Review by Francesca Torquati

TobyMac has once again reached for great heights with the release of his fourth solo album, TONIGHT, on February 9 of this year. Knowing quite well that most artists don’t get second chances, Toby is constantly striving to make music with meaning, the kind of music that can change a heart. For fans of the Grammy award-winning artist, TONIGHT is certainly no disappointment, delving deeper into that same earth that Toby has spent the last ten years of his solo career cultivating.

The 13-track LP opens strong and star-studded with a title track featuring guest vocalist John Cooper of Skillet and a solid drumbeat mixed with some heavy guitars. The theme of the song reflects a longing for something more, something greater to live for, and likens this change of heart to the rising of the sun with typical rhythmic Toby lyrics: “It’s on like the break of dawn.”

Next up is “Funky Jesus Music,” a soulful track featuring Beckah Shae and Siti Monroe. Heavy rapping on the part of TobyMac and strong feminine vocals make this a funky dance party jam. Following this is the first single of the album “City on Our Knees.” This particular song feels like a dcTalk throwback with a lead-in on the piano and soaring choruses.

“Showstopper” comes in next, a dance track sounding a little too much like “The Slam” to be groundbreaking for Toby. The testimonial “Changed Forever” is much the same, feeling like a track one has heard from a prior TobyMac album. Despite this, “Hold On” does its part in redeeming the former tracks with a very personal account of Toby’s relationship with his wife Amanda. The track is dominated by Toby singing with very little synthesizer, letting the listener know he really stretched himself vocally in this particular album.

“Loud ‘n Clear” is a nice treat for fans of Toby’s son, Truett “TruDog” McKeehan, and though Truett seems to be getting a little old to play his role, the addition of guest vocalist three-year-old Judah McKeehan keeps the track funny and paints a nice picture of the relationship between Papa Mac and TruDog. In fact, though the track may seem to be lacking in substance with lyrics like, “Trudeezy/With the two-thousand and tweezy,” there may be some cleverly placed satire in Truett’s misquotation of the popular phrase, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” In turning around the terms "player" and "game," Truett essentially told folks to not hate each other, and instead hate others' sinful actions.

The next five songs hold the same energy that the album has built to this point without overloading the listener, with songs like “Hey Devil,” which details a battle against lust, illustrated in the repetition of the lyric “you’re a beauty and a beast,” and “Wonderin’,” featuring guest vocals from Matthew Thiessen and a more organic sound than previous tracks on the LP, even going so far as to include some well-placed acoustic guitar.

“Start Somewhere” is a second confessional about Toby’s relationship with his wife, faster and with more percussion than previous tracks. There is a pleasant surprise here with the incorporation of strings and trumpets as the song details the struggle of anger and forgiveness.

The closing track, “Break Open the Sky,” features Israel Houghton and some impressive reggae beats that tap into the Jamaican heritage of Toby’s family. This song continues Toby’s call for diversity, and though it’s lyrics read like a hymn, the song plays like a Bob Marley revival track and is a truly delightful end to the LP.

Though there were some pitfalls during which one can feel they are listening to Portable Sounds or Diverse City again, TONIGHT is generally a strong album. Apparently fans agree, as five weeks after its release TobyMac’s TONIGHT is still in the top 5 on iTunes’ Christian and Gospel chart. Folks who buy TONIGHT won’t be disappointed, as it truly is a good album by any standard, though it lacks originality for Toby in some areas.

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