yet, but I have to imagine its great.

[Brand-new-123]

I got to see them the first show he filled in

/swt brg

But yeah, he does a wonderful job. I haven't listened to the new tune yet, but I have to imagine its great.
Listen to it. It is the best thing they've done since Love Liberty Disco.

[xJesusFreakx]

Nice thread. The fact that Toby, in his 40s, can still perform live the way that he does is amazing. I can't think of a better Christian entertainer of the past two decades. Also, to all the album-haters, Welcome to Diverse City was solid, and Portable Sounds was great. I'm disappointed with Tonight, but I'm still enjoying it a good bit.

[Moth To A Flame]

My younger brother enjoys his son more than TobyMac himself. haha

[GuitarGuy]

Yeah, there's something about Tonight that just doesn't seem to stack up his other CDs. I still think Portable Sounds is the best CD he's made so far. The intro to 'Funky Jesus Music' kinda fooled me. It had me expecting some sort of darker, synth/dance/industrial song like something Lady Gaga might do, but as soon as they started singing, I was kinda disappointed. It's still an okay song, but I feel like they could've done a little more with it.

[xJesusFreakx]

Yeah, there's something about Tonight that just doesn't seem to stack up his other CDs. I still think Portable Sounds is the best CD he's made so far. The intro to 'Funky Jesus Music' kinda fooled me. It had me expecting some sort of darker, synth/dance/industrial song like something Lady Gaga might do, but as soon as they started singing, I was kinda disappointed. It's still an okay song, but I feel like they could've done a little more with it.

"Funky Jesus Music" is kind of fun, but songs like that are very difficult to pull off without being cheesy, and I don't think he did. It's too ridiculous, and it messes with the pop rock meets club music vibe that he establishes with the opening tracks and keeps returning to throughout the album. The awkwardness is apparent with the abrupt shift into "City on Our Knees."

On the DVD with the deluxe edition of the album, Toby mentioned that he spent about twice as long working on this album, starting almost right after the last one, and I feel like that was actually the downfall of the album. Organic tracks like "Wonderin," "Break Open the Sky," and "Start Somewhere" would have been at home on Portable Sounds, but they feel completely out of place amongst the more synth-based sound of Tonight. "Break Open the Sky" especially makes no sense on the album, especially as a closer. If they could have at least incorporated the reggae sound into the synthesized feel of the other tracks, like "Hold On," it would have worked, but it feels totally thrown on as is.

For someone who's usually really good at gauging the pulse of youth culture and evolving with its sounds without being contrived, it's sad to see him struggle so much with progression this time around. "Showstopper" lyrically would have been fine amidst songs like "Momentum," "Yours," and "Extreme Days," but it makes no sense in this context. The gunshots in "Start Somewhere" also would have been more excusable on his debut than here. Perhaps the most obnoxious moment is that obligatory TruDog track. The cute novelty tracks are getting old, and with the lack of skits between tracks, it really sticks out like a sore thumb.

[HometownHero]

This album is sooooooooooooooooooooo cheesy it hurts

[superBMRuth]

he's one of the most talented Christian artists out there, but i haven't really cared for him since middle school

[xJesusFreakx]

he's one of the most talented Christian artists out there, but i haven't really cared for him since middle school

Definitely. He's pretty goofy sometimes, but I'd argue that he's the greatest entertainer in Christian music today and has been for a good two decades. His songs don't appeal much outside of Christian crowds, but he said from the stage on his live DVD that he does what he does for the Church, and there's nothing wrong with that; he's managed to maintain a very solid fan base anyways. He knows exactly what he's doing, and he's great at it. I bet he could be a huge mainstream success if he wrote songs outside of his normal "Funky Jesus Music" fare.

[ColdNovember]

The energy that pours from this man along with the insanely talented Diverse City shouldn't ever be stomped out. Whether an album was a flop or not. Given the fact that of his age (mentioned already by xJesusFreakx) he still generates high octane tunes. And also, it is seriously difficult to leap from one successful band to another. Dave Grohl and Maynard Keenan are exceptions.

Side note: Though he tried his own solo stuff and (to my knowledge) fell off the map with an ego bigger than that of most politicians, what ever happened to the talented Kevin Max?

[xJesusFreakx]

Side note: Though he tried his own solo stuff and (to my knowledge) fell off the map with an ego bigger than that of most politicians, what ever happened to the talented Kevin Max?

He's been pretty busy. He has two full length albums of original material, a gospel music tribute album, a Christmas album, and two EPs, including last year's Crashing Gates, which I thoroughly enjoy. His next project, consisting for the most part of remixes from Crashing Gates with a few new songs, is called Cotes d' Armor: True Rebels and comes out late April.

[ColdNovember]

He's been pretty busy. He has two full length albums of original material, a gospel music tribute album, a Christmas album, and two EPs, including last year's Crashing Gates, which I thoroughly enjoy. His next project, consisting for the most part of remixes from Crashing Gates with a few new songs, is called Cotes d' Armor: True Rebels and comes out late April.
Nice. I personally found Kevin to have serious talent. I assumed you of all people would've tracked DCT and could let me know. Thanks man.

[xJesusFreakx]

Nice. I personally found Kevin to have serious talent. I assumed you of all people would've tracked DCT and could let me know. Thanks man.

Ha, heck yeah I have. You're welcome.

[whothehellispat]

dc talk was the shit, toby mac alone is shit

[xJesusFreakx]

dc talk was the shit,

Agreed.

toby mac alone is shit

Not so much.

[Xianmusicfan]

Meh, I liked him a lot when his first album came out but he's progressively moved from Christian rap to pop music with a hip-hop flare. Plus, as I get older my tastes mature and move on.

[xJesusFreakx]

Meh, I liked him a lot when his first album came out but he's progressively moved from Christian rap to pop music with a hip-hop flare. Plus, as I get older my tastes mature and move on.

A "Xianmusicfan" doesn't dig Toby? Lies!

He's never been a great MC, so I'm fine with him moving toward pop music. I feel like the hip hop (and sometimes reggae) flavored pop rock of Portable Sounds is the best he's done post dc Talk. Momentum, on the other hand, is fun, but I just can't take it seriously (and I'm pretty sure he doesn't, either). No faulting someone for letting their personal tastes progress, though.

[xJesusFreakx]

Bump because I went to a TobyMac concert last night, and it has caused a solar flare in my Toby obsession, as usual.

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I'm still somewhat disappointed by Tonight just because it's somewhat scattered stylistically and doesn't have a very good flow, but it's still among my favorite releases of the year. The best songs are still pretty dang good. I love "Changed Forever," "Hey Devil," "City on Our Knees," and "Tonight."

[JakeChristopher]

he's pretty good