Toby Mac- Eye On It Review

Let's get the obvious over with right from the start.  The cover art for Toby Mac's new CD, Eye On It is horrible.  The interior art is adequate but whoever designed this cover (her name is Sarah Sung- I checked the credits) should lose her job... unless of course Sarah Sung is a young child... in that case, Mr. Mac and Ms. Sung get a pass.  At any rate, Art Director Jan Cook (who is usually a phenomenal art director) should be ashamed of herself for giving this a pass.   That being said, at least the design is bright and simple, which should catch an eye.

Eye On It  is set to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 this coming week, the first Christian album to do so since Bob Carlisle took Butterfly Kisses to the top in early 1997 (Billboard is claiming the last Christian album to go #1 was LeAnn Rimes' You Light Up My Life- Inspirational Songs in September of 1997 but I refuse to consider this album a Christian Album since the bulk of the songs were pop standards or hymns sung by an individual who does not even associate herself with the Christian Music community- so I went back to Butterfly Kisses for a proper reference point) In fact, I could not find another CCM album that hit #1 on the main Billboard chart that did not have a mainstream radio hit attached to it! (Amy Grant also had a #1 album with Heart in Motion, but that was basically a pop album) so this is a momentous occasion for the Christian Music community to say the least. (For those who care, Lecrae's Gravity released today with very few mainstream competitors and could make CCM two in a row for a #1 Billboard Top 200 album if properly supported- so go out and buy it too!) So the question is, does the music hold up to all the hype?  In my opinion, the answer is a resounding YES. 

With its focus on melody and pop trends, Eye On It properly represents modern CCM to the outside world.  After listening to the CD a few times, it became clear that this is not so much of a coheisive concept album as it is a collection of radio singles, finely crafted and thoughtfully calculated to push CCM beyond its average musical trends for the broadest appeal possible.  The best way to review Eye On It is to review each track one by one, so here goes!

1. Me Without You- The first radio single that lightly bobs along to sunny synths and a catchy melody.  The lyrics are pretty cheesy but this is the type of song that you want to hear during the summer and perfectly sets up the album.

2. Steal My Show- This is a shocking 2nd track as it pretty much pulls the energy of the opening song to a halt for an introspective pop ballad that would have served better as an album closer. Lyrically, its a passionate plea for Christ to be the center of all Toby does.

3. Eye On It-And now we're back to the upbeat with the title track that is probably the most aggressive song on the record.  Toby combines rap licks and rock guitars with some pretty heavy dubstep beats and some rather generic lyrics.  I'm not sure why Toby Mac picked this song as his title track (Speak Life, Lose Myself or Steal My Show would have been better album names imo) but Britt Nicole makes an surprise guest appearance during the outro of the song with some pretty impressive vocalizing.

4. Forgiveness- Probably everyone's favorite song on the album, including mine (it is currently #1 on iTunes on the top Christian & Gospel Singles chart) features a guest rap (and vocals) by Lecrae.  This mid-tempo ballad has solid lyrics and a memorable melody and may be the perfect song to introduce CCM Adult Contemporary radio to rap music.

5. Speak Life- This song sounds strikingly similar to Toby's hit song "Hold On" from his last record Tonight. In fact, you could sing "Hold On" to this track without much difficulty and visa versa.  Lyrically, "Speak Life" is stronger but production-wise, "Hold On" was more catchy.  This should be an easy #1 song for Mr. Mac.

6. Unstoppable- Another foray into dubstep, this time featuring Blanca from Group 1 Crew (as a pay back for his guest turn on G1C's top 5 hit "Let's Go" last year, I presume) Is also pretty hard hitting (maybe too hard for CCM radio) and should be fun in concert (Diverse City alum Nirva Ready should have no problem covering for Blanca).  I'm hoping that since both Toby and G1C will be at Rock the Universe this weekend (I'm going!) Blanca can stop by Toby's concert and sing her part herself!

7. Lose Myself- Like "Me Without You", "Lose Myself" is a nice mid to up tempo pop song with dance music textures that nicely pushes CCM radio into more electronic territory without going to far or being too obnoxious. I really liked the chorus on this one, even if the melody line might be slightly too high for Toby's limited range. (it probably would have been advisable to take the key down a half step or two)

8. Family- A surprisingly slow and intimate ballad about the importance of commitment to family that melodically is similar to #1 hit "City On Our Knees" (without the repetition or radio ready drum track).  This song begins a series of relationship oriented songs that is a nice change of lyrical direction for the CD. One of Toby's best songs of his career.  I would love to hear this on radio!

9. Thankful For You- If you mixed Sly & The Family's "Everyday People" with Audio A's "Beautiful" and Matthew West's "Next Thing You Know" you might get an idea of how this song sounds.  Musically, this is the most unique track on the record and features a vocal grit that is missing from most of the songs on Eye On It. Lyrically its a great ode to the "one's who brought him" and helped him fulfill his musical dreams.  Best line: "Its always been about the music, hoping God would use it to set some people free"

10. Made For Me- This is a cute love song to Toby's wife which mixes reggae and early 2000's Black Eyed Peas like pop into a sweet little treat that should make Mrs. McKeehan very happy.

11. Mac Daddy (Tru's Reality)- The requisite guest appearance by Toby's son was pretty shocking to say the least! Tru-Dog is all grown up!  I actually had a hard time telling whether father or son were rapping over all the electronic beats and voice effects.  It would be nice on Toby's next album if Tru actually got to guest on a serious song with his dad as its not quite as cute or comical for post-puberty Truett to sing about wanting a Mac laptop "so I can make my own beats" as it was last album when he was asking for a bike so he could "pop a wheelie".  

12. Favorite Song- Eye On It ends with its most Adult Contemporary sounding song of the album.  This time featuring Toby protegee and radio stalwart in her own right, Jamie Grace, "Favorite Song" bounces to an end in an almost forgettable fashion.  It's catchy and fun, for sure but not too memorable.  This song would have done better somewhere in the middle of the album to bridge the dubstep with the ballads.  While still a solid song, it is easily the lease memorable closing track of Toby's career ("Break Open The Sky" or "Lose My Soul" it is not) and leaves the listener feeling a bit confused.

Overall, this is a great collection of songs that will fit in well on anyone's iPod or workout playlist.  More thought should have gone into the sequencing of the album to give the listener a better album listening experience. Lyrically, Eye On It covers standard Toby Mac territory and really doesn't break any new ground.  It is nice though to see Toby embracing modern music trends and doing it just as well, if not better than his mainstream counterparts. 

Radio Ready: The whole record! My picks: "Me Without You", "Steal My Show", "Forgiveness", "Speak Life", "Favorite Song", hopefully "Family" also gets a chance!

iPod Picks: "Me Without You", "Family", "Forgiveness", "Lose Myself", "Thankful For You", "Eye On It", "Unstoppable", "Steal My Show"