I had relatively high expectations for this project based upon the involvement of the two key members: Pete Stewart and Michael Tait. Stewart made incredible music with his rock band Grammatrain and released a wonderful solo album on his own in 1999. Michael Tait of dc Talk helped Stewart produce that solo album and sang background vocals on many of the songs.
It was my hope that the collaboration of Stewart and Tait would prove beneficial once again, even though this time dc Talk-ster was in the spotlight. But Pete Stewart is not nearly involved enough. While Michael Tait has attempted to create a rock album that will appeal to fans of dc Talk and Christian music in general, he let Nashville influence him too much to make a release worth remembering.
The Empty CD lyrics are not quite what you would expect from dc Talk. Michael Tait is trying to expand his horizons by making a release worthy of the moniker of alternative. Though the lyrics may make a soft stab at being alternative, a closer look will reveal that they fail in that quest. The songs on Empty focus for the most part on relationships, God, and the standing of Christianity in the world today. Generally, Tait does well to stick to the relationship side. I found myself enjoying songs like "All You Got" and "Loss For Words" but when Tait takes on cultural issues in songs like "American Tragedy" and "Talk About Jesus," he comes up short. While the messages in the songs are certainly something I can agree with, they have been said and presented better elsewhere. Nashville is finally starting to say some of the things I've been thinking for a while, yet now that they present those thoughts, I'm repulsed by how long it took them to catch on.
The music of Tait exists largely in the alternative rock genre and Pete Stewart does some fine guitar work, salvaging the record enough for me to want to go back and listen to a couple songs for the music. The solo on "American Tragedy" is particularly well done.
The ending of the song "Bonded" sums up the album. It features Pete Stewart doing an intricate high guitar solo while Michael Tait's vocals are so loud you have to strain to hear the guitar. If Mr. Tait would quiet down and Mr. Stewart would pipe up, it would be a thoroughly enjoyable project. On second thought, maybe Pete Stewart should just release another solo album.
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Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2001Reviewed by Josh L!Most people will recognize Tait by vocalist Michael Tait, the band's namesake and one third of dc Talk. It seems safe to say that if Tait proves popular, Michael's superstar identity had a little something to do with it. However, after listening to this album it's easy to tell Michael isn't their only strong asset. The band is also graced by Pete Stewart's guitars (formerly of Grammatrain),…The Rebel Base 2001Reviewed by Josh HurstThe first round of the dc Talk solo era has begun with Empty, the debut project from Michael Tait's new rock band, Tait. Tait features some talented musicians, including Lonnie Chapin and his brother Chad Chapin on bass and drums, as well as guitarist Pete Stewart, a former solo artist and Grammatrain member. The Chapins give solid performances on Empty, and while Stewart plays very well, he does…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Megan LenzEmpty is the first of three solo projects that will be released this year by the individual members of dc talk. In this case, "solo" is a loose term since Tait is a band comprised of Michael Tait himself, Pete Stewart (formerly of Grammatrain) on guitars and brothers Lonnie and Chad Chapin (bass and drums, respectively) in the rhythm section. Though Tait was probably the soul third of "Rap, Rock…Similar sounding releases
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