Reviewed by Niall Dunne

Toby Mac's debut album 'Momentum' has been re-released as a double CD, with the imaginatively named 'Re:mix Momentum'. Nothing has changed from the original. It seems EMI needed more room in their warehouses. Nevertheless, it is great to be reminded of this melodic and energetic effort from the 'Fred Durst' of Christian music. As with dc Talk, the great thing about Toby Mac is the variation that he includes in his albums. You have the harder nu-metal(ish) tunes such as "Get The Party Started", "Momentum", and, obviously, "Extreme Days". Then, in an instant, you're almost entranced by the hypnotic beat and melody of "Do You Know". With the song "Somebody's Watching", Mac tackles head on some of the issues surrounding dc Talk. And it wouldn't be a big budget gospel/hip-hop album without some mandatory, cheesy and overtly Christian songs. But with Toby Mac, you get the feeling that he is aware of his clichés. As for the remix album, there isn't really much to say. The songs are slightly differently arranged to the originals, so - it's not as good. My advice would be if you can put up with Toby Mac mentioning his name in most songs, listen to 'Momentum' because it's a great album. And if you need something on in the background, then play 'Re:mix Momentum'.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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