Christian Music (Now discussing Andrae Crouch's Soulfully; Caedmon's Call's Caedmon's Call)

Allow me to state preemptively . . . my list of the public poll is corrupted, meaning a few numbers dropped out . . .#67 is one of them, and since the website that hosted this list has disappeared into the ether and I can't find another one, we'll be discussing just one album this week.

#67:

CCM:

Lie Down in the Grass (1984) - Charlie Peacock

[image=http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/dre500/e556/e55620fdh9a.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Lie Down in the Grass
2. Watchin' Eternity
3. It's Gone, It's Over
4. Human Condition
5. Lost in Translation
6. One, Two, Three (That's Okay)
7. Whole Lot Different/Whole Lot the Same
8. Till You Caught My Eye
9. Turned on an Attitude
10. Who Is Not Afraid?

My opinion:

I've only ever heard the title track from this album. Didn't like it.

 

Can't believe didn't find this earlier.

Well, I haven't even heard of Charlie Peacock. My mom probably has that CD somewhere, but I don't feel like searching through who knows how many boxes to find it.

Backtracking a bit, onto what you said about Switchfoot, I like Switchfoot not so much for their music--not the best singing, and I agree that the tunes are forgettable--but for the popularity they have gained in the secular market. I admire that. (And I'm excited that there are three Christian groups on the new NOW CD. I don't like them that much, but there are people who do like them and will listen.) Also, I really like Meant to Live.

Suzi

 

I love Petra. Beyond Belief is my favorite album by them. I have the cassette, the CD, and the video of it.

 

Cassette, CD, and video? Wow. I'm impressed.

Of course, I have four copies on CD of the song Jesus Freak, by DC Talk, not to mention the video and the books.

 

hehe, that sounds like me and my sister with relient K

 

DC Talk and Relient K. Best. Bands. Ever.

I do have two copies of Down in Flames and I Am Understood?. Problem with Relient K is that they've got so little out. Three CDs, all of which I have, and that's about it. New CD probably this fall, though!

The four copies of Jesus Freak, though... (Just the song, not the album) Well, that's confusing. I got the book, and there's a free CD in the back with Jesus Freak on it. Then I thought I lost it. So I burned it from my friend's CD. Then I wanted the whole CD. So I bought it. Then there's intermission, which also has Jesus Freak on it. Somewhere in there, I found the CD from the book. So, voila! I have four copies.

 

Interesting you mention Jesus Freak, since DC Talk counts Charlie Peacock as one of their major influences. They actually cover one of Peacock's best songs, In the Light, on Jesus Freak. Despite the fact that his music is hard to come by, he remains one of the most influential figures of gospel music.

#66:

CCM:

The Basics of Life (1992) - 4HIM

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000005DK.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Basics of Life
2. When It Comes to Livin'
3. Fountain of Youth
4. This Time
5. Through His Eyes
6. Built on Amazing Grace
7. Freedom
8. Livin' in the Lion's Mouth
9. When It's Time to Go
10. Heads over Heels
11. Wrecking Ball
12. Voice of God

Public Poll:

Shawl (1993) - The Prayerchain

[image=http://62.151.28.35/infodiscos/00/130/134739.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Crawl
2. Dig Dug
3. Fifty-eight
4. Like I Was
4. The Hollow
6. Never Enough
7. Wrounde
8. Grin
9. Big Wheel
10. Pure
11. Worm
12. Psycho Flange

My opinion:

I'm only familiar with the title cut from the 4HIM album. It's a nice song, a bit low key.

As for Shawl . . . great album. Dark, angry, bitter, all the things a gospel album isn't supposed to be. In the tradition of Pearl Jam, the lead singer growls disconnected phrases of frustration, spiritual and otherwise.

Does God hear? Does He care? Why do I feel this way? Questions from the dark night of the soul and brilliantly executed. The album reaches its courageous zenith with the horrific line, "Why doesn't He love me?" It's a stunning album about the dark times, the times of doubt, the times when God feels so far away, the kind of album Job would have recorded.

And if light eventually comes, it comes only to reveal our flaws and leave us again staggered at our own sinfulness and unworthiness. Again, more than a tad reminiscent of Job.

A brilliant album, courageously honest about the dark night of the soul and brutally vivid in terms of our own sinfulness. A bracing, shocking cold shower of an album. Worthy of placement if only for its courage and honesty.

 

If I may be allowed comments on a past cd, (since I've heard of neither of the currents), beyond belief by petra was and still is an awesome cd. I've still got it, I was a huge petra fan growing up, and they greatly influenced my musical tastes.

 

I knew Charlie Peacock sounded familiar from somewhere!

I haven't heard either of the two albums, but I love both groups.

 

#65:

CCM:

Matters of the Heart (1982) - Bob Bennett

[image=http://www.museweb.com/bennett/graphics/sb_med.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Matters of the Heart
2. Falling Stars
3. Mountain Cathedrals
4. 1951
5. A Song About Baseball
6. Madness Dancing
7. Together All Alone
8. Beggar
9. Come and See
10. Heart of the Matter

Public Poll:

I'll Lead You Home (1995) - Michael W. Smith

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000004TH.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Cry for Love
2. Breakdown
3. As It Is In Heaven
4. Straight to the Heart
5. Someday
6. I'll Be Around
7. I'll Lead You Home
8. Other Side of Me (Trilogy 1)
9. Breathe in Me (Trilogy 2)
10. Angels Unaware (Trilogy 3)
11. Calling Heaven
12. Little Bit Stronger Every Day
13. Crown Him With Many Crowns
14. I'm Waiting for You

My opinion:

Not familiar with the Bennett album.

Ah! Our first Smitty album! And this remains one of his best. From the energetic and passionate Cry for Love, we merge into the social commentary of Breakdown, a cry for America to turn from it's senseless ways.

Then it's an old chestnut, the Lord's Prayer, set, once again, to music and it's a tribute to Smith's talent as a composer that this is still moving, despite having been done many times before. The beautiful and heartfelt Straight to the Heart never fails to move me.

And the energetic Someday, another social commentary song, touching on everything from the then current Simpson trial to the still current middle eastern crisis in a moving and peppy cry for Kingdom come.

The magnificent title track remains one of Smitty's five best songs, a heartbreaking and emotional song calling out to those in the depths of despair.

The trilogy showcases a great orchestral work composed by Smitty (warming up for Freedom, his magnum opus) and even has a nice relationship tie running through them, with the first song dealing with family, the second with God, and the third with the world around.

Then comes the heartfelt Calling Heaven, a masterful work asking mercy for those who can never know God's love to the fullest.

Two more peppy ones, the light Little Bit Stronger and the rousing Crown Him with Many Crowns (a fabulous number with guest appearance by Anointed) and then the album closes on the heartbreaking and beautiful I'm Waiting for You.

All in all, one of the best albums. Period.

 

#64

CCM:

Love Broke Thru (1976) - Phil Keaggy

[image=http://one-way.org/jesusmusic/thumbs/lovebrok.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Your Love Broke Through
2. Take Me Closer
3. As the Ruin Falls
4. Wild Horse
5. Disappointment
6. Time
7. Portrait
8. Just the Same
9. Things I Will Do
10. Abraham

Public Poll:

The Father's Song (2000) - Matt Redman

[image=http://www.sjofar.com/shop/cd/image/SUR038.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Take the World but Give Me Jesus
2. Light of the World
3. King of This Heart
4. Justice and Mercy
5. The Father's Song
6. Nothing is Too Much
7. You Led Me To the Cross
8. Holy Moment
9. O Sacred King
10. Revelation
11. Thanks You For the Blood
12. You Must Increase
13. Let My Words Be Few
14. On and On

My opinion:

Not familiar with the Keaggy album, except for the iconic Time, a great song.

Matt Redman is certainly one of the defining figures in worship. Getting a large boost via his friendship with Delirious? frontman, Martin Smith, Redman continues to put out solid effort after solid effort. This disc is no exception with a solid line up of songs.

Every song, with the exception of Holy Moment, a bit of a disappointment, especially given Sonicflood's presence on that track, is solid and moving.

Redman, utilizing a sound very much like Delirious?'s manages to create a moody and evocative sound on every song. Both the up tempo rockers (Light of This World, Justice and Mercy, etc) and the moodier, slow songs (Let My Words Be Few, Father's Song, Thank You for the Blood, etc) succeed marvelously.

A strong effort from a great artist. Almost every track is a home run.

Best track: a toss up between the gorgeous Father's Song and the epic and emotional Let My Words Be Few.

Great album.

 

#63

CCM:

Horrendous Disc (1980) - Daniel Amos

[image=http://users.ev1.net/~botheja/images/CDs/SRD211a.jpg]

Tracks:

1. I Love You #19
2. Hound of Heaven
3. Near Sighted Girl with Approaching Tidal Wave
4. Sky King (Out Across the Sky)
5. On the Line
6. I Believe in You
7. Man in the Moon
8. Never Leave You
9. Horrendous Disc

Public Poll:

The Nu Nation Project (1998) - Kirk Franklin

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005TSOT.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Interlude: The Verdict
2. Revolution
3. Lean on Me
4. Something About the Name Jesus
5. Riverside
6. He Loves Me
7. Gonna Be a Lovely Day
8. Praise Joint (Remix)
9. Hold Me Now
10. You Are
11. Interlude: The Car (Stomp)
12. If You've Been Delivered
13. Smile Again
14. Love (Remix)
15. My Desire
16. Blessing in the Storm
17. I Can

My opinion:

Not familiar with Daniel Amos at all.

The Kirk Franklin album is a brilliant one, one that deserves to be much lower.

As if Franklin and his back up choir wasn't enough, this album features an all star roster of guest appearances, most notably Bono and Fred Hammond.

This is a strong, strong album, featuring some of the most rousing music I've ever heard. It gets you on your feet. It's powerful, emotional, cathartic in many different ways.

From slow worship songs to up tempo rockers, this album succeeds wonderfully.

And guess what, even the interludes work, especially the hilarious The Car.

A great album. A must listen.

 

#62

CCM:

Alarma! (1981) - Daniel Amos

[image=http://www.danielamos.com/da/alarma/alarmafront.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Central Theme
2. Alarma!
3. Big Time/Big Deal
4. Props
5. My Room
6. Faces to the Window
7. Cloak and Dagger
8. Colored By
9. C & D Reprise
10. Through the Speakers
11. Hit Them
12. Baby Game
13. Shedding the Mortal Coil
14. Endless Summer
15. Walls of Doubt
16. Ghost of the Heart

Public Poll:

Forever Mercy (1989) - Altar Boys

[image=http://drindustrial.flamingfish.com/graphics/CDs/A/AltarBoys/ForeverMercy.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Forever Mercy
2. Listen Up Now
3. Faith!
4. The Meaning of Life
5. Ride This Train
6. World Burning
7. Here Ends the Night
8. Love Eternal
9. More Than Words
10. Silent Night

My opinion:

Afraid I'm not familiar with either of these.

 

Hey, I got a question, I don't listen to Christian Music, but I do listen to a lot of alternative and classic rock.

Anyway, my question is about an album like Mary Star of the Sea, by ZWAN. It's a really really great album, and so many of the songs are about Jesus and faith and god. Does that qualify as Christian rock?

I mean, one song is Declaration of Faith, Honestly sounds like it could be about God, one song is called Jesus and Mary Star of the Sea. The whole thing has a very pro-Jesus pro-faith message, and I wondered if you fans of Christian rock would consider it Christian rock.

Or a song like George Harrison's My Sweet Lord or the Doobs "Jesus is Just Allright With Me," or Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky."

 

There's debate about that. Personally, that's one of the reasons I dislike labels in general, even one that seems as obvious as Gospel Music.

Heck, Sympathy for the Devil is a gospel song, isn't it?

#61

CCM:

Return (1990) - The Winans

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002LL3.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

1. It's Time
2. Everyday the Same
3. Don't Leave Me
4. A Friend
5. Gonna Be Alright
6. When You Cry
7. Together We Stand
8. This Time It's Personal
9. Free
10. Wherever I Go

Public Poll:

Acoustic Sketches (1998) - Phil Keaggy

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000006END.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Metamorphosis
2. Rivulets
3. Nellie's Tune
4. Passing Thought
5. Marionette
6. Del's Bells
7. Looking Back
8. Paka
9. Spend My Life With You
10. Jam in the Pocket
11. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
12. The 50th
13. Morning Snow
14. Spanish Fantasy
15. On Some Distant Shore
16. Icicles
17. On Second Thought
18. Griegarious
19. Legacy

My opinion:

The Winans album I've only heard a couple of tracks off of. They were both nice enough, namely the harmonica centered (Stevie Wonder!) Everyday the Same and the rousing and emotional Free (has there ever been a bad song with some variance of the word Free in the title . . . not sung by blacks anyway).

The Keaggy album is a classic and the only fully instrumental album on either list. Some of the pieces are simple sketches, with the shortest being a mere twenty seconds, but some are more fully developed and beautiful (On Some Distant Shore, Morning Snow, Legacy, the 50th, Paka, Nellie's Tune, Spend My Life With You). Even the brief tracks add to the emotional build up and the album is one of the most beautiful acoustic albums ever.

Standout tracks include the rocking Jam in the Pocket and a brilliant cover of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

All in all, a beautiful album. Low key, but great mood music.

 

This time, as with a previous ranking, just one album, due to a formatting error in my document.

#60

CCM:

Pages of Life (1998) - Fred Hammond

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000005Z0Z.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

Studio Disc:

1. Let the Praise Begin
2. He's a Rock (Interlude)
3. I Wanna Know Your Ways
4. I Will Bless His Holy Name
5. Jesus is All
6. Your Steps Are Ordered
7. Please Don't Pass Me By
8. You Were Much Closer
9. Just to Be Close to You
10. He's God
11. All Things Are Working
12. No Way, No Way (You Won't Lose)
13. Your Love
14. I Wanna Be Yours
15. You Called Me Friend
16. You Are My Song

Live Disc:

1. Intro
2. Let the Praise Begin
3. When the Spirit of the Lord
4. Glory to Glory to Glory
5. I Wanna Know Your Ways (Intro)
6. I Wanna Know Your Ways
7. Jesus is All (Intro)
8. Jesus is All
9. Your Steps Are Ordered
10. No Weapon
11. Dwell
12. We're Blessed/Shout Unto God
14. We're Blessed/Shout Unto God (Finale)

My opinion:

This is one of the finest gospel double albums ever. With both albums clocking in at over seventy minutes, it's an epic set of rousing music.

Fusing R & B, jazz, funk, rap, hip hop and choir into an incredible experience, Hammond takes center stage with some incredible songs, with many rousingly energetic and just as many profoundly moving and thoughtful.

Also intriguing is the spoken sections where Hammond, well, literally preaches, sometimes for a few minutes at a time, with the music keeping up in the background. Even on the studio album, it feels live.

And when was the last time you saw an introduction that was over six minutes long? One of the all time classics.

 

"Jesus is Just Allright With Me," Well, the dc Talk version of that is definitely considered Christian music.

However, you bring up a good point. There are several bands (Evenescence and Good Charlotte, for instance) which have several songs that could be considered Christian, and some of the band members have publicly admitted to being Christians, but they don't wish to be classified as Christian music.

But then again, even the Black Eyed Peas have done songs that could be considered Christian. (i.e. Where is the Love)

 

#59

CCM:

Soulfully (1972) - Andrae Crouch

[image=http://www.gospel.lt/artists/Andrae_Crouch/disk_images/100/Soulfully.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Everything Changed
2. He Proved His Love to Me
3. Oh, I Need Him
4. Satisfied
5. Through It All
6. I Come That You Might Have Life
7. You Don't Know What You're Missing
8. Try Me One More Time
9. Leave the Devil Alone
10. It Won't Be Long

Public Poll:

Caedmon's Call (1997) - Caedmon's Call

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002NCF.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg]

Tracks:

1. Lead of Love
2. Close of Autumn
3. Not the Land
4. This World
5. Bus Driver
6. Standing Up for Nothing
7. Hope to Carry On
8. Stupid Kid
9. I Just Don't Want Coffee
10. Not Enough
11. Center Aisle
12. Coming Home

My opinion:

Crouch is an icon and rightfully so. This album is one that I'm only slightly familiar with, but it gave Crouch's public perhaps his best song, the rousing and heart felt Through It All, probably the best black gospel song of the seventies.

As well, It Won't Be Long is a courageous and unique album closer, especially the choice to fade on the sounds of a ticking clock.

Caedmon's Call debut (on this label) album is a stellar effort, marred by only a few missteps, easily excused since it was their first major release.

Standouts include:

The heartfelt and emotional Lead of Love
The cathartic and angry Not the Land, one of the most frantic songs I've ever heard on a gospel album
The peppy, honky tonk piano driven Bus Driver
The socially conscious STanding Up for Nothing
The rousing cover of Rich Mullin's iconic Hope to Carry On
The heart breaking Center Aisle
The gorgeous and emotional Coming Home

There are a few missteps, most notably the muddled and chaotic I Don't Just Want Coffee and the ludicrous Stupid Kid. But Caedmon's Call, at this point, more Derek Webb than Mike Young, was still treading experimentally. And with a great folk/country/rock sound, this album signalled greatness to come.

I'd rank 40 Acres above this one, rather than below it (as this list has it), but whatever.

 

*demands more*

 

Caedmons' Call is one of the best folk/rock outfits out there. I only own their worship cd, and it's alright, but I admire so much their acoustics and wonderful harmony. Brilliant.


Yet one more group that borrwoed heavily off Jars of Clay. Jars > everyone else.

 

Jars is better than everyone one.


dkt