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 Welcome To Diverse City Welcome To Diverse City. This is tobyMac’s sophomore solo release, and he's on a mission. From his start-up of Gotee Records (a melting pot of a record company), to his co-headlining with Kirk Franklin on the “I Have A Dream” tour (see recap), to his work with ERACE Foundation (the racial equality venture), he has always been about putting words into action.  But tobyMac still isn’t through. This is evident on Welcome to Diverse City, as he embraces such guests as Papa San, T-Bone, SuperChick, Coffee (of Grits), Bootsy Collins and yes, dc Talk.It begins with “Hey Now”, a feel-good dance number accented by rhythm guitar and a catchy flow by Coffee. tobyMac assures that he is back to spread the love of God. T Bone joins in on the "hard rock meets West coast" rap, “Slam”. On “Catcha (Whoopsi Daisy)", the artist encourages all to simply let God’s fire burn within. Rap group MOC bring the noise with a dope flow on this hot number. And just when you thought it couldn't get any doper, Papa San enters to bring the dance hall heat, with the beat morphing from banger to something more relevant to the Jamaican MC's style. tobyMac certainly shows his love for the "funk" on this project, with the title track being a disco-influenced jam that expresses how much fun it can be to hang with a diverse crowd. With a talkbox a la the late Roger Troutman and some Bootsy Collins signature ad libs alongside tobyMac’s spirited flows, this song will make you want to dig out your Afro wig and platform shoes to hit the dance floor.  The funk continues with “Getaway Car”, which puts the the emphasis on getting away to go to the place where you can best please God. Nirva Dorsaint adds her always-potent vocals.One of the best songs on the album has got to be “Stories”, featuring SuperChick. tobyMac and a few members of the group tell some candid stories of hardships they and others have faced in life. The union of styles here is beautiful, with the midtempo beat and lush guitar adding to make it quite an affair. For those appealed to by alternative pop, “Gone” is the cut. tobyMac sings the song well, confirming that he's an artist comfortable with —and good at —many genres. “Phenomenon” is a mixture of rock and reggae where the wonders of eternity are sung of. TruDog is back with “TruDog, The Return”. Even though he is only 7 years old, this budding artist (and son of tobyMac) shows that he has a future in hip hop. Just get ready to wear out the repeat button. TruDog is doing it. The dc Talk buddies join in on the “Atmosphere” remix. The chemistry between the three (tobyMac, Kevin Max and Michael Tait) is still there, and they prove again that the magic that they built from being together for all of those years will never die. Other songs are “Gotta Go” and “Ill M I”, which features Joann Valencia. Diversity is what tobyMac was aiming for and Diverse City is what he came up with. It's an album that people should, and probably will take notice of. Not only is it great music, it shows the beauty of what happens when God’s people actually come together.
Email This To A Friend ForeFront Records — reviewed by Dwayne Lacy —
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