''The Elements'' is the eighth studio album by American recording artist
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known ...
released on October 12, 2018, on
ForeFront Records
ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divi ...
. It is his fifth album to top the ''
Billboard''
Christian Albums
Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
chart. The album's lead single, "
I Just Need U.", peaked at No. 1 on the
Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs ...
chart.
Critical reception
Chris Major of The Christian Beat gave the album a 4.8 out of 5, claiming the album is "TobyMac at his best". Jesus Freak Hideout's Christopher Smith praised TobyMac's ability make his musical influences his own, and called the album a "no-filler" and "more mature" album. Marcos Papadatos from ''Digital Journal'' called it TobyMac's "most compelling studio album to date". ''
CCM Magazine
''CCM Magazine'' is a twice-monthly online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music, published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications.
History
''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has be ...
''s Natalie Gillespie praised TobyMac's ability to "blend" many musical styles into the album.
Commercial performance
The album debuted No. 18 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart, selling 22,000 units in its debut week.
Track listing
History
''The Elements'' is tobyMac's first album since ''
Welcome to Diverse City
''Welcome to Diverse City'' is the second full-length studio album released by Christian singer TobyMac. The songs on this album deal with racial tolerance in society and a desire to know God better. Several other Christian artists appear on thi ...
'', in 2004, not to crack the top 10 on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...
, and his shortest by duration, at a mere 40 minutes and 42 seconds.
Personnel
* Toby McKeehan – lead vocals and background vocals
* Bryan Fowler – background vocals, electric guitars, bass guitar, guitars, keyboards, piano, drums, and programming
* Sean Cook – bass, keyboards, and programming
* Cory Wong – guitars
* David Garcia – keyboards, guitars, programming, and background vocals
* Tim Rosenau – guitars
* Michael "DJ Maj" Allen – DJ cuts
*
Tommee Profitt
Tommee James Profitt (born November 12, 1984) is an American songwriter and producer.
Biography
Profitt is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2017 to continue his music career. He has w ...
– keyboards and programming
* Cole Walowac – programming, additional drum programming
* Todde "Toddefunk" Lawton – bass
* Micah Kuiper – guitar, bass, programming, and background vocals
* Jon Reddick – upright piano
* Josiah Kreidler – guitars
* Dave Lubben – keyboards, programming and background vocals
* NOMAD – guitars
* Keith Everette Smith – trumpet, horns
* Steve Patrick – trumpet
* Tyler Summers – tenor sax
* Barry Green – trombone
* Terrian – background vocals
* Aaron Cole – vocals on "Starts with Me"
* Ryan Stevenson – background vocals
* Blake NeeSmith – background vocals
* Hollyn – background vocals
* Jackson Nance – background vocals
* Gabe Patillo – background vocals
* Jason Eskridge – background vocals
Accolades
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elements
2018 albums
TobyMac albums
ForeFront Records albums