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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