dc Talk to release greatest hits and solo work

THE NEW compilation by dc Talk Intermission: The Greatest Hits' contains two new recordings and tracks from the band's latest three studio albums. The two new songs are "Sugar Coat It" and "Chance". The band's Toby McKeenan told Billboard magazine, "'With Sugar Coat It', we wanted to take a song musically down the history path of dc Talk. We tried to bring, all elements together there and not sweat the cohesiveness as much but just deliver something that gave you all three vocal styles and at the same time talked about our career from an inside perspective." On 'Intermission' McKeehan says dc Talk opted not to include songs from the first two albums. "We have a plan in place to kind of make a mix tape off those two "says Mckeehan." The first two albums were a lot different and I think we'd rather go in and create a mix tape and make it a little more current sounding. (With) those two and some of the hip hop-oriented things off the band's 1 992 album) 'Free At Last', we are going to make an o d school record, mixed by a DJ. I don't know when it will be out. We are trying to figure out if we want to schedule it before or after our next album."

The band plans to put out an EP in April that will include two new cuts from each member's solo projects as well as a new dc Talk song. Then, if all goes as planned, Michael Tait's album will be released in July, Kevin Max's in August and Toby McKeehan's in September. "We decided we were going to approach it together," says McKeehan. "We've worked this platform together for 10 years and we thought we'd use that to launch these records and then continue to work together." Each member is understandably excited about his solo album. "I am so stoked", says Tait of his project, which he describes as pop rock with edge. "1 can't wait. I've been working on it for over a year, writing the songs, being in the studio, caressing each word, trying every moment to make it the absolute best it can be." Max declines to reveal much about his project. "I really kind of want it to be a surprise. I don't want to give out too much information about what it's like yet. I'm still making it", he says. "I'm really excited, and it's coming together better than I ever thought it would be."