On my other blog, (the one that occasionally included stuff I shouldn't share with my church) I'm running down my favorite music from 2011. I've explained myself, and covered Artists from the past, Country Music, Rock Music and Singers and Songwriters.
But sorting through the offerings on Napster, and now Rhapsody, I got to hear a wide selection of Christian Rock and Gospel artists. I can now say that Christian music is just like pop music. There's some good stuff, and a WHOLE LOT of bad stuff.
There's an odd feeling about Christian music. When it's terrible and simplistic, you almost feel guilty about not liking it. You expect that the artists will come back at you and say, "What do you have against Christianity?" And then you have to explain yourself; about how you work for a church, and you really love Jesus, and please don't pray for bad things to happen to me!
1 Corinthians 13:11 reads, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." To me, that means that younger people understand their religion at the most basic level; "God is Good. He loves us. Jesus died for our sins." As you get older, you start to seek out and appreciate a more complex understanding of God's love for us.
Similarly, many Christian artists write songs that are just plain simplistic and silly. These basic praise songs are wonderful for the purpose they serve: use in worship. But when I'm listening to Christian music for leisure, I prefer to delve into reflection, express more natural feelings, and explore something more than just "My God is an Awesome God."
These albums, which came out last year, all express that deeper love for God and Jesus, and do it in an incredibly musical way. I encourage everyone to check them out, even if they aren't religious; because beyond being Christian, they're also great musicians.
Amy Grant - Somewhere Down the Road (Deluxe Edition) - True, this album really came out in 2010, and the deluxe edition, which was released last year, only features a few more remixes of the single "Overnight;" but it's still really good. Amy Grant's pop career has diminished in the eyes of pop culture what a truly amazing songwriter she really is. "Somewhere Down the Road" ignores the pop culture impact of her career, and just focuses on expressing true feelings through beautiful music.
Psalms Alive! with Rob Mathes - If you've never heard of Rob Mathes, SEEK HIM OUT. I fell in love with his music with his Christmas Concerts, and his album "Evening Train" is one of my all time favorites. This collection must have come from a touring show he produced with original musical setting of the words of the Psalms. Mathes' brilliance as a composer and as a pop style artist shines through with every song which mixes Gospel with other styles.
The Martins - New Day - OK, picture a family band playing Branson or Salt Lake City, like the Osmonds, performing deeply religious music. Now, imagine it's not ridiculously cheesy. The Martins have a great feel for country-ish pop, and are all supremely talented. All three of their voices shine on solos, and their harmonies work very well.
Dave and Jess Ray - Music for The Radio - I played this album for my students, and they dug it. It took a while before some of them began to suspect the religious nature of the music. This group mixes modern pop music with some hip-hop elements, but this could have easily been recorded by any Disney artist and sold to audiences worldwide. Which, ironically, is the whole point of the title song.
Echoing Angels - This country rock band IS Christian, but their music isn't, necessarily. The Christian morality is what they write about without preaching. Plus, the songs rock hard and feel great to listen to.
And my favorite of the year... Brandon Heath - Leaving Eden - Heath's music is heartfelt and passionate. He sucks you in with the title song which sings about the bad things that happen in life, and then heals you with the rest of the album. Two songs hit home as brilliantly insightful; the amazingly beautiful meditation, "Only Water," and the motivational "The One." The rest of the album is great, too.
