dc Talk - Jesus Freak 10th Anniversary (Special Edition)

Published Friday 1st December 2006
dc Talk - Jesus Freak 10th Anniversary (Special Edition)
dc Talk - Jesus Freak 10th Anniversary (Special Edition)

STYLE: Rock
RATING 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 18833-11647
LABEL: Forefront FFD11571
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 2
RELEASE DATE: 2006-12-14
RRP: £12.99

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The release in 1995 of 'Jesus Freak' was a pivotal moment in the history of CCM. As the Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Music said, "DC Talk reinvented Christian music, almost single-handedly rescuing it from the contrived commercialism and derivative doldrums of the '80s." It took a while for the guys to deliver. After a truly inept debut album they'd steadily improved until they produced a joyfully effervescent fusion of pop and rap in 1992's 'Free At Last'. But nothing quite prepared us for "Jesus Freak". Here was one of the best riffs heard in any kind of music and those searingly savage guitars were only the beginning. The hook seemed to speak to the whole of church-based youth struggling to be cool yet vibrantly Christian and often being sucked into compromise in the process. The compelling rock rap title cut was the jewel in the 'Jesus Freak' crown but there were plenty of other musical delights on the album - a blistering cover of Charlie Peacock's "What If I Stumble", the clever re-working of the Godspell oldie "Day By Day", and the nearest thing dc Talk ever got to a mainstream pop hit, the hooky "Just Between You And Me". 'Jesus Freak' was a classic then and the remastered songs remain marvellously memorable today. Disc 2 is a veritable collectors' feast. It contains seven remixes, an unreleased demo version of "Mind's Eye" featuring Mark Heimermann, four live versions and an instrumental of "In The Light". I suppose there is stuff here which will have hardcore McKeehan, Max and Tait fan salivating though there are only a couple of items which bring new enjoyment to the 'Jesus Freak' listening experience. The opener, the Savadacious Junk Yard Mix of "So Help Me God" works well though by dumping the guitars The Savage Perspective Mix of "Jesus Freak" loses much of its impact. There were other disappointments on the second disc with the live versions seeming to be there to make up the numbers. But that remastered disc 1 is still a timeless gem.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Reader Comments

Posted by Sarah Jeffries in United Kingdom @ 12:55 on Apr 20 2009

Every fan of christian music should have this in their collection. It's possibly the best album ever made.



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

Add your comment

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.

NAVIGATION
CONNECT WITH CROSS RHYTHMS
SIGNUP

Connect with Cross Rhythms by signing up to our email mailing list

A Step Change...
Cross Rhythms Media Training Centre
MORE ARTICLES
DISCOGRAPHY
ARTIST PROFILES
Artists & DJs A-Z
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
Or keyword search

 

PRAYER ROOMS
Courts of Praise
Get close to God, be extravagant in declaring your love for Him in our Prayer Room