Coolestmommy's Coolest Thoughts: TobyMac - This is not a Test CD Release

Friday, August 07, 2015

TobyMac - This is not a Test CD Release

Disclosure: I was given a download of this CD in exchange for my post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Who likes TobyMac? Can I get a Woot Woot?!?! We are big TobyMac fans in this house and have seen TobyMac several times in concert. It's always amazing that the energy in the live shows comes through in the CDs. I had the opportunity to listen to the newest album, This is Not A Test, before it was released. (And if you preorder at iTunes, you'll get 4 bonus tracks.) Trust me - you're going to love it!

I found the album to be full of driving rhythms and both tunes and lyrics that stuck in my head. I would find myself humming parts of songs for days after listening to them. Certain refrains were in my head. I love it when good, solid, Christian music gets stuck in my head. I know that posibive message and influence helps keep me looking forward with hope.

Not sure I can pick a favorite song off the album. Of course, I loved the title track, "This is not a Test." But "Backseat Driver" and "Beyond Me" were also often on my repeated playlist. My kids have other favorites off the album ("Like a Match" and "Lights Shine Bright"). My favorite moment was when we were listening to the CD on my phone on our way into church. Our youth pastor (and big fan) pops her head out of the youth room and says, "That sounds like TobyMac...but I don't know that song...and I know ALL his songs." She knew that his new album was coming and was so happy for my kids. They even sing some TobyMac during youth church services.

About TOBYMAC:

Toby McKeehan(known professionally as TobyMac) is a husband, father, performer, songwriter, producer, and businessman. Growing up in the northern Virginia suburbs adjacent to Washington D.C. helped instill his love for rap music. While attending Liberty University during the mid 80s, Toby met Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith and these three friends formed the Grammy winning, platinum selling group dc Talk. Toby began his solo career in 1999 with his first solo album, Momentum, releasing in 2001. Momentum has been followed by four additional studio albums, Welcome to Diverse City (2004), Portable Sounds (2007), Tonight (2010), and Eye On It (2012), along with his first live album, Alive and Transported (2008). This Is Not A Test is his 6th studio album to be released. Starting with dc Talk, and then going solo when the group disbanded, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience, and - perhaps most relevant of all - the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going. "It's the truth," he says. "I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart. I believe God can use a song to open someone's mind and heart."