Free at Last

Description

Free at Last is the third studio album by the American pop/rock/urban trio dc Talk, released on ForeFront Records in November 1992. The album was produced by Mark Heimermann and band member Toby McKeehan. It was recorded at numerous studios, mostly located in Tennessee – Deer Valley Studio and The Bennett House in Franklin, and Quad Recording Studios, Castle Studio, Skylab Recording Studio, Sound Revolutions, Midtown Tone & Volume, Nightingale Recording Studio, Recording Arts, and OmniSound Studios in Nashville – and as well at Southern Living Studios in Atlanta, Georgia; and at Syncro Sound in Boston, Massachuchetts. Mixed by Stephen Stewart-Short at Castle Studio and Emerald Sound Studios in Nashville and at Studio At Mole End in Franklin, Tennessee.

Music videos were filmed for “Jesus Is Just Alright”, “The Hardway” and “Luv Is A Verb”. In 1994, DC Talk released a long-form video of the “Free at Last World Tour” entitled Narrow is the Road, in which all three music videos can be seen. The album was certified Gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in October 1993 and Platinum (one million copies sold) in July 1995.

Before the opening sample can spit out “Take this mob for a ride,” the big beat kicks in hard on «Luv is a Verb», a song the Talk’ers were performing at a number of festivals this past summer, and the first of many proofs that this pop/rap threesome has arrived. Its impressive production values and commercial songwriting sense makes it (and many others on ‘Free at Last’) almost immediately memorable, but its lyric, though universally true, spins it bold for believers: “Back in the day there was a man/ who stepped outta heaven and he walked the land/ …gave up his life so we may live/ how much more luv could the Son of God give.”

Before you can drop a beat, Toby McKeehan jumps in with the fast rappin’ prologue to «That Kind of Girl», contrasting the godly woman described in Proverbs 31 with a few less sanctified females more common on the scene today. The stripped-down arrangement highlights the group’s singing abilities, both in unison and in the tight harmony breaks (a la Boys II Men) that punctuate much of this album.

Next comes ’90s return of «Jesus is Just Alright», here updated with rap science from Toby Mac and samples from «Vouge» and «The Power» (among others), and rechristened «Jesus is Still Alright». Like the rest of this album, its message is in-your-face bold: “To the ones who think they heard/ I did use that ‘J’ word/ cause I ain’t too soft to say it/ Even if DJs don’t play it.”

The music gets mellow and melodic for «Socially Acceptable», but the message is more meat than milk. A downtempo extension of the themes represented last album in «Walls», McKeehan raps “Society has gotten to be all out of whack/ and don’t bother with excuses whether white or black/ …in reality our decency has taken plunge/ In God We Trust is an American pun,” before (Michael) Tait and (Kevin) Smith join for the chorus in sweet, multi-racial harmony. To underscore the point, the trio takes us to church for a speedy gospel rave-up on the title tune, «Free at Last», with big choral support from the ‘Never Ending Witness Choir’, directed by Oliver Wells, and sanctified wailing from Veronica Petrucci (of Angelo and…) bound to get you dancing in the aisles.

«The Hard Way», another slow percolator (with some deep bass, bros!) is one of the album’s best songs and most poignant messages, as Smith laments his tendency to be “the kind of guy who has to find out for myself,” and learn “the heard way.” It’s a sentiment far too many of us could echo, and Kevin sings it like he means it.

«I Don’t Want It» says loud and proud: “I don’t want it/ your sex for now/ I don’t want it/ till we take the vows.” The blatency of the lyric may make some parents blush, but they can hardly despise its message: “S-E-X is a test when I’m pressed/ so back off with less of that zest/ …safe is the way they say to play/ so just wait for the mate that’s straight from God/ don’t have sex till ya tie the knot.” Oh, and one other thing, like I said earlier – it slams.

As much as ‘Nu Thang‘ was a quantum leap improvement over DC Talk’s debut album, ‘Free at Last’ is another logarithmic longjump, with sophisticated arrangements, stellar musicianship, and hat-trick production courtesy of Toby McKeehan, Mark Heimermann, and Joe Hogue. [Thom Granger, CCM, December 1992]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/free-at-last-remastered/1442942551)

CD tracklist:

01. Luv Is A Verb – 4:16
02. That Kinda Girl – 4:12
03. Greer – 0:21
04. Jesus Is Just Alright – 4:37
05. Say The Words – 4:59
06. WDCT – 0:45
07. Socially Acceptable – 4:56
08. Free At Last – 4:56
09. Time Is… – 4:10
10. The Hardway – 5:18
11. 2 Honks & A Negro – 0:18
12. Lean On Me – 4:59
13. Testimony – 0:47
14. I Don’t Want It – 4:09
15. Will Power – 0:14
16. Word 2 The Father – 4:02
17. Jesus Is Just Alright (Reprise) – 0:59

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by ForeFront Records. A 10th Anniversary Special Edition double CD was released by ForeFront Records in 2002, entitled Free at Last: The Music and The Movie. The DVD includes the movie, plus a retrospective audio commentary by group members Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max; deleted scenes, a making-of-the-movie mini-feature, the original movie trailer, previously unreleased live action photos of the band, and music videos (“Jesus Is Just Alright” and “The Hardway”). Released on vinyl for the first time by ForeFront Records ‎and Universal Music Special Markets ‎in 2017 as a 12-inch black vinyl double LP housed in a gatefold sleeve.

The November 1992 issue of CCM Magazine featured a cover story on DC Talk.