The word “TAO” in Chinese means “The Way.” As in the way of living that conforms to the truths of the moral universe, nature, etc. TAO is also an acronym for The Abolition Of, the book by CS Lewis, which is what we risk (the abolition of man/ourselves) if we lose fully touch with these aspects of our humanity. Each song on the album is about a different part (or parts) of our humanity/humanness we’ve slowly been losing touch with. Shad's 12-track effort, as a fan says, "speaks volumes in such a limited quantity. Warning and admonishing us as human beings not to conform to the grand scale plan woven in the fabric of our lives. Whether we're just browsing the internet or playing games on our apps. the abolition of us is front and center. This album is a signal flare to awake us and keep us from throwing away what's precious due to the trends. I can dig it. Lyrically, he's as sharp as ever. Getting better with age." While the production is drastically left of my normal listening pleasure, Shad delivers on his promise of lyrics and message. It's a great project to sit with and digest fully, so definitely give it a listen below and if you haven't listen to "HOME" off Eternia & Rel McCoy's "FREE" album, check out Shad's incredible verse on that track, as well. Peace...