Jesus Freak

by

DC Talk

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This is a Christian CD. Their lyrics praise God, their voices tell about the love of Jesus Christ for the world. It's an amazing CD, really, with melodious Alternative and lyrics that actually mean something to the modern Christian. The most well known song from this CD, the title song, is not the best one, as a matter of fact. There are many other tunes and praises that relate the Message with even more power and hope. As for the Christians who, for some strange reason, feel that DC Talk are not true Christians that will "not go to heaven", in fact, call them "heathens", I have to say that it's "Christians" like them who shame this religion. It says in the Bible not to judge others. God is the only judge, and it is not up to man to proclaim who is going to heaven and who is not. I don't pretend to know that DC Talk is truly Christian. But I don't pretend that they aren't. I believe they are and I know that their music does help me in my faith. So please, don't judge- especially when a band like this makes such amazing music.

I was reading this review that said something like, the sound of "Jesus Freak" is immature and un-evolved compared to the sound of the non-christian stuff out there. Well, I must say I agree. But wait, don't throw the stones yet, I'll explain.

Thing is, let's face the truth: the sub-industry called "The Christian Music Industry" is in fact about fifty years late, having truly started around the mid 80's. Of course there was a lot to find out, and in my opinion, Jesus Freak is one of the most relevant and emblematic records in the history of CCM. There is just so much experimentation, and despite it may actually be too much, it kind of feels like something was being created, and that is always refreshing. DC Talk, which started out as a rap band, started including more and more melodies in every new release, but it was Jesus Freak the one where they really made a huge turn, a turn which best feature is the increasing of Kevin Max's singing, a huge door to the exposure of this guy's awesome voice and talent.

Jesus Freak is a pretty weird mix of alternative rock, bubble-gum pop, folk, hip-hop and sometimes even a little techno. So as you can see, there isn't really an easy way to describe/define/review this album. I guess the only thing I could say for sure is, it's music you can't really read about to actually know something about it, you really just have to listen to it. There are almost no skip songs at all since pretty much every song has at least some sort of catchy hook to it, even if that's all it has to offer. I personally prefer the anonymous gems (What if I stumble?, What have we become, Mind's Eye) rather than the famous over-played pieces (Jesus Freak, Colored People, In the Light), but I guess in the end it's still enjoyable altogether. About the lyrics, well, I guess experimentation took place also in that department (for sure, some questions like 'What should we talk about?' had to be answered), for the lyrics are for the most part silly and superficial, with the exception of songs like "Mind's Eye", which still doesn't have great lyrics.

So back to the point I was trying to make at first. This record is what it is, an eclectic and colorful party of sounds that don't make a great album altogether but still have some great moments. By the time it was released, maybe it worked a little more than it does now, because listening to it today really gives away the fact that this sound is, to say the least, a little out of date. If some of us still enjoy listening to it from time to time, it probably has more to do with the love and nostalgia we feel for it than with anything else. Immature would be the perfect way to describe this and the CCM industry as well, but that doesn't take away any importance from this album.

One last thing to say: I think as songwriters, these guys really deserve recognition and kudos, at least back in these days, experimentation was the engine driving the production of "christian music". Today, even once-great bands like Third Day seem to have chosen the Steven Curtis Chapman sound because it works, and have stopped digging any deeper. Pity.