Tuesday, October 2, 2012

lists.

lists. in my generation of twitter and shortening attention spans they are so handy!
i was recently asked to write a list about the top 25 most influential christian albums of all time. holy buckets that is difficult. but i plowed ahead and did the best i could leaving off some albums i know others would have added but this is my list so shush. these are in absolutely no particular order


·      Business Up Front, Party in the Back by Family Force 5- These boys brought us crunk.
·      Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth by Rich Mullins- “Awesome God,” need I say more?
·      She Must and Shall Go Free by Derek Webb- He toes the line, he swears, and I like it.
·      The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot- The album where Christians cried the band sold out because it got mainstream airplay and Jon Foreman solidified himself as one of the best lyricists of our time.
·      Step Up to the Microphone by the Newsboys- the first album featuring the fab five as the Newsboys should be: Peter Furler, Phil Joel, Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein.
·      My Forever by He Is We- A ridiculously sing-able album and there isn’t one song about purity (not that singing about purity is bad, I am just sick of that being the target market for female singers).
·      Phenomenon by Thousand Foot Krutch- “Rawkfist” crossed over into mainstream and did that polished rock thing really well.
·      Ocean Eyes by Owl City- Hello, electronica made for a wide audience.
·      Heart In Motion by Amy Grant- My very first CD. She got herself pretty much shunned from the Christian community but we’ve accepted her back. I think.
·      Almost There by MercyMe- When you’ve got a blatantly, contemporary Christian song (“I Can Only Imagine”) being played on top 40’s radio it has to make the list.
·      Beyond Belief by Petra- Classic rock that inspired many of the artists that inspire today. And John Schlitt can still work a crowd.
·      Rehab by Lecrae- Good rap/hip-hop was not easy to find in the Christian market until Lecrae and the 116 Clique came along.
·      The Outsiders by NEEDTOBREATHE- The album that took them from being a great band to a phenomenal band. Hey, Taylor Swift noticed.
·      MuteMath by MuteMath- They were progressive way before they were ever on the Twilight soundtrack.
·      Jesus Freak by DC Talk- Can we all just go ahead and agree that this one is on the list without having to talk about why?
·      Do You Feel? by The Rocket Summer- The one-man wonder under the moniker “The Rocket Summer” shows his chops and his heart.
·      The Silver Cord by The Classic Crime- It’s raw and honest and has lines like, “There’s more glory to been seen and savored through suffering than ever was through self-serving escape.”
·      Who We Are Instead by Jars of Clay- The band that changed their sound on almost every album. This was my favorite…though If I Left the Zoo was pretty great too.
·      Comatose by Skillet- This is one where they honed their sound. Unfortunately, they haven’t expanded much beyond since.
·      Young Love by Mat Kearney- He has a style all his own and this album is exploding like none of previous albums have.
·      Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars- Longtime Christian artist Joy Williams paired with John Paul White to produce a stripped-down, haunting release that reminds us we don’t always need bells and whistles.
·      To Hell With the Devil by Stryper- Yellow and black. Hair metal. And a Stryper t-shirt was seen in the movie “Whip It” so there’s that.
·      Who Can Know It by Showbread- Their first album on Come&Live! and they did a Kickstarter before Kickstarter was the thing to do.
·      Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek by Relient K- They endeared themselves to 14 year old girls everywhere with witty lyrics that were, well, tongue in cheek. And now Matt Thiessen writes for Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, and Owl City.
·      The Peace of Wild Things by Paper Route- This one just released but it’s got all the ingredients of a “this is such a classic album.” It’s the influencer for future artists.

which albums are on your list?

xo 

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