Released 30 years ago tomorrow, this is one of the most recognizable albums among Christians who grew up in the '90s. DC Talk started in the '80s as a group that had rap verses with sung choruses, and by the early '90s, they were one of the top-selling Christian artists. But with this album, they brought some of the Nirvana rock style that was so popular at the time to their sound. There's definitely a bunch of Toby McKeehan rapping on this album, but it's more primarily a pop/rock album. Michael Tait continues to provide harmonies and vocals on the choruses, and Kevin Max Smith does more harmonies, sometimes with a wild falsetto or vibrato. The title track was an anthem for many youth groups throughout the '90s and '00s to argue that it's cool to be a "freak" for Jesus. Since one of the members of the group was black, songs like "Colored People" and "What Have We Become?" discourage racism and encourage harmony among their fans. They make "Day By Day" from the musical "Godspell" into a pop anthem, and made Charlie Peacock's "In The Light" well-known amongst Christian music fans with their excellent arrangement. And there's a few silly interludes between songs and a poem from Kevin Max Smith as a hidden track. It's DC Talk's best album, in my opinion, and one that I still do listen to regularly and have memorized. In the last few years, though, many do not look upon this group with as much fondness after terrible accusations have been made against Michael Tait, which does definitely color their popularity for me too. Still, I think it's worth honoring this album's anniversary, even though the group isn't the perfect model of Christians we were led to believe they were by the industry who put them on a pedestal.

Release Year: 1995
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