A year to the month after releasing his eighth studio album, October 2018's
The Elements,
TobyMac lost his 21-year-old son
Truett to an accidental drug overdose. His eventual ninth album,
Life After Death, finds the genre-blurring Christian artist navigating the aftermath alongside a slew of guests with a poignant mix of warm appreciations and invigorated motivational songs. The album front-loads the latter in the form of funky, gospel-tinged pop entry "Help Is on the Way (Maybe Midnight)" and the equally uplifting "The Goodness," in which he trades lead vocals with
Blessing Offor. Another lively entry, "Show Up Choose Love," features
Jon Reddick and a full choir, although the track list soon heads in a more reflective direction with songs featuring
Sheryl Crow ("Promised Land"), Marlee ("Everything About You"), and members of
dc Talk ("Space"). Heartfelt throughout, the 15-song set closes on a moving note with the pairing of the solo "I'm Sorry (a lament)" and "Rest," a spare, quasi-acoustic lullaby featuring
Terrian and Gabe Real. With a quartet of its singles reaching the Christian Top Ten before the album's release,
Life After Death became
TobyMac's sixth straight Christian number one when it was released in August of 2022. ~ Marcy Donelson