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Jesus Freak (album)

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Jesus Freak
Studio album by DC Talk
Released November 21, 1995
Recorded 1995
Genre Christian hip hop
CCM
Alternative rock[1]
Length 57:53[2]
Label ForeFront/Virgin
Producer Mark Heimermann, tobyMac, John Mark Painter
DC Talk chronology
Free at Last
(1992)		 Jesus Freak
(1995)		 Welcome to the Freak Show
(1997)

Jesus Freak is the Grammy Winning double platinum fourth studio album by Christian rock and hip hop band DC Talk, released on November 21, 1995 on ForeFront Records.[3]

After three albums of hip-hop oriented sound, the rock style of Jesus Freak was considered unexpected by fans and critics alike, but it helped to define DC Talk as serious artists and innovators and propelled them into the mainstream.[4][5]

The album was released to both critical and commercial acclaim. The album reached number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart.[6] Six of the album's seven singles became number-one hits across various Christian radio formats.[7] In 1997, Jesus Freak won the Grammy for Best Rock Gospel Album.[7] "Jesus Freak" is on the Digital Praise PC game Guitar Praise.

Contents

[edit] Background

After three albums of hip-hop oriented sound, including DC Talk's Grammy-award winning third album, Free at Last, which was based primarily on hip-hop and pop oriented song writing, the trio decided to innovate and reinvent their style.

After three years, DC Talk returned with songs featuring a more alternative rock sound. Thus, the album's lead single, "Jesus Freak" was considered unexpected by fans and critics alike.[4][5]

Michael Tait said, "I was totally into rock and roll at the time [...] I really wanted to make a rock record."[5] The band decided to focus on more rock-oriented music, with touches of rap and pop interwoven into the mix. Tait later explained, "We wanted to write songs that would hopefully touch a generation."[8]

[edit] Recording and production

Compared to DC Talk's other albums, Jesus Freak was, stylistically, an experiment. The album was a fusion of various musical genres, including pop,[1][9] rock,[1] and grunge,[7] all combined with hip hop.[1][9]

The title track, "Jesus Freak," is also of historical importance. It is believed to be the first link between grunge and rapcore in CCM.[10] The song was even played on some secular stations.[10]

In addition, the album contains several cover songs, including "Day by Day," from the musical Godspell, and a heavily overhauled version of "In the Light" originally by Charlie Peacock.[2] Several spoken-word samples are also heard; "Mind's Eye" features the words of Billy Graham and "What If I Stumble" contains a quote from Brennan Manning.[2]

[edit] Lyrical themes

As with the genres, the themes of Jesus Freak are varied,[1] ranging from the spiritual - such as accepting Jesus, hypocrisy,[2] atheism - to the secular - such as seeking forgiveness from a friend,[2] racism,[2] facing intolerance,[3] and acceptance.[2]

[edit] Track listing

  1. "So Help Me God" – 4:39
  2. "Colored People" – 4:26
  3. "Jesus Freak" – 4:50
  4. "What If I Stumble?" – 5:06
  5. "Day By Day" – 4:30
  6. "Mrs. Morgan" – 0:57
  7. "Between You and Me" – 4:59
  8. "Like It, Love It, Need It" – 5:23
  9. "Jesus Freak (Reprise)" – 1:17
  10. "In the Light" – 5:06
  11. "What Have We Become?" – 6:09
  12. "Mind's Eye" – 5:17
  13. "Alas, My Love" – 5:18

[edit] Release

Jesus Freak was released on November 21, 1995. It debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200, selling over over 85,800 copies in its first week of release.[6] This number was the highest debut for a Christian album at the time.[11]

After the album, released through ForeFront Records, proved to be extremely successful, the band signed an exclusive distribution deal with Virgin Records.[3] The label made it a priority to promote the album to mainstream music fans.[3] Due to this promotional increase, "Between You and Me" became a huge hit for the band, even managing to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, a hard feat for a Christian rock band at the time.

In 2006, EMI released a commemorative 10 anniversary version of the album entitled Jesus Freak: 10th Anniversary Special Edition. This special released contained a bonus disc of brand-new remixes, rarities, live tracks, and demos.[7]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[1]
Jesus Freak Hideout 5/5 stars[2]
Cross Rhythms 10/10 stars[12]
Sputnikmusic 4.5/5 stars[13]
Entertainment Weekly (B+)[14]

Critical response to Jesus Freak was generally positive.

After the initial success of its release, Jesus Freak was RIAA-certified as Gold by its first month, for shipments exceeding 500,000 units.[7][15]

Many of the album's singles were met with positive reception. for instance, "Jesus Freak" was the first non-AC song to win the Dove Award for Song of the Year.[10]

The album has gone on to sell over two million copies in the United States,[7] achieving double platinum certification by the RIAA.[15]

The album also spawned several hit singles. Six of the album's singles became number-one hits across various Christian radio formats.[7] "Between You and Me" was even a cross-over hit on secular radio, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16]

On June 20, 2006, Gotee Records released a ten-year anniversary tribute, Freaked!, featuring artists from record labels Gotee and Mono vs Stereo covering songs from the original album.[17] "In the Light" and "Jesus Freak" are both featured in Alive and Transported. In addition, the songs are still regularly sung in tobyMac, Kevin Max, and Newsboys concerts.

[edit] Chart positions

Chart (1995) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard charts 16[6]
Year Single Chart Peak
position
1995 "Just Between You and Me" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 29[16]

[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Jesus Freak review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r229337. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Jeremy Gibson; John DiBiase, Josh Taylor (2003-02-06). "DC Talk, "Jesus Freak" Review". http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdReviews/JesusFreak.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
  3. ^ a b c d Price, Deborah (1996-11-23). "Virgin to Take DC Talk Mainstream". Billboard: pp. 105. http://books.google.com/books?id=ugkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA105&dq=dc+talk+Between+You+and+Me+Billboard&hl=en&ei=ojdHTL7FH4eonQem-9D2Aw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=dc%20talk%20Between%20You%20and%20Me%20Billboard&f=false. Retrieved 2010-07-21. 
  4. ^ a b Taff, pg. 6
  5. ^ a b c Taff, pg. 8
  6. ^ a b c "Artist Chart History – DC Talk". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=23962&model.vnuAlbumId=179912. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Farias, Andree. "Jesus Freak: 10th Anniversary Special Edition". Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2006/jesusfreak.html. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 
  8. ^ Taff, pg. 9
  9. ^ a b John DiBiase (2006-11-01). "DC Talk, "Jesus Freak Single" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/JesusFreakSingle.asp. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  10. ^ a b c McNeil, pg. 99
  11. ^ "DC Talk's "Jesus Freak" makes history with biggest selling Christian music release in first week". Business Wire. 1995-11-29. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17767522.html. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
  12. ^ Bellamy, Jonathan. "DC Talk Aims to Turn Heads With Clip". http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/dc_Talk/Jesus_Freak/7304/. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 
  13. ^ "DC Talk - Jesus Freak Review". 2006-03-15. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=5973. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 
  14. ^ Jamison, Laura (December 22, 1995). "Jesus Freak Music Review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,300048,00.html. Retrieved 2009-08-06. 
  15. ^ a b "RIAA - Gold & Platinum". RIAA Web Site. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=jesus%20freak&artist=dc%20talk&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
  16. ^ a b "Between You and Me - DC Talk". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/dc-talk/just-between-you-and-me/2818569. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
  17. ^ John DiBiase (2010-07-20). "Freaked! A Gotee Tribute to DC Talk's "Jesus Freak"". Jesus Freak Hideout. http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/FreakedAGoteeTributeTodcTalksJesusFreak.asp. 
DC Talk
Studio albums
DC Talk (1989) • Nu Thang (1990) • Free at Last (1992) • Jesus Freak (1995) • Supernatural (1998) • Solo (2001)
Live albums
Compilation albums
Intermission: the Greatest Hits (2000) • The Early Years (2006) • Greatest Hits (2007) • The Ultimate Collection (2009)
Singles
"Heavenbound" • "I Luv Rap Music" • "Can I Get a Witness?" • "Jesus Is Just Alright" • "Lean On Me" • "Socially Acceptable" • "Luv Is a Verb" • "The Hardway" • "Jesus Freak" • "Between You and Me" • "What If I Stumble?" • "Like It, Love It, Need It" • "Colored People" • "In the Light" • "Mind's Eye" • "Into Jesus" • "Consume Me" • "My Friend (So Long)" • "Dive" • "My Will" • "Godsend" • "Wanna Be Loved" • "Supernatural" • "Say the Words (Now)" • "Let's Roll"
Related articles
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