Reviewed by Mark Sherwood

Dc Talk should have their place in Christian music history as their songs have won the heart of millions and gathered clutches of awards. I feel my early Christian walk was along with these guys and I was influenced by them. This is a small retrospective of the earlier period and takes you right up to 'Free At Last'. This was really a watershed for the band as they formulated a new approach that really combined Toby's rap delivery with a much stronger rock element. However there was always a diluted ingredient of rock in the early songs as seen here, particularly on "Walls". There are two songs from 1989's self-titled debut, their first hit "Heavenbound" and "Spinnin' Round" which sound very dated today. The rest of the songs, four from 1990's 'Nu Thang' and four from 1992's 'Free At Last' are good representatives of both albums; one of my favourite songs ever "The Hardway" deservedly makes it. These are classic songs which to my ears stand the test of time and sound as good as when I first heard them. If you've never heard them (where HAVE you been), it might be useful to pick up and if you've joined the admirers since 1995 then be careful because the pop rap here is a long way from 'Jesus Freak'.

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