The TobyMac video for “Nothin’ Sweeter” and a nod to DC Talk

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:

DC Talk Songs 10-6

Best DC Talk Songs 5-1

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

I’m Gonna Love You by Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood – Love, Horses, and Hoco

This song is a great reminder of why Carrie Underwood won American Idol nearly 20 years ago. Her voice is incredible, especially when she’s singing gospel and this love song duet with Cody Johnson is borderline spiritual. The pleasant blend of voices between these two is something we needed, isn’t it?

I have this thing about a songs, a few of which I’ve heard lately. Sometimes an artist releases a song and it’s presented as the best thing since round wheels but when I listen to it, I wonder: Where and when is anyone going to play this song? A great example of this is Midland’s “Vegas.” It’s a song. It has lyrics and music. But when is anyone playing this song in real life? Not at a party. Not at home alone. It’s not good for a road trip and to put it lightly, it generally serves no purpose whatsoever for the advancement of mankind. OK, that was heavy. Sorry Midland. Fortunately for Cody and Carrie, “I’m Gonna Love You” is not wasting anyone’s time. This spirited duet is one of the better love songs to come along in a long time.

Adding an equestrian theme with the new music video will upset nobody because if you’ve ever watched a horse run or gallop or if you’ve hugged a horse, you know there’s something divine about them.

The imagery in this video is beautiful, stunning, and I can’t get enough of those horses. The director, Dustin Haney, did a wonderful job putting it all together. After it was all said and done, here’s what he had to say about it via his Instagram (@DustinHaney):

This song fits on a few different playlists and will undoubtedly be played at weddings or anniversaries or an unnecessarily dramatic high school hoco invitation. Couple that with a great video and this is an all around hit.

What do you think about the song and the video? Comment below, let’s chat about it!

-Out of the Wilderness

Mikey Likes It – The Life Cereal Commercial Reboot

Mikey is back in a new take on the iconic Life cereal phrase “He likes it!” This time, the ad includes an original song performed by Mikey himself. This tradition has been passed on to a new actor named Hudson Uebelhardt. Take a look then scroll down for more…

As a reminder, here’s the original from the 1970s.

The series of ads has been revisited over the years, here’s another one featuring the original Mikey, a little older but still loving Life in the 1980s.

Recreated in early 2000s to show that Life cereal is not just for kids. Take a look at adults partaking in the breakfast bowl…

In 2019 the storyline swapped over to the female gender, a little girl somehow still named Mikey? I’ve not known this to be the short version of Mikenzie, Michaela, Mikenna, or other Mikey-type names but I guess Quaker Oats/ Pepsi thought it was time to cut in the ladies. Hey, there’s enough cereal to go around, folks!

What do you think about the 2024-version of this ongoing franchise catchphrase? Should Mikey continue to be a grumpy pants or is the modern version where Mikey has a better attitude a better fit for the current culture?

-Out of the Wilderness

The Apple Card Ladder Commercial – The Beta Male Strikes Again

Apple is known for their quirky commercials and this one might top the list with its original chant style song and a peculiar fellow eyeing the work of his neighbors. The wife is 10+ feet in the air clearing gutters while the husband holds the ladder and 100% lies to her to avoid her wrath. Notice the tone of her voice when she asks if he’d paid the bill yet… then scroll down for more thoughts.

The idea of a sigma male is becoming more popular in mainstream personality-related conversations which makes this ad featuring a beta male stand out.

The beta male husband clearly ranks second in the marriage, which is supported by the imagery as well. His wife is elevated. He is lower. She dominates. He’s fearful. I can’t imagine any pleasant women wanting to be partnered up with a guy like this. If I were to show this commercial to a man from the “great generation” or the generation of my dad, or even most of the men I know… they’d say having the woman go up the ladder while the dude holds it would only happen when Hell freezes over. There are things that men do and there are things that women do. Can a woman clean gutters? Absolutely. Would a chivalrous sigma (or alpha) man have a relationship like this? Never.

What do you think about the commercial? Chime in below…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Weather Channel Who Cried Wolf

If you’re in the southeast, you’re well aware of Hurricane Helene approaching (at the time of this post) from the Gulf of Mexico. This is a little rant I’m about to go on: I’ve never EVER seen coverage for a tropical storm/hurricane like they’ve been dissecting this one. Do you remember the wall-to-wall coverage when it was just labeled with a number? I’ll admit, they were right that it would turn into a tropical depression then tropical storm and now a hurricane. But I’d suggest that the peak of annoyance happened this morning when storm guru Jim Cantore was on air in the panhandle of Florida. He was absolutely giddy when he said the storm surge could be record high. It wasn’t the possible damage discussed that ticked me off, it was his gleeful demeanor. I’m over it. Maybe this hurricane will be bad, maybe it won’t be. But the weather channel and most stations covering this storm have cried wolf one too many times. All they care about is ratings. They need us to be scared so we stay tuned in.

Just between you and me, part of me hopes this storm is as bad as they say, or else all of these weather people are dead to me from now until eternity.

With that said in complete facetiousness, I truly hope the storm is a lot less than it’s being predicted to be. I pray for all of us in the path. We’re helpless but we’ve done the best we can to prepare. Now we pray, knowing how weak and vulnerable we are to things out of our control, that God intervenes and miracles happen. That He receives glory, grateful praise in some way, somehow, from whatever happens.

-Out of the Wilderness