Portable Sounds
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christianity Today |  [2] |
| Cross Rhythms |   [3] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [4] |
Portable Sounds is the third full-length studio album from Christian pop rock and hip hop artist tobyMac. It was released on February 20, 2007, and debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. The album includes the singles "Lose My Soul", "Made to Love", "Boomin'", "I'm for You", and "One World (featuring Siti Monroe)". This album took a slightly different direction than tobyMac's previous hip hop efforts, having more of a pop sound. When it was released on iTunes, users were able to download a behind-the-scenes making of the album video, a digital booklet, and an acoustic version of "Made to Love."
Release
Portable Sounds was released on February 20, 2007 through ForeFront Records.[5] It debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, tobyMac's highest chart position as a solo artist, selling 51,000 copies in its first week.[6] In its second week on the Billboard 200, Portable Sounds fell to No. 38, in its third week to No. 47, and in its fourth week it fell to No. 63.
A Deluxe Edition of Portable Sounds was released on October 23, 2007. The Deluxe Edition includes the original CD, plus a DVD containing all five music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, and remixes of "Ignition" and "Boomin'".
On November 14, 2008 the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.[7]
The tracks "Feelin' So Fly" and "I'm For You" were featured in the video game Thrillville: Off the Rails.
After the album was put out Toby went on tour. He did the tour with Thousand Foot Krutch and BarlowGirl. On their show in Cypress, Texas, they recorded their Grammy Award winning album, Alive and Transported.
Singles
- "Made to Love" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart. It was also No. 1 for 9 consecutive weeks on R&R's Christian Hit Radio (CHR) Chart and was the second most played song on Christian CHR radio stations in 2007.[8] It reached No. 3 on R&R's Christian AC Chart.
- "Boomin" was the only single to have an official music video. This video won a GMA Dove Award. On radio it charted only on the lower half of R&R's Christian Rock Radio chart.
- "I'm for You" reached No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart. It also was No. 1 for 8 consecutive weeks on R&R's Christian Hit Radio Chart and was the third most played song on Christian CHR radio stations in 2007.[8] It reached No. 10 on R&R's Christian AC Chart. It also appeared in the soundtrack of Thrillville: Off The Rails
- "One World" reached No. 10 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart. It was also No. 1 for 3 non consecutive weeks on R&R's Christian Hit Radio Chart. It was the seventh most-played song on R&R magazine's Christian CHR chart for 2008.[9] A remix of "One World" appears on the Hip Hope Hits 2009 compilation and features a verse from KJ-52.
- "Lose My Soul" reached No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart, and No. 9 on iTunes.
- "No Ordinary Love" and "Ignition" were both released as singles around late 2008.[citation needed]
- "Ignition" was used during the Arizona Cardinals entrance in Super Bowl XLIII. The track was also used during the 2008 MLB season as the walk-up song for Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, Ben Zobrist. It was also the official theme song of WWE Elimination Chamber 2011.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One World" (featuring Siti Monroe) | Toby McKeehan, Cary Barlowe, Christopher Stevens | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Made to Love" | McKeehan, Barlowe, Jamie Moore, Aaron Rice | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Boomin'/Opera Trip Interlude" | McKeehan, Stevens | 4:02 |
| 4. | "I'm for You" | McKeehan, Barlowe, Rice | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Face of the Earth/Chuck @ Artist Development Interlude" | McKeehan, Joe Weber, Stevens | 4:38 |
| 6. | "No Ordinary Love" (featuring Nirva Dorsaint) | Randy Crawford, McKeehan, Dave Wyatt | 3:16 |
| 7. | "Ignition" | McKeehan, Trevor McNevan, Stevens | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Hype Man (truDog '07)" | Toby McKeehan | 1:41 |
| 9. | "Suddenly" | McKeehan, Weber, Stevens | 3:40 |
| 10. | "All In (Letting Go)/Mr. Talkbox Interlude" | McKeehan, Stevens | 4:33 |
| 11. | "Feelin' So Fly" | Crawford, McKeehan, Stevens | 3:49 |
| 12. | "No Signal" | Toby McKeehan | 1:11 |
| 13. | "Lose My Soul" (featuring Kirk Franklin & Mandisa) | McKeehan, Michael Ripoll, Stevens | 6:17 |
| Total length: | 48:28 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Boomin' (Bonus remix)" (featuring Shonlock) | 3:36 |
| 15. | "Ignition (Bonus remix)" | 3:57 |
Personnel
- Toby McKeehan - Vocals, Programming
- Christopher Stevens - Keys, Programming, Guitars, Bass, B3, Drums, Background Vocals
- Jamie Moore - Programming
- Dave Wyatt - Keys, Programming
- Cary Barlowe - Guitars
- Brent Milligan - Bass
- Tony Morra - Drums
- Todd "TC" Collins - Programming
- Byron "Mr. Talkbox" Chambers - Talkbox
- Joe Weber - Guitars
- Mike "DJ Maj" Allen - Turntables
- Brian Haley - Drums
- Todd Lawton - Bass
- Michael Ripoll - Guitar
- Javier Solis - Percussion
- Ben Phillips - Drums
- Justin York - Guitars, Background Vocals
- Tim Rosenau - Guitar
- Rica Wright - Bass
- Will Sayles - Drums
- Ric Robbins- Turntables
- Paul Moak - Guitar
- Trevor McNevan - Guitar
- Jeremy Lutito - Drums
- David Davidson, John Catchings, David Angell, Kristin Wilkinson - Strings
- Roy Agee, Mark Douthit, Mike Haynes - Horns
- Siti Monroe - Background Vocals
- Mandisa - Background Vocals
- Alisa Turner - Background Vocals
- Gabriel Patillo - Background Vocals, Beatbox
- Nirva Dorsaint-Ready - Background Vocals, Choir
- Troma - Background Vocals
- Jason Eskridge - Background Vocals
- Calvin Nowell - Background Vocals
- Seth Ready - Background Vocals, Choir
- Ayiesha Woods - Background Vocals, Choir
- MOC - Background Vocals
- Donnie Lewis-Payne - Choir
- Donald Woods - Choir
- Chris Bullard -Choir
Music videos
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2007 | "Boomin" |
| 2008 | "Feelin' So Fly" |
| 2009 | "Lose My Soul" |
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[11] | 10 |
| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
| US Christian Albums (Billboard)[13] | 1 |
| US Digital Albums (Billboard)[14] | 4 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] | 3 |
Song charts
| Song | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Made to Love" | Billboard Hot Christian Songs | 1 |
| "Boomin'" | Billboard Hot Christian Songs | - |
| "I'm For You" | Billboard Hot Christian Songs | 2 |
| "One World" | Billboard Hot Christian Songs | 10 |
| "Lose My Soul" | Billboard Hot Christian Songs | 2 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards
In 2008, the album won a Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 39th GMA Dove Awards.[17]
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Christianity Today review". Christianitytoday.com. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
- ^ "Cross Rhythms review". Crossrhythms.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
- ^ "Jesus Freak Hideout review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
- ^ "Tobymac – Portable Sounds". Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Norah Stays Tight At No. 1 Amidst Slow Sales Week", Billboard.com, February 28, 2007.
- ^ Gold; Billboard Magazine on-line; accessed .
- ^ a b 2007 Year End Charts/Top Christian CHR songs, R&R magazine, Retrieved January 6, 2008
- ^ 2008 Year End Charts/Top Christian CHR songs, R&R magazine, Retrieved January 15, 2009
- ^ "iTunes (U.S.) - Music - TobyMac- Portable Sounds (With Bonus Remixes)". iTunes (U.S.). February 20, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ "tobyMac Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "tobyMac Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "tobyMac Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "tobyMac Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link] Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "tobyMac Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "American album certifications – TobyMac – Portable Sounds". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ Nominations Announced for 39th GMA Dove Awards on CBN.com (February 14, 2008)