dc Talk - "Supernatural"
Year: 1998
Label: Forefront
Favorite songs: Since I Met You, It's Killing Me, Supernatural, Wanna Be Loved, Dive
Lyric sample: "I've never heard a dying soul / Wish that he had taken / More time on his portfolio / I swear, I never heard a momma say / Shoulda never had that baby / As a doctor holds her newborn on display / It's a heavenly prescription / A little bit will go a long, long way / Just put yourself in their position / Don't we all wanna be loved"
I've said it before - great bands either embody the best a particular genre has to offer, or fuse genres creating something that either defies labeling, or forces new labels to be created. dc Talk is the latter type: a group so varied that trying to pin down all their influences is about enough to make your head explode. Of course it's made a bit easier by looking at the threesome as individuals, but when they were together Toby, Michael and Kevin were a musical force. I realize I'm committing heresy in the eyes of many by having this record in my top 10, 6 spots higher than the beloved Jesus Freak. That album sits on a fantastic golden pedestal replete with gems, jewels and other shiny things. It's considered untouchable by many hardcore fans. So I'm going to risk mass hysteria by awarding the prom queen tiara to the ugly-duckling younger sister, believing that some of you will be able to see the beauty here the way I do.
Supernatural is the next natural step in the progression dc Talk has been making since Nu Thang. With each record, the rap quotient has diminished a bit, the rock amped up, and the production values improved. In Jesus Freak, the trio took their funk-tinged rap project and transformed it into a full-fledged modern rock/grunge masterpiece. With Supernatural, the raw energy and melodic sensibility of Jesus Freak takes on a dense atmosphere, drops the rap altogether, and takes us on a journey into new alternative territory. Frankly, I don't think the detractors who cite overproduction as a flaw have a leg to stand on. The only thing that keeps most artists from sounding as good as they could is money. dc Talk now has the wealth and popularity to do it up right, and they have taken great care in composing what I consider to be their finest record; it's certainly their most intricate. I understand if having too much going on waters down the overall feel so that doesn't hit as hard - that would in fact be detrimental to a rock group. However I don't think that's the case here. "It's Killing Me" and "Supernatural" sound every bit as brutal as anything on Jesus Freak, and the ballads like "Consume Me" and "Red Letters" only benefit from the smoother mix. Supernatural also serves to emphasize the boys' vocal harmonies, which Michael and Kevin serve up in plentiful style.
The songwriting on Supernatural is more balanced than on its predecessor, believe it or not. Toby Mac wrote most of the songs on Jesus Freak with the help of studio personalities like Mark Heimermann. That album also featured two covers ("Day By Day" and "In the Light") in its brief 10 song roster. Supernatural has a much better mix in the writing department. It has 12 original songs (plus Kevin's poem "There Is A Treason At Sea") and no covers, with all three Talkers weighing in on nearly every song. The result is not eclectic - rather, it is a very cohesive modern alt rock outing. Instead of having many songs of varying styles, the styles are melted down and mixed evenly inside the tracks and then those tracks are flown together in a very natural progression. It's eminently listenable. And with all the odd, edgy, creative material ("My Friend (So Long)," "Fearless," "Dive"), there are moments of high energy and pleasing harmonies ("Wanna Be Loved," "Since I Met You") and the best ballads in dc Talk's catalog ("Consume Me," "Red Letters,"). Also I suppose an X-Files fan such as myself should probably mention the song "The Truth" which borrows a catchphrase from what was at the time a wildly popular television show and proclaims "The truth is out there." The haunting "There Is A Treason At Sea," following the example of "Alas My Love" but in many ways exceeding it, closes out the album on a tasteful low note. The words of Kevin's poem evoke the imagery of the album art (the ship and the dark ocean) and then slip blissfully into the same swelling ambiance from the Intro.
It's a daunting task to call your album Supernatural and then try to live up to the name, but dc Talk is up to the challenge. If on this list there exists a perfect record, this is most likely it. It's as close as I think I've ever heard. "I see the truth, and I believe."
Consume Me. I like this video more than the My Friend video, even though they cut the song down, which is annoying.
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