"Lights Shine Bright" started as a sparse, whispered pop track slowly yet surely, reggae soul shined through. "Move (Keep Walkin')" had a New Orleans funeral march vibe re-imagined as pop, the horn section tying together light, melodic acoustic guitar lines and deep, gospel choir coos. Another EDM-infused anthem, "Eye On It," was supplemented live by the organic bass of a banging drum line. "This Is Not a Test," the title track of his newest album, tied together The Edge-style guitar and electronic dance music uplift with a sprinkle of old-school record scratching. TobyMac also showed ingenuity, and skill, mashing up styles Saturday. As the song title suggests, TobyMac was preaching to the choir, but you needn't be a Christian contemporary music fan to have felt the song's spirit. Show highlight "Funky Jesus Music" slowly stacked different elements - rubbery bass lines, the oomph of drums, guitar grooves, cool vocals and a hot horn line - building up to Bruno Mars-style swagger. The saying may be "jack of all trades, master of none," but TobyMac, backed by his nimble yet forceful eight-piece Diverse City Band, mastered multiple genres Saturday. Electronic dance music factors in, too, at times. Also in the mix, he said, were rock 'n' roll guitars, hip-hop, funk and a pinch of reggae. Soul music is a major ingredient in TobyMac's style, which he likened Saturday to a big pot of gumbo. Clearly, it's working out for him the arena was sold out. TobyMac trusts his audience to find the higher purpose in his songs, even when he's not directly singing about God and Jesus, and to find inspiration in his creativity.
Some Christian contemporary artists are clear-cut with their spiritual message, accompanying testament with straightforward, anthemic uplift. It was even more apparent Saturday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. That's been obvious across the Christian pop star's slick, stylish catalog, dating back to his work with DC Talk in the late 1980s and early '90s. TobyMac puts just as much emphasis on the soul of his music. Saving souls, and inspiring them, is a critical mission for Christian contemporary musicians.
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