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By Kevin Pollard
WHEN TobyMac’s Winter Wonder Slam Tour lands in Abbotsford on December 11, it will have been
10 years since he was last here with dc Talk.
This highly anticipated concert will be worth the price of admission just to
catch the high octane live experience of Toby and his Diversity Band as he
covers hits from his solo discs and teases us with his first new single in
years, ‘City on Our Knees,’ from his new album, due out in February.
But also with Toby on this tour will be pop-punk band Relient K and two
newcomers – teen pop-rocker Stephanie Smith and Toby’s hip-hop/rap protegé B.Reith, all featuring new music.
• Relient K: Forget and Not Slow Down, Mono vs Stereo / Word
Although Relient K has covered a lot of ground with their eight albums in 10
years as a band, they have mostly been known for their witty lyrics and fun
punk-rock sound.
Their latest effort sees Matt Thiessen drawing from a deep well of emotions
after breaking up with his fiancé.
He writes in the title cut, “I’d rather forget and not slow down than gather regret for the things I can’t change now.”
Although this allows for some lyrical depth, it gets to be a bit much to have
practically every song on the record about trying to move past this heartache.
Here are just a handful of these lyrics of mourning: “Everything made sense when you were with me” (‘Savannah’), “I met the devil and I stared her in the eyes . . . I took the fire escape and
made it out alive” (‘This is the End’) and “The sun still burns the shadows out / And there's nothing to complain about now” (‘I Don't Need a Soul’).
The new Relient K sound heard here is part rock, part punk and a little folk, as
the band leave synthesizers behind and play all the instruments themselves.
The result is a more live, organic sounding record. Fans of their 2004 album mmHmm will like this effort, as it downplays fun in favour of substance, although it
is void of any significant reference to their faith.
• B.Reith: Now is Not Forever, Gotee
B.Reith started with his spin on Hip-Hop back in 2003, was discovered by TobyMac and signed by Gotee Records in 2008 and
subsequently released the EP Forecast.
Now he has released his first full-length record, Now is Not Forever, and landed a spot on the Winter Wonder Slam tour.
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Some are finding it hard to pigeon hole his style, as he is equally skilled in
his rhyming and smooth urban vocal stylings.
On the up side, this one-two punch makes him stand out from the crowd and has
made this one of my favourite albums of the year.
There is something for everyone here, from the funky danceable ‘The Comeback Kid’ to the straight up pop of ‘I Know,’ the acoustic ‘Mess,’ the pop rock ‘Antidote,’ the worshipful ‘Rain Down’ and the ballad ‘Just For You,’ where he shares his commitment to God.
B.Reith has that perfect balance of having a hip and current sound while sharing
a life of faith through the lyrics. His set should be a perfect way to start
the show.
• Stephanie Smith: Not Afraid, Gotee
Stephanie Smith has a solid debut pop-rock album with Not Afraid. Her girl-empowering lyrics will be embraced by fans of SuperChick and
BarlowGirl.
She seems focused on encouraging her peers. The opening track, ‘Beauty,’ proclaims, “Hello world, here I am today/ I didn’t feel like putting on make-up, is that okay?/ And you know what else? I didn’t do my hair/ And I didn’t take the time to figure out what to wear . . . beauty is in you, so just
embrace it, you don’t have to chase it.”
Other highlights include the upbeat rock vibe of the title track and ‘Waitin’ On You’ and the power pop sounding ‘Over It.’
Stephanie wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks here; the only real misstep is ‘Superstar’ – although there is a great message, her screaming in the chorus gets to be a bit
much.
December 2009
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