TobyMac's Newest Album Debuts in Billboard Top 10

By Kevin Jackson, Christian Post Reporter Friday, March 02, 2007

Christian music superstar tobyMac has jumped into the top 10 of Billboard’s Top 200 list with his latest album.

The record, titled Portable Sounds, had the best performance on the mainstream charts this week among Christian artists, selling over 51,000 copies, as well as ranking No. 1 on the SoundScan Contemporary Christian Overall chart.

"For me Portable Sounds was a labor of love,” stated the singer on his website. “The rest is a great plan and a passionate team coming together and rockin’ it. It's always an honor to know that people connect with your music.”

The theme of the album was to make his music completely “portable” to all listeners. Ironically, most of his record sales came from digital sales, ranking No. 4 on the Billboard Digital Sales chart.

Before the new CD, tobyMac found success with his pre-release single, “Made to Love.” The song debuted as No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart and has stayed in the top 5 songs since. It also took the uppermost spot in the SoundScan Christian Digital Track chart.

“We could not be happier with the setup, delivery and debut of Portable Sounds,” commented Peter York, president of EMI CMG Label Group, in Jesus Freak Hideout. “Toby has earned the reputation of being the hardest working artist in the industry and that passion and drive flows out from him and into everyone he comes in contact with, whether it’s a fan at a show or the team of people that work on his records. Working with an artist whose heart is in the right place and whose personal standard is as high as Toby’s, is truly inspiring.”

Mac’s first two albums, Momentum (2001) and Welcome to Diverse City (2004), have also had strong success, being Gold certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Recently, tobyMac was also named as a nominee for this year’s “Artist of the Year” at the 38th Annual Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards, the most reputable Christian awards showcase. The Dove Awards will be held on Apr. 25 in Nashville.

tobyMac will be headlining an upcoming tour Mar. 15 with his Portable Sounds Tour. It will hit 19 cities and features three other Christian rock groups, Thousand Foot Krutch, Building 429, and Family Force 5.

An updated tour schedule is available at www.tobyMac.com.