On March 9, 2009 the Newsboys introduced Michael Tait as their new lead singer. I, like many, thought that it was an interesting (and somewhat surprising) choice. Visually and vocally, Tait appeared to be the exact opposite of Peter Furler and we all wondered how the Newsboys would sound with him singing. Two months later, In The Hands Of God was released with Furler on vocals. The tour, however, featured Tait singing the bulk of the material with Furler making special appearances. Furler’s last official show was on September 11 in Orlando. At the time I remember thinking that a Tait fronted Newsb0ys would last one album and possibly tour or two before fizzling out. Even behind the songwriting and production of Peter Furler (which is what was advertised) I could not have imagined what was to come next.
A five song EP entitled Born Again was released in January of 2010 and at first listen I was intrigued. The five songs (Born Again, On Your Knees, When The Boys Light Up, I’ll Be, and One Shot) sounded like a mix of Newsboys and Tait’s previous group DC Talk. Tait shared songwriting credits on four of the songs. The thing that stuck out was the absence of Peter Furler. Steve Taylor did contribute to When The Boys Light Up but many (myself included) wondered what happened to the original plan. The full length album came out July 13 and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 which was their highest position ever. It also became their fourth number one album on the Christian charts. I bought the iTunes version because it included four bonus tunes including a version of Glorious with Tait singing lead. Long time manager Wes Campbell had songwriting credit on nine songs. Juan Otero (a former back-up dancer for DC Talk) and Seth Mosley shared production credits and songwriting credits on eleven of the songs. There were also covers of Reuben Morgan’s Mighty To Save, DC Talk’s Jesus Freak (featuring KJ-52) and Build Us Back which was co-written by former Audio Adrenaline vocalist Mark Stuart. Christmas! A Newsboys Holiday followed in December but I was not impressed with the song choices and summarily dismissed it. Tait’s first outing with the band had exceeded my expectations but I still wasn’t convinced that this version of Newsboys had staying power. Obviously, I wanted to see what was next.
2011 saw Tait’s Newsboys follow in Furler’s footsteps when they released God’s Not Dead. Seth Mosley returned as producer and co-wrote four of the tracks but the album consisted mostly of praise and worship songs written and released by others. It was anchored by Daniel Bashta’s God’s Not Dead (Like A Lion) which featured a guest vocal from Tait’s former band mate Kevin Max. A version featuring David Crowder was already a hit at the time but it is fair to say that the Newsboys version has since become the more familiar of the two. Once again, a Tait Newsboys album went to number one on the Christian charts and once again, the Newsboys filled the seats when they toured.
A live album (Newsboys Live In Concert: God’s Not Dead) was released in 2012 and featured Tait singing older tunes Something Beautiful and He Reigns alongside the hits from the first two albums of his era. They also released the single The League Of Incredible Vegetables for a Veggie Tales video of the same name. Instead of fading away, the Newsboys remained as visible as ever. That was only going to increase.
Restart dropped in September 2013 with regular and deluxe versions. Once again, there were several different songwriters and producers listed in the credits. Restart did take a more decidedly pop direction than previous Newsboys albums. For better or worse, it sounded more like the music being played on mainstream radio at the time. Not surprising, it went to number one on the Christian charts and cracked the top forty Pop charts. Kevin Max popped up on two of the bonus tracks including a cover of Mike + The Mechanics massive hit The Living Years. The standout track for me was We Believe, which was an adaption of The Apostles Creed. It was obvious that this was a newer and shinier version of the Newsboys and it did not resemble the quirky alternative version from the late 1990’s. It was also obvious that they weren’t going anywhere.
Next up, the band appeared and performed in the 2014 Christian drama God’s Not Dead, which starred Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, and Dean Cain. They released Hallelujah For The Cross that November. I wasn’t even aware of it at the time because, quite honestly, I was burned out by hearing God’s Not Dead every thirty minutes on the radio. When I finally did listen to Hallelujah For The Cross I was actually impressed. It contained ten tracks, eight of which were well-known hymns. There was an interesting new take on the Not Ashamed track Where You Belong/Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus and the wonderful title track which was written by Ross King and Todd Wright. While not exactly earth-shattering or completely original, it was a breath of fresh air and somewhat risky. The safe choice would have been another collection of popular worship anthems or even more auto-tuned pop singles. This one has actually become a favorite of mine but that’s probably because I am old and remember the hymns from my childhood.
2016 saw the release of Love Riot, which was synth heavy and had a slightly “darker” musical vibe than previous efforts. It was more interesting (musically and lyrically) than Restart and seemed to hint that the band was heading in a slightly different direction. Love Riot topped Billboard’s Rock charts and Billboard’s Alternative charts, It also reached number two on the Christian charts, and number fourteen on the Billboard 200. They made a cameo appearance in God’s Not Dead 2 which starred Melissa Joan Hart and Jesse Metcalfe. After skipping them for several years, I finally caught the Tait Newsboys live on this tour. As always, they were highly entertaining and Tait showed why he had been able to lead the band.
2017 saw incessant touring but the biggest news (pun intended) was a new single called The Cross Has The Final Word. The song was teased with cryptic photos and messages on social media featuring the band with both Peter Furler and Phil Joel. The song, while not a return to classic Newsboys form, was a somber worship song that showcased the two distinct vocalists. For long time fans it was a pleasant surprise. However, it was surpassed in December when it was announced that both Furler and Joel would be joining the band for a 2018 tour entitled Newsboys United.
2018 arrived and anticipation for the Newsboys United tour was building. The tour kicked off in February and featured sets from both singers. I saw them April 21 in Binghamton, NY and was totally blown away. The Newsboys (even in down years) always delivered live. By that point I had seen John James’ last tour, the Love Liberty Disco inflatable dome tour, a show during the worship era (without Jody Davis), a show with Paul Colman, and the Tait fronted line-up. This show began with six songs from Tait and then transitioned with He Reigns as Furler and Joel joined them. The next elevens songs were a greatest hits package but the standouts (to me) were Breakfast and what I believe to be the best song they’ve ever produced, Lost The Plot. Tait then returned for more which included a brief talk accompanied by a crowd singalong to the chorus of country hit My Church. They finished up with rollicking versions of Jesus Freak and God’s Not Dead before Furler and Joel returned for The Cross Has The Final Word. I can honestly say that the show exceeded my expectations and if it was nothing more than a cash grab (which some critics had suggested) then it was the most sincere cash grab I have ever seen. It is also worth noting that the band (sans Furler and Joel) appeared in God’s Not Dead: A Light In The Darkness and released a gospel flavored update of the song featuring Kirk Franklin.
Newsboys United continued tour throughout 2018 and announced that a full album would follow in 2019 with even more tour dates. Newsboys United was released on May 10, 2019. The ten song album (thirteen if you purchase the digital Bonus edition) is neither the quirky alterna-pop of Furler’s heyday or the radio-friendly pop of Tait’s reign. It lies somewhere in between and that may be its only flaw. It’s not a bad album though. It sounds like a natural progression from The Cross Has The Final Word. Opening track Greatness Of God sounds familiar and benefits from the blending of vocals from Furler, Tait, and Joel. I haven’t seen any of these songs live and I can imagine they may be more effective in a concert setting. Kevin Max makes an appearance on Love One Another which may be the closest thing to “classic” Newsboys on the whole record. Only The Son (Yeshua) and Rejoice are my favorite tracks. Unfortunately for those who prefer physical CDs, the latter is only found on the digital version. Lyrically, the album doesn’t disappoint. Musically, the albums works. The worst thing I can say about it is that it is generic. To some that is anathema but for a bunch of guys who are my age (late 40’s and early 50’s) it is quite an accomplishment.
There you have it. My Great Newsboys Experiment has come to a close. In case you are curious, I am currently planning a similar series of blog posts about the band Skillet in the near future. Stay tuned.
Grace and peace
That 80s Pastor Dude 