Solo

Album review

When the trio DC Talk released their best-of album Intermission in 2000, many thought it was the end of the group's collaboration. However, members Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kmax assured listeners that the project and one-year break they were taking were merely the beginning of more to come, not only from DC Talk as a whole, but from the three as individual artists. Solo, the 2001 EP from DC Talk, is a preview of McKeehan, Tait, and Kmax's solo projects, all released in 2001. The album opens with a live recording of "40 Live" from DC Talk, followed by two songs from Tait's album Empty. "Alibi" is rock influenced, with strong adult contemporary/alternative stylings. It is definitely one of the EP's strongest offerings, speaking of continual excuses in a relationship and the pain it incurs. "All You Got" builds on "Alibi," however is musically more mellow. Tait provides driving rhythms, stirring vocals, and a sound that leaves the listener longing for more. The songs "Return of the Singer" and "Be" come from Kmax's album Stereotype Be. Musically, he leans toward alternative, at times techno-influenced, rock in "Return of the Singer" and a slightly subdued alternative rock sound in "Be," a song encouraging individuals to be true to who they are. Toby McKeehan's tracks, "Somebody's Watching" and "Extreme Days," round out the release. A combination of rock, alternative, and rap, McKeehan also employs R&B flavoring on "Somebody's Watching," giving the song a sound comparable to that of Out of Eden. In the end, the EP only serves to remind listeners that McKeehan, Tait, and Kmax continue to grow and stretch their artistic abilities with time, resulting in cutting-edge and extremely well-crafted contributions not only to Christian music, but music in general.

© Ashleigh Kittle /TiVo