After a three year absence, Toby Mac released his 12th album, “This Is Not a Test,” on Aug. 7. His previous album, “Eye on It,” was at one point the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Producing an album with the same caliber as his previous one would be a challenging task, but in my opinion, Mac hit it off with his latest album.

“This Is Not a Test” contains 15 songs and features other artists such as, Hollyn, NF and Capitol Kings. The first thing I noticed with this album are the upbeat and positive songs. My favorite out of these would be, “Til The Day I Die.” It talks about how Mac will always praise God until he dies. It also features one of my favorite artists, NF.

“Til the wheels fall off, til the spotlight fades, I will lift your banner high, Lord I’ll lift your banner high, and til the walls crash in, for the rest of my days I’ll lay it all on the line.”

“Backseat Driver,” is about letting God be in control of our lives. It features Hollyn and Tru. I personally am a fan Hollyn in this album. She also appears on, “Lights Shine Bright.” She has a unique voice and it blends in well with Mac. I also appreciate how much of the gospel is incorporated into his songs. Mac was one of the first Christian rappers and he still does a good job of mixing in the gospel with his music.

“You were there, you heard my prayer in that broke down dusty room, it was the first time I said, “I’m Yours,” the first time I called You Lord.”

A lot of the songs have a catchy tune. While listening to the album, I noticed that a lot of them were getting stuck in my head. I have already purchased multiple songs and most likely will buy many more.

Despite my praise of the album, there are some disappointments that I found with it. The first thing I noticed is that many of the songs sound the same. While I do like the songs, too many of them sound similar. It would have been nice for Mac to mix things up a little.

In my last music review, I applauded, “Therapy Session,” for how much emotion was put into the songs. I also mentioned that I am a fan of slow and personal songs. However, in my opinion, Mac should avoid writing the slow songs. I did not find them likable and was disappointed with them. I would have liked to just upbeat songs.

As a whole, I was very impressed with, “This Is Not a Test.” I found Mac’s positive and upbeat songs very enjoyable. The addition of artists, Hollyn and NF really helped tie some of the songs together. The main thing I would have liked to see in this album was a mix of different beats as too many songs sounded the same. If you have a different opinion of the album, leave a comment below.

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For another music review, read: “Therapy Session” shatters expectations with personal, touching songs.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @nick_leblanc1 and via email: Nick LeBlanc.