Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review




dc Talk
Solo: Special Edition



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 7 tracks: 26 minutes, 46 seconds
Street Date: April 24, 2001


After you have a few albums go platinum, one double platinum, a ton of hits, including your own greatest hits album, have started your own record label, and have headlined a few highly successful tours, what do you do next? For dc Talk, the answer is simple... release solo projects. Each member has decided to do their own separate solo project in their own style. To prep their fans with a little something extra before the albums' releases, they've put together Solo: Special Edition. Solo features two tracks from each solo project and a new live song from the band as a whole.

The CD opens with dc Talk's live rendition of the famous U2 song, "40." It's a good live recording and a good praise song. It was cool to finally hear their rendition recorded because when they played it live when I first saw their concert in 1995 before the release of Jesus Freak. I was disappointed it wasn't on the album and am delighted it has finally been recorded. The short song fades out and Michael Tait's band Tait follows with their pop/rock tunes "Alibi" and "All You Got." While the latter is more of a rock ballad, the prior is a catchy, more upbeat song. With the talents of Pete Stewart on guitar, Lonnie Chapin on bass and his brother Chad Chapin on drums, Tait has a strong musical backdrop for his irresistible voice that makes his solo work the best of the three men's efforts.

Kevin Max steps up to the solo batting plate next. "Return of the Singer" opens as if it were about to turn into a techno dance song, but K-Max's voice kicks in and before long drums and bass join him to form a techno/pop/rock blend. When the chorus drops, it almost completely is pop/rock song with the techno sensibilities fading to serve as a musical railroad track to carry the song along. Kevin's voice fits and the music fits his eccentric personality perfectly. Such is true with the slow, calm groove of "Be," a song that encourages the listener to be themselves and to try to be real. This song is almost dc Talk-like but is different enough to stand alone as a Kevin Max original. The songs all have a tiny tinge of dc Talk to them, which of course is expected, but are all good in their own uniqueness as works outside the dc Talk label.

Toby Mac's tunes are no surprise. "Somebody's Watching" is a rap/hip hop tune which pulls a chorus influenced by the famous song from the 80s by Rockwell called "Somebody is Watching." Toby's song features female vocal support by Joanna Valencia and pulls off nicely as a well-structured hip hop cut. The disc ends with Toby's "Extreme Days" song, which is also featured on the movie soundtrack by the same name released 2 months prior. For the fans who have yet to hear this one, Toby slams at the listener with this Kid Rock-like tune which blends modern rock and hip hop with the end result delivering quite the powerful song.

Solo is an excellent way of introducing fans to the solo careers of the members of one of the most popular Christian acts around. Solo is definitely worth a listen.

- Review date: 4/4/01, written by John DiBiase



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

Solo CD

Buy This CD Online


. Record Label: Forefront Records
. Album length: 7 tracks, 26 minutes and 46 seconds
. Street Date: April 24, 2001
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. 40 live - dc Talk
  2. Alibi - Tait
  3. All You Got - Tait
  4. Return of the Singer - Kevin Max
  5. Be - Kevin Max
  6. Somebody's Watching - tobyMac
  7. Extreme Days - tobyMac
spacer Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images