Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tobymac is ENERGY!, November 17, 2004
Two years ago, I picked up Toby's CD MOMENTUM and was amazed; so many songs, all of them great. There are a couple of songs on the new CD, "Welcome to Diverse City", that I skip over occasionally, but all and all, Toby once again delivers the energy and skills that make him one of the best in the business!
The first words off the CD say it best: Toby's back!
If you haven't heard Tobymac, I suggest you check out this CD. And when ya get the chance, pick up "Momentum" too.
And now, by the track:
#1. Hey Now - Hard to keep from moving on this one. Smooth beat, nice change ups, and a great message make this song one of the best on the CD! One God, One People! Amen Toby and family! Great start to this second creation of the man from the Capital City.
#2. Catchafire (Whoopsi-Daisy) - Cathcy little tune! If you listen to this song and don't have the words "Whoopsi-Daisy" stuck in your head for the next three days, you may not be human. Hard beat and good rappin's make this another great addition to this CD.
#3. The Slam - Man it is cool to have LOUD Christian music to jam too while I drive my Ford ZX2 throught the city. This is one to try and shake the windows out of your vehicle. Toby really rocks on this one. Once again the change-ups and rappin' make this one a hit. I like the parts where the guitars let loose. If you don't like this song, check your pulse...something may be wrong.
#4. Poetically Correct - A little too slow for me, but a nice slow down after being SLAMMED. Not a bad, but really short song.
#5. Atmosphere - A great message about being down and the only One who can ever bring us up and leave us there. Just turn around and He'll be there.
#6. Gone - A great message about people being hypoctrites and losing what they had because of it. The beat and music are very catchy. I just hope that women all over the country don't start seeing this as a song to abandoned their spouses who forgot to do the dishes or something small. The message may be too simple in this one...relationships have many ups and downs. When men hear a song they hear the lyrics, analyze them, and move on. When women hear a song, often (okay, sometimes) they believe the song is written for them only. This song may cause some women to display a cold-shoulder to their significant other, if they read too much into it. Granted, in some cases, it is necessary, in others it may cause relationship strain where it is not really there.
#7. TruDog: The Return - TruDog rocks! Paid Happy Meal is well-deserved. Buy the CD and skip to this song first! It's cool.
#8. Diverse City - Good groove, with mass appeal. Can you think of any other faith that brings so many people together than faith in Jesus Christ. Yeah, we are a freak show...we know!
#9. Stories (Down to the Bottom) - Just what is says; stories about hitting rock bottom. Good thing there is someone out there who knows are pain. Put your hands up for this song that drives us to call upon the one who can put things back together.
#10. Getaway Car - Hmmmm...songs like this one have been done a little too much. Fast 70's beat with not much talent. This is the one song I think could have been left off the CD. Sorry Toby, you're still cool though.
#11. Burn For You - Good change up on this one. I need to hear this one a few more times before I can really grasp the message of this one. But I'll say this, it is very different from anything Toby, or anyone for that matter, has done before. Big change from "Getaway Car".
#12 Fresher Than A Night At The W - No Toby, were not sick of you! Please, feel free to sing about God all the time! We love it!
#13 Ill-M-I - great lyrics...as soon as I figure out what Toby's talking about, I'll let you know. Or if you know, e-mail me. My address is on my profile.
#14. Phenomenom - Very good song. "We rock whenever, we stop whenevers" Ya just can't stop this song - "It's a wonder that will never fade". Great beat, great everything....
#15. Gotta Go - No Toby, what were you thinking? You could have made about seven more tracks. Ya can't leave us hanging! Just kidding! Great job, TobyMac...keep up the amazing work you are doing for Jesus.
#16. Atmosphere (Remix with DC TALK!!!!!!!!!) - great close with the guys. DC Talk - when ya'll gonna get back together and rock AMERICA? We're ready! Bring it on! Toby, Michael, Kevin...I'm callin' ya'll out! Ya yellow?
But this CD, folks. Ya won't be sorry.
See ya next review.
Dan Blankenship
author of THE RUNNING GIRL
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Diverse City: Instant Classic, October 16, 2004
This is a keeper. In my opinion, you could even call this legendary, or at least a big step for the Christian music industry. The lyrics are uncompromising, the beats are as good as it gets anywhere, each song is tweaked to perfection, there is a perfect handful of guests, and we even get a little tease from dc Talk. Highlights include the painfully catchy "Catchafire (Woopsi-Daisy)", the Jesus Freak/Extreme Days sounding head-banger "Slam", #1 single "Gone", early dc Talk-ish tracks "Diverse City" and "Getaway Car", the classy "Stories", the brilliant hip-hop cover "Ill M I", the satisfyingly weird "Phenomenon", and "Atmosphere Remix", which of course features Michael Tait and Kevin Max of dc Talk. The new version sounds much better than the original, however I can't help but believe that Toby chose the wrong song to remix. The gorgeous rocker "Burn For You" is almost hard to listen to, much less enjoy, because it has "dc Talk" written all over it. Of course, this makes us cling to "Atmosphere Remix" even more as a mouth-watering tease. It's somewhat cruel... but excluding that issue, this disc is essentially perfect... though I would've liked to see the pretty acoustic mix of "Gone" and the original mix of "Phenomenon" appear at the end of the CD. Overall, "Welcome To Diverse City" should be head-to-head with Third Day's "Wire" in competition for a handful of Doves and a Grammy, if only the givers of such awards actually listened to music...
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Brilliant Classic, November 1, 2004
"Welcome to Diverse City" is clearly one of the best hip-hop albums the Christian music industry has ever seen. The production is brilliant, and almost every song is clever and catchy. The fine tuning of this album is as complete as it gets. TOBYMAC has clearly "brought it like it ain't been brung before" with Diverse City.
Right from the start, this album introduces you to a great song called "Hey Now," which is the perfect opener. From there it only gets better, with tracks like "Atmosphere," "Burn for You," "Stories," the Outkast sounding "Diverse City" and the instant classic "Getaway Car" to name only a few. This album has got me pumped up, inspired, and eager to share it with others. The passion Toby has for God is clearly seen in this album.
I hate to even name any negatives, but one thing did bother me a little. I regretfully say that Toby's adorable sounding son "Tru-dog" was ever-so slightly over played in the album, giving it an unnecessary touch of cuteness.
Besides that almost irrelevant negative, this album is a classic. Buy it if you haven't yet, I promise that you won't regret it.
God bless.
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