Co-starring with gospel singer-songwriter Jon Reddick on the extra sweet version, TobyMac recently released a video for the song “Nothin’ Sweeter.” Wandering around Franklin, Tennessee and sitting alongside Jon at the piano, check out the video then scroll down for a few of my experiences with Mr. Toby McKeehan.
Heavenbound. Observant fans have already pointed out Toby’s shirt– the 1999 Supernatural Tour shirt, a nod to his longtime band DC Talk and this is where I want to dive in a bit further. If you remember, the “Supernatural” album was the follow-up to “Jesus Freak,” an album that might be THE MOST iconic Christian album of the last 50 years. It’s certainly the top album in my personal discography. At the time of the “Jesus Freak” release, I was in my third year of high school but my experience with the band started when I was in elementary school. We lived in Virginia not to far from Washington, D.C. My brother and sisters were at some sort of music festival and this is where we heard DC Talk for the first time. It was 1989 (or maybe 1990?). From then on, my siblings and I were hooked. We had their first album on repeat every day and by “repeat” I mean we listened to it, rewinded the cassette tape and listened again. This went on for an undisclosed amount of time.
Freaks. We didn’t know it then, or at least I didn’t, that DC Talk was making Christian music relevant and was on a path that would bring the faith to a generation that generally wasn’t embracing the Christian music of their parents. Hymns were certainly not cool, and talented artists like Sandy Patti weren’t releasing music teens were playing at parties, in their rooms, or on their Walkmans.
I think all of DC Talk’s success was building up to the “Jesus Freak” moment. It was an album that embraced the idea that Christianity wasn’t something to be embarrassed about. The album did the exact opposite for so many Christians: Shouting from the rooftop that yes, we were freaks. Gotta problem with it?
“Supernatural” was just as amazing of an album, musically for sure. I listened to that one over and over, this time on a CD. So in this new music video from TobyMac, of course I love seeing the throwback to his time with DC Talk. I’m always so happy when I hear of more success for Toby, Michael, and Kevin because of how they positively affected my most influential years.
Awhile back I put together a top 10 list of my favorite DC Talk songs, not an easy task at all! If you want to go down that rabbit hole, here you go:
Instagram. Be sure to follow TobyMac (@TobyMac) and Jon Reddick (@JonReddick) and if you have any TobyMac or DC Talk memories, chime in with a comment below…
-Out of the Wilderness
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