Nowhere was the impact of dc Talk felt more than with the 1995 release of Jesus Freak, an album and song that defined a generation of Christians. Now, Toby's label, Gotee Records, has put out a disc commemorating the 10th anniversary of the release (Even though we're closing in on the 11th anniversary). Freaked! A Gotee Tribute To dc Talk's "Jesus Freak" is exactly what it says it is: Gotee artists covering dc Talk songs from the Jesus Freak disc.
Now, to be fair, people have to understand that this disc cannot possibly be made any better. It is a disc of rare breed; one that simply cannot be made any better because it was complete the first time around. Obviously, to try to cover an album of such a caliber is a risky task. Stray to far away from the original, and the song is ruined. Keep it too much like the original, and the artist will fail, because none of the artists on this disc can compare to the talent in the members of dc Talk. The point is that, when reviewing this disc, one has to take a different perspective on it, if only to give the artists a chance for being brave enough to take a crack at a dc Talk track.
And really, many of the tracks are done pretty well. The Showdown's version of So Help Me God mixes the right amount of the band's own flavor with the original. It basically becomes a harder version, and it works pretty well. Likewise, Fighting Instinct puts forth a solid effort on Like It, Love It, Need It. And honestly, whether you are a fan of the guy's music or not, there could be no better pick than John Reuben to do the Jesus Freak Reprise.
Now, not all of the tracks are spectacular. In fact, Between You And Me and Jesus Freak are both covered twice, and for each, the second time around was not kind. The Ayeisha Woods/Paul Wright version of Between You And Me does the original absolutely no justice. And Chasing Victory committed the ultimate wrongdoing by making Jesus Freak into a song full of inaudible screams. Sarah Kelly also screws up with her version of What If I Stumble?
The rest of the disc is pretty solid. Family Force 5's version of Mind's Eye certainly won't called be spectacular, and they probably would've been better suited to do a different song. But, based on what they had to work with, they pulled off a relatively solid song. Liquid, as overhyped as he may be, pulled off a solid version of What Have We Become? 4th Avenue Jones and Storyside:B also do well with Jesus Freak and In The Light. And props certainly have be given a bit more to 4th Avenue Jones for doing a good job with one of the ultimate Christian songs in history.
The disc's two best tracks come from one expected source and one surprising source. Relient K's version of Between You And Me is easily the disc's best track. They absolutely nail this cover. However, not far behind is House Of Heroes' version of Day By Day. The track itself is not something too terribly different from the original, but that's actually what makes it great. Because, not only is it close in musical quality, but it is close in vocal quality. One of the hardest parts of doing a dc Talk song is finding someone to do Kevin's vocals decently. Well, House Of Heroes managed to pull in vocals that are about as close to the vocals of Kevin Max as you can get without going to Kevin Max himself.
Overall, this is an enjoyable disc. If you've never heard the original, it would do you good to go out and purchase the dc Talk version first. Until you have the original, you can't truly appreciate what this disc puts forth. Freaked! manages to do a relatively decent job of covering one of the best discs of all time. And that is no small feat, to be sure.