Review of Jesus Freak by dcTalk

It is a rare occasion when an album is enjoyable from start to finish, play after play.  Jesus Freak by dcTalk is one of those albums.  Six tracks from this groundbreaking work reached number one on the Contemporary Christian Music chart.  It features an eclectic mix of genres, including hip-hop, rock, and spoken word.  Not only was the sound a departure from the band’s previous style, the writing became more mature.  The band began to explore the deeper aspects of social issues, such as racism, intolerance, and forgiveness.  Jesus Freak should be considered the standard by which all other Christian albums are measured because it delves into the themes of acceptance, hypocrisy, righteousness, and self-examination.

The title track, “Jesus Freak”, is centered around the derogatory phrase that describes the followers of the Jesus Movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s (CompellingTruth.org).  There are guitars blaring and drums banging throughout this anthem in the style of Nirvana.  The influence of the grunge movement, along with earlier surf punk rock, is prevalent throughout the song.  Hard driving music, combined with thought provoking lyrics, demonstrates why it was the lead single.  The song wrestles with the idea of being accepted for what a person believes.  TobyMac, wonders aloud, “What will people think when they find out that I’m a Jesus Freak?”  After the song gives a condensed Gospel account, mostly in the form of rap and rhyme, TobyMac makes it clear: “I don't really care, there ain't no disguising the truth.”  While Christians seek to be accepted for what they believe, they should not be ashamed when faced with intolerance.

“Like it, Love it, Need it,” expands on the concept of acceptance by viewing it from the opposite perspective.  Often people confuse acceptance with conformity.  They believe they must conform to be accepted.  This track continues to play off the Jesus Movement theme, since it back to the 70’s search for the meaning of life.  The song boldly proclaims, “You’ll never find peace of mind in your lucky charms, on a hippie farm, in a one night stand, or your superman.”  The same is true now as it was then.  The answer to life’s problems is as simple as the singer’s prescription: “you need some Jesus in your life.”  Jesus accepts us because we don’t conform to this world, since we are not of this world.

The entire album is influenced by the writings of Brennen Manning, specifically his work The Ragamuffin Gospel, which explores hypocrisy in the Church.  A very powerful quote from this book is voiced over the introduction to “What if I Stumble.”  It sums up why the world is so skeptical of Christians.  As Manning explains, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable”(Manning).  That quote, coupled with the lyrics, give pause to an introspective, honest examination of our walk with Christ.  The vocals, mostly sung by Kevin Max, are a whispery, ethereal commentary on the doubt every Christian encounters daily.  The song places an emphasis on being truthful with not only God, but ourselves.  As Christians pursuing God’s will, they are bound to stumble.  It is only through self-examination that their depth of hypocrisy and lack of righteousness is brought to light.

The cover of Charlie Peacock’s “In the Light” is a surprising change of pace because it explains the Christian view of man’s inability to achieve righteousness by his own efforts.  The Spanish style guitar melody blends perfectly with the lyrics, “The disease of self runs through my blood, it’s a cancer fatal to my soul, every attempt on my behalf has failed to bring this sickness under control.”  Those words pierce right to the heart of the issue.  Peacock believes people are walking in darkness and are blind to the real issue.  He says people are selfish and cannot fix themselves.  They need someone to shine a light into the darkness and guide them out.  God did just that by sending His son, Jesus Christ.  He is the Light that shines into the darkness of man’s heart.  He exposes everyone’s bad behavior for what it is: rebellion against God.  The imputed righteousness of God is the cure for the disease called self.

The album does not become pompous or preachy but calls for self-examination. This self-examination takes two humorous turns with the tracks “Miss Morgan” and a reprise of “Jesus Freak.”  “Miss Morgan,” is a spoken word interlude between the tracks “Day by Day,” and “Just Between You and Me.” She claims to be the neighbor of the “Gotees,” which is itself an inside joke referring to TobyMac.  Longtime fans of the group would have picked up on this allusion.  Even though she was annoyed by the constant drumming coming from the trio’s house, TobyMac is able to make peace with her.  Track nine breaks up the seriousness with a twisted reprise of the title song.  The song is a karaoke-style parody featuring an off-key vocal.  The music itself is a mix of longue keyboard and hip hop turntable scratching.  Undoubtedly, the band enjoyed producing this album, which shows through in these two-light hearted ditties.

This collection of thirteen tracks holds a special place in the hearts of Christian music enthusiasts.  Michael Tait explains, “We wanted to write songs that would hopefully touch a generation.” (Wikipedia)  dcTalk did just that.  Jesus Freak still resonates raw truth today, just as it did almost twenty years ago.  Every time it is played, the world is reminded of why God created mankind.  The Bible plainly proclaims, “…we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Holy Bible New Living Translation, Eph. 2:10).

 

Works Cited

Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1997. Print.

"Jesus Freak (album)." Wikipedia.com, Wikimedia Foundation, 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

Manning, Brennan. The Ragamuffin Gospel. Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 1990. Print.

"Who were the Jesus freaks? What was the Jesus Movement?." CompellingTruth.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.