Eleven years ago, Forefront Records came out with DC Talk: The Ultimate Collection, but it doesn't really deserve the title The Ultimate Collection. Sure, it has a healthy amount of songs, but if you're a fan who owns pretty much all of their stuff, you should put your money back in your pocket. The two-disc collection contains no particularly special material to please fans or completists. There's no "Spirit in the Sky" or "Let's Roll," which is kind of frustrating since you pretty much can't find those recordings anywhere.

The song list is strong, but some selections make me wonder. "That Kinda Girl" is a great song, but doesn't really belong in a compilation like this. Another thing that bugs me is that every song from Jesus Freak (excluding the interludes) is on here. I wish it contained more songs from Supernatural, such as "Red Letters," "My Friend (So Long)," "Wanna Be Loved," and "Since I Met You." The album does get points for including songs such as "Lean on Me" and "Into Jesus." Unfortunately, the album ends on a rather weak note with the two Intermission-exclusive tracks. A track I can't help but wish was on here is the "Atmosphere Remix" from TobyMac's Welcome to Diverse City, which would have been a much stronger way to end The Ultimate Collection.

One last problem (which is justifiable) is the lack of pre-Free at Last songs, like "Heavenbound," "Walls," or "Nu Thang." Sure, they're cheesy and haven't aged well, but they shouldn't be hidden in the closet and pretended like they never existed. DC Talk wouldn't have been where they were in 1995 if it weren't for those two albums. But nevertheless, I digress...

For fans of TobyMac or even the Tait-fronted Newsboys who are not familiar with their previous works, this is a fine but incomplete introduction to one of the most influential Christian bands of all time.

JFH Reader Review: written by Nathan Williams, 4/6/20, for Jesusfreakhideout.com