It doesn’t do anything different or unique for the scene, but it is exemplary at accomplishing what it’s going for. Chill, pensive, and even a bit cathartic—like a bittersweet breath out. The vocal features bring a necessary soothing atmosphere to the project, which flows well from track to track. Cloudcage hits once again.

Favorite: Mess
Least Favorite: somehow, still there

It’s been a while since we’ve had just a simple, fun, feel-good TobyMac album. After a much-needed catharsis of a 2022 album, we get a collection of fun, chill tracks with accessible messages. Although it’s not the most mind blowing project from tobyMac, after how hard he cooked on “Life After Death, this kind of thing was just what I needed.

Favorite: Lord It Feels Good
Least Favorite: a lil’ church (nobody’s too lost)

tobyMac’s most vulnerable album is also a triumphant return to form. I’m surprised he hadn’t done a full Gospel and R&B album before, so this is long overdue and very welcome. In lieu of experiments in sound design and the expanding of his sound palette, tobyMac reaches into the most intimate depths of his heart, and puts out some of his best writing since the old days. The tracklist has the strongest start in a while and perhaps his strongest ending ever in the last three ... read more

In the wake of the mental health revolution, several big Christian artists have tried, with varying levels of success, to speak to the mental epidemics that have been getting increasing attention. Just before what seemed to be one of the hardest seasons of TobyMac‘s life, he does quite alright here. There’s still plenty of classic TobyMac lyrical cheese, but since he appears to be platitude-driven in real life, it’s bound to come out in the lyrics. You know, in that case, that ... read more

The bangers and duds of this album were evident in the steady downward progression of the tracklist. As a collection of songs, it’s good enough. It’s got quite a few catchy melodies and interesting styles. It starts out quite promising and loses its way somewhere in the middle such that it doesn’t quite land anywhere until the closer. Even the closer doesn’t quite bring the album together, but its vibe does put a cap on the album even if it’s not screwed on all the ... read more

Yet another consistent project from Direct that brings in some complementary talent. It’s a bit more of a sparkly project than his last, which tickles the ear in a satisfying way. Nice, chill, just what I’d expect from Direct.

Favorite: Left Behind
Least Favorite: LA2016

A great entry from Direct here. The vocal chops add to the humanity of the music. The somber but hopeful atmosphere of the EP makes for a pensive ride through the various garage and chillout beats.

Favorite: Anticipation
Least Favorite: Make Me Feel

🟡 Made For Glory
🟢 The other 10 tracks

A real nice easy-listening album. It’s refreshing to hear some 20th century influences from classic artists here. The fun thing about those earlier influences is that the lyrics here are relevant to the love-life scene of the time while still keeping that sound. Landon Pigg’s honest yet poetic lyrics make for a soothing yet bittersweet listening experience.

Favorite: Blue Skies
Least Favorite: A Ghost

Relatively fun entry from Kage here. I enjoy his style of bass house/deep house, so I enjoyed this EP. It doesn't wow me, but it does something interesting with the introduction to this saga. Not sure where he's going with this or how long it will last, but I'm interested to see if he builds on it in a clearer sense than he presents here.

Favorite: The Fall
Least Favorite: The Shadows

I love seeing EDM artists, especially those with as much attention to detail as Frequent, tackle a water theme. The production is as smooth as the composition is submersive. Not something to be remembered and packaged in hindsight, but something to be soaked in while the tracklist washes over you. This goes a slightly different direction than the album to which it's often compared (Hudson Lee's "Light Dancer" from last year), but in some respects it feels like the spinoff I ... read more

Unfortunately, I don’t understand the appeal of this one, but I’m very open to explanations. I’m a big fan of glitchy sound design and crazy tracks, but the less motivated each musical shift is, the less a song appeals to me. Because all the tracks rarely land anywhere, they end up flying in one ear and out the other. Although netnetnet is clearly skilled at sound design, the EP is not very cohesive and doesn’t accomplish much for me.

Favorite: Purble Place
Least ... read more

Until recent years, tobyMac had been one of the most experimental famous Christian music artists. That meant you always had to expect the unexpected and be pleasantly surprised by him giving you what you expected. Eye On It was a very unexpected album. First, it hadn’t been three years yet since his previous album. Second, he traded his nu metal/alt-rock bangers for EDM- and dance-influenced bangers. On the other tracks, he doubled down on the uplifting CCM style that he piloted in his ... read more

Another high energy album from TobyMac. This is arguably the start of the pipeline toward the CCM Tobymac we know today. But there are still plenty of similarities to the previous three albums here. The variety is still there along with the dynamics within several of the tracks. The thoughtfulness in each composition and in many of the lyrics is still evident even though he gets a little cheesier on this album.
With each album, he seems to alternate between a more inward-focused album and a ... read more

This is peak tobyMac. This is peak CCM. It’s rare to get an album that reaches into so many different styles of music and yet has such a cohesive tracklist. All the fun tracks make both the rock bangers and emotional feelers hit like a truck. This is an emotional roller coaster of an album in the best possible way. The interludes help bring the narrative of the album together in a refreshing way, and they serve as a reprieve from the intense emotions this album evokes. I knew that this ... read more

An especially fitting follow-up to his debut album. It encapsulates a lot of the personality that was established in his debut while taking it deeper. The structure of the tracklist takes a lot of inspiration from the structure of the previous album, but each song has a stronger sense of self-contained identity. The tracks all lead into each other very well, and the whole album feels simultaneously like a refinement of his “Momentum” style and a step forward from it. There are ... read more

🟡 What’s Goin’ Down
🟢 The other 17 tracks

There could not have been a better album for TobyMac to debut with. Although it’s not at all an indicator of his current style, it was a direct and fitting introduction for him in 2001 as he burst onto the scene. Beyond that, the album is creative and dynamic, flowing well from track to track. Not to mention, it handles several heavy but relevant topics in specific ways, a quality he steadily left behind as his musical identity ... read more

There’s a charm in the emptiness of the production here and the decreasing lack of vocals as the EP goes. Direct didn’t set out to make a masterpiece here, but he did quite well with what he cooked up. Really chill, a little haunting, and overall a smooth experience.

Favorite: Scars
Least Favorite: Wanna Know You

🔴 Take Me There
🟢 The other 8 tracks

Conro’s funkiest project up to this point or since. There’s an unavoidable infectious energy to this EP that follows it through every vibe it takes on—whether dancey or euphoric. Conro shows some sweetness and even introspection that wasn’t as clear up to this point and matured significantly over time. Still, this EP has become a Conro classic for a reason.

Favorite: Fired Up
Least Favorite: The Roaming Road

I’ve always been a fan of this EP. Mazare really shows his chops here, each song bringing something different to the table. Only one song disappointed me, but everything else made up for it. The features are also well-picked, perfect for each vibe Mazare was going for.

Favorite: Open Heart
Least Favorite: Light It Up

🔴 Sleeping On A Fire Pit, Saint Maniac, Gasping For Air
🟢 The other 8 tracks

Grabbitz arguably takes it a bit easy on the listener at the start, being consistently great. Then the album gets bipolar in quality (track 4 amazing, 5 mid, 6 amazing, 7 alright). Then it ends with even higher consistent quality. It doesn't seem to have a strong narrative through-line, but it flows well from track to track, most tracks being satisfying bangers. Solid entry from Grabbitz, leaning deeper ... read more