Together, they sing, “Through all these seasons/I’m still believin’/You’re my promised land/In all my grievin’/I’m still believin’/You’re my promised land.” Likewise, “The Goodness” proclaims: “Everywhere that I go/You keep showin’ up/Lord, You make me wanna shout it, oh/You’re the goodness in my life.” CONTENT CONCERNSĪs a parent myself, I can’t begin to imagine losing a child so young, so tragically. Life After Death also includes a remixed version of the song “Promised Land,” now featuring Sheryl Crow. “I miss everything about you,” Marlee sings simply. On “Everything About You,” TobyMac is joined by his daughter Marlee as they reflect on Truett’s life and who he was. “Rest” tells us, “Rest, take a breath/ … Blessed, my child you’re blessed/Fall into the arms of God and rest your weary head.” Similarly, “Cornerstone” reminds us that God’s faithfulness is the only foundation worth building our lives upon: “I’m here travelin’ down this long and winding road/Seasons come and seasons go/I been high, and I been low/But I’m standing on the only Rock I know.” That contrast, between grief and faith, turns up on song after song here, with lyrics that will likely speak deeply to anyone traversing the dark tunnel of grief themselves. “It’s been a long year/It almost took me down, I swear,” he admits on “Faithfully.” “Life was so good/I’m not sure we knew what we had/I’ll never be the same man.” But lest he dwell too much in those emotions, TobyMac then lifts his face heavenward: “But when my world broke into pieces/You were there faithfully/ … I may never be the same man/But I’m a man who still believes.” Many songs honestly express TobyMac’s brokenness, even as he reaches out to Jesus for hope and help. POSITIVE CONTENTĪlbum opener and hit single “Help Is on the Way (Maybe Midnight)” is a gospel-tinged, foot-stomping shout-out to God’s faithfulness: “It may be midnight or mid-day/He’s never early, never late/ … Help is on the way.”įrom that up-tempo opener, most of the following songs have a slightly more subdued sonic vibe, one that’s in keeping with the reflective nature of the album.
The result is a confessional album that embodies tenacity and tenderness, one that may just throw a lifeline of faith, hope and love to listeners who find themselves unexpectedly navigating the valley of the shadow of death. The 15 songs on this album alternately express TobyMac’s lament and remorse, even as we see the 57-year-old Christian musician choose to surrender his grief to God and continue to hope in Him. 23, 2019, TobyMac’s oldest son, Truett, died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and methamphetamine. How do we cling to hope amid heartrending tragedy? TobyMac’s eighth solo effort, Life After Death, plumbs the emotional and spiritual depths of that question.
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