FREE AT LAST

dc Talk

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 17, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI CMG
• ASIN: B000005KUU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,383 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From CCM Magazine -- Subscribe Now!

Before the opening sample can spit out "Take this mob for a ride," the big beat kicks in hard on "Luv is a Verb," a song the Talkers were performing at a number of festivals this past summer, and the first of many proofs that this pop/rap threesome has arrived. Its impressive production values and commercial songwriting sense make it (and many others on Free At Last) almost immediately memorable, but its lyric, though universally true, spins it bold for believers. "Back in the day there was a man/who stepped outta heaven and he walked the land/gave up his life so we may live/how much more luv could the Son of God give."

Before you can drop a beat, Toby McKeehan jumps in with the fast rappin' prologue to "That Kind of Girl," contrasting the godly woman described in Proverbs 31 with a few less sanctified females more common on the scene today. The stripped-down arrangement highlights the groups singing abilities, both in unison and in the tight harmony breaks (a la Boyz II Men) that punctuate most the album.

Next comes 90s return of "Jesus Is Just Alright," here updated with rap science from Toby Mac and samples from "Vogue" and "The Power" (among others), and rechristened "Jesus is Just Alright." Like the rest of this album, its message is in-your-face bold: "To the ones who think they heard/I did use that J word/cause I ain't to soft to say it/even if DJs don't play it."

The music gets mellow and melodic for "Socially Acceptable," but the message is more meat than milk. A downtempo extension of the themes represented last album in "Walls," McKeehan raps, "Society has gotten to be all out of whack/and don't bother with excuses white or black/in reality our decency has taken a plunge/In God We Trust is an American pun," before (Michael) Tait and (Kevin) Max join in sweet, multi-racial harmony. To underscore the point, the trio takes us to church for a speedy gospel rave-up on the title tune, "Free at Last," with big choral support from the Never Ending Witness Choir, directed by Oliver Wells, and sanctified wailing from Veronica Petrucci (of Angelo and) bound to get you dancing in the aisles.

"The Hard Way," another slow percolator (with some deep bass, bros!) is one of the album's best songs and most poignant messages, as Max laments his tendency to be "the kind of guy who has to find out for myself," and learn the "hard way." Its a sentiment far too many of us could echo, and Kevin sings it like he means it.

"I Don't Want It" says loud and proud: "I don't want it/your sex for now/I don't want it/ till we take the vows." The blatency of the lyric may make some parents blush, but they can hardly despise its message: "S-E-X is a test when I'm pressed/so back off with less of that zest/safe is the way they say to play/then again safe ain't safe at all today/so wait for the mate that's straight from God/don't have sex till ya tie the knot." Oh, and one other thing, like I said earlier, it slams.

As much as Nu Thang was a quantum leap improvement over dc Talks debut album, Free at Last is another logarithmic long jump, with sophisticated arrangements, stellar musicianship, and hat-trick production courtesy of Toby McKeehan, Mark Heimmerman and Joe Hogue. -- Thom Granger (c) 1992 CCM Communications, Inc.

Product Description

FREE AT LAST

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAHAHA...hey...this is actually good..., April 5, 2006

By	Who Knows (Naselle WA) - See all my reviews

I detest hip-hop. Really. I hate it. In fact, when I first heard Luv Is A Verb on Intermission, I thought, "They're kidding...right?" and had no interest in purchasing "whatever cd that came from." And I didn't until I heard great things about it. Since everyone who had heard it told me they loved it, I decided I should try it out, but only if it was cheap, which it was. I couldn't believe how good it was! It starts out with Luv Is A Verb, and I thought, "whatever, heard that before", but the rest of the cd is almost perfect!
There are a few interludes that are basically not worth the time, but if you're in the mood they can be funny.

The primary songs are (just skip down if you already know about them from other reviews):

1. Luv Is A Verb - Enter the infamous, "down with the dc Talk, d-d-down with the dc Talk, are you down with the dc Talk, d-d-down with the dc Talk." I can't count the number of people who I have heard make fun of those lines. But if you try to forget that, the lyrics are very good. "Luv is enough if it's unconditionally, given now ya livin' out the Great Commission" Great words. Toby McKeehan really outdid himself on this song. (I'm trying to omit how tired of this song I am. It's a great song, but it can get old really fast.)

2. That Kinda Girl - This song describes the "kind of girl" that "loves the Lord" and is "virtuous in every way". Toby raps his head off in this one. Kevin and Michael still both have great voices, but back in '92, they had incredible voices, which are displayed in this song and actually, in all the tracks. The beat is undeniably an early-nineties beat, but it's catchy, and more of that comes up next.

3. Jesus Is Just Alright - If you think about it, dc Talk have done scads of cover songs, probably their most known one being "In The Light", but this one is not to be ignored. Toby's rap is so catchy it's bound to be in your head, at least in small portions, for a week or so, even if you only listen to it once. The part that always gets stuck in my head is the last rap part, which is "Never trite when I write cause the Lord is my light and His word is my bond so ya know (know, know), He's alright." Great beat, underlined with repetetive but not annoying keyboards.

4. Say The Words - This is probably one of my favorite dc Talk songs, but not this version. You've probably heard "Say The Words (NOW)", which is the remix of this song. This version is lacking in any melody other than what is sung by Michael and Kevin. The rest is an overuse and underuse of bass and electric guitars. But Toby's rap toward the middle is great, climaxing with "choose to lose the pride that may tug at you, don't be afraid of the words I love you".

5. Socially Acceptable - This has slowly become my favorite song off this. Toby later described this song as one of the "phatest" beats off this cd. It is. My favorite lyrics from this one are the poignant words in the chorus, "it's okay, in whose sight?" Good reminder that it's not okay to do what everyone else is doing, just because they're all doing it.

6. Free At Last - "WHAT???" Don't be distraught at the first 30 seconds. Soon the strange intro morphs into one of the most awesome Christian songs of the 90's. Backed by a choir in the chorus, this showcases Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith's best vocals. Toby's rapping, too, is some of the best in their history. "The father first receives us, the truth then frees us, forgiven, now I'm living like a man full of Jesus", that's some handy rhyming if you ask me.

7. Time Is... - "Straight up rock-n-roll", it begins...well, maybe. This is probably the most guitar-driven song on Free At Last, but definitly short of rock-n-roll. However, I personally love the almost uncontrollable sound of Kevin Max's vocals on the chorus. Mike Tait's voice is good here too, and Toby constantly is rapping "tick tock tickedy tock". The song drifts into a rock song with a strange beat, then, according to Toby's "orders", they "break it down" and return to hip-hop. But it goes back to that rock/pop beat towards the end again. This is a genius song.

8. The Hardway - "I guess I'm the kind of guy that has to find out for myself." This song, according to Tobymac, has been remade more than four times (I only count four, but he knows best, I guess). This song is a great song that ends with "I'm on my knees and I'm crying for help." This is the only song that is not fast-paced, and as such, had to be included on Intermission, but this version is great, too. It's a beautiful cry out to God acknowledging His power and our weakness.

9. Lean On Me - "Oldie but a goodie", the first words you hear on this song, are definitive of this song. It's an awesome rap/hip-hop version of the original song by Bill Withers. Don't think this version is anything like what you could've heard on the radio. Toby's rap isn't included in the edited radio version. I think they drive the song rather well, so don't miss this song.

10. I Don't Want It - Song about abstaining from sex until marriage. Good message, good beat, and Toby's rapping isn't even in the least bit annoying. Kevin's and Michael's singing are great. Again, their vocals are even better in this song than in the later songs.

11. Word 2 The Father - Just when you think they've outgrown their "rapping language" you hear this song. It's good, but so reminiscent of Nu Thang (but that should, of course, be expected, since the song is a pun on all the names of their songs from Nu Thang), it's just kind of annoying.

Overall, this is an awesome cd, I suggest it for Christians; who love music, or dc Talk, or even modern Christian rap/hip-hop, since this is how it all started. If you want more of "Jesus Freak", go try "Supernatural" instead, but if you even remotely liked "Nu Thang", even if just for its nostalgic value, you will absolutely love this cd.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Free at Last is a classic album, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

Free at Last, the last majority filled with hip hop and rap album by Christian superstars dc Talk is a true classic. When it comes time for dc Talk to release a much in demand Greatest Hits package, several cuts from Free at Last are expected to show up such as "Luv is a Verb",the amazing "Jesus is Just Alright",the groovy "Socially Acceptable", the catchy "Say the Words" and the thought provoking "Hardway". I personally favor Supernatural(best album in the history of music) and the mega huge succesful Jesus Freak, but Free at Last shows that dc Talk was worth a listen even before Jesus Freak.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blows your mind (but not the first time)., October 6, 1998

By A Customer

I bought "Jesus Freak" and fell in love with DC Talk for the first time. The music was skillfully produced, intricate and diverse; the lyrics powerful. So I rushed out to buy anything else by DC Talk I could find. I found "Free At Last."

The first time I played it, I was VERY disappointed. I've never been a big fan of rap, and I thought this album was too "loud" and was void of talent. I put the CD away and didn't play it again for 2 months.

The next time I played it, I read the words as I listened, and was impressed that "at least the lyrics are good." I realized that it wasn't really all rap (it's actually rock with rap artfully woven in), but at the time I still thought the music left a lot to be desired. Again, I put the CD away for a while.

A few months later I played the CD again... and again, and again, and again, and again. Suddenly, I could not stop playing it. I could not get enough of it. And I could NOT (unlike most CDs - even Jesus Freak) even get tired of it.

The music is POWERFUL, upbeat, makes you move, makes you think. The lyrics are awesome, and speak directly to you on a personal level (deals directly with many issues faced by younger people, but I'm 29 and can still identify!!).

Bottom line: Listen to it, then listen to it again. If you really love music (and God), you'll become a fan of DC Talk and "Free At Last" for life.

- TJS