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Album Reviews
I was
first introduced to Tonex by my very best friend while
visiting my hometown of Chicago Illinois. He and I have made
and experienced a lot of music together and we often talk
and critique the music of today. I was blown away when I
asked him what he thought of Tonex and his reply was that he
didn't think Tonex's music was what he considered "good
gospel music" and gave me not one but 2 Tonex CD's,
"Pronounced To-Nay" and "02". Well I told my friend as I
will state here, no matter what form GOD's word is presented
in, it is still GOD's word and will not come back void. This
CD is off the chain!!! Tonex is innovative, creative,
spiritually uplifting, thought provoking, & challenging! And
that voice!!! He's managed and promoted by Yolanda Adams,
(check out the intro), he's joined on this cd by Kirk
Franklin & Sheila E., he's friends with John P.Kee and even
featured on Pastor Kee's cd, "Blessed By Association",
(check out the song "I Am He". Keep in mind that as
christian believers, we've been charged by GOD to spread the
gospel thru out all nations. Tonex attempts to reach all who
will listen in many forms of music on this cd. Gospel, R&B,
Hip-Hop, Salsa,Traditional, Heavy Metal,(exquisitely done, I
might add), and on the song "Games" in which he uses the
"Family Feud" theme song to warn people to "get their
spiritual houses in order", I guarantee you'll be blown
away. I also like what he did with the "Taxi" theme song in
which he says he and his wife fell in love while listening
to this song. My favorite song is "Make Me Over Again", a
song for all of us who fall down but want to get back up
again, but I, my wife and daughters love this entire cd and
are waiting for the DVD. There is definitely something for
everyone on this cd. I must admit that I, like d88keyz, was
a little thrown by Tonex's comment about speaking in
tongues. As far as I know, it is not a must to speak in
tongues as it is a GOD given gift and not everyone has the
same gift(s), but Tonex definitely has the gift of singing.
He does it so well, I think even the angels may be grooving
to this cd. Check it out for yourself.
There needs to be a sixth star available for CDs,
reserved just for those ones that really stand out from
the rest! That's a bit cliche, but it's how I feel! "Out
the Box" is truly revolutionary, and Tonex displays just
how varied gospel music can be. The heavy anointing
placed on Tonex is a prominent impression I pick up here.
The "live" component of the CD really captures the
intensity and worshipful atmosphere at the recording;
"Alive 2" certainly shows how hard the audience was
praising that night!
It's difficult to highlight a few of my favorite tracks
on Disc 1, but I'll try. "Alive" is an energetic song
that tells the story of Jesus' death and resurrection
alongside a horn sample of the Jackson 5; "Work On Me"
has a big band sound with some cool choral elements; the
"throwbacks" to "Personal Jesus," "Why?," and "Taxi" are
brief but still very cool. Much of the first disc gives
off more of a concert-vibe than anything else, especially
with songs as outlandish as "Games," a take-off of the
"Family Feud" theme song. In the end, Disc 1 is sure to
get you hyped up!
By contrast, Disc 2 is a bit more subdued, as it allows
the listener to really worship, which isn't to say it
isn't exciting! "Believer" is a fun, up-beat song that
lets the Peculiar People really show their stuff! "Todos
Juntos" is an intense revision to the 1996 song "I'll
Praise Him," and is sung mostly in Spanish this time!
"Your Word" and "The Spirit Realm" put the listener into
a mode of worship. "Make Me Over" is a great song that
lets us examine our lives for places of imperfection and
sin. "Since Jesus Came" is a very exciting song featuring
Kirk Franklin, and "Thank Q," one of my absolute
favorites, is a great studio-produced song that employs
very unique metering.
"Out the Box" has a lot to offer listeners, but it might
be a bit too much to take in in one listen. Give both CDs
one complete listen, and you'll start to get a feel for
the entire project. My only complaint is a small one,
which is that Tonex purports as "The Truth" that the
receiving of tongues is a prerequisite of salvation,
rather than a gift from God. But that's it. This is
undoubtedly my favorite release in the past two years (at
least)! Tonex is a richly gifted man, from his ability to
usher people into God's presence to his unbelievable
singing! The music is breakthrough, and the lyrics are
challenging and deeply penetrating. I guarantee that "Out
the Box" will be a blessing!
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