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Praise and Worship Beat
Archives
May - June 2006
Redefining Contemporary Christian Music
When I last checked, the David Crowder Band had 59% of the vote in MSN
Music's July Artist of
the Month poll, an impressive lead over Nelly Furtado (28%) and Neil
Young (11%).
According to the
website:
In only a couple of years, David Crowder and his band have
single-handedly redefined what contemporary Christian music should sound
like. While Crowder is unafraid to make direct and straightforward pledges
to his savior, he seems extremely restless creatively and tries his hand at
any style that suits him. Even Crowder's fans in the Christian music
community had to be blown away by the album "A Collision or (3+4=7)," a
literate, pensive and complicated album about death. It won the Dove Award
for Best Rock Album, and had even secular fans wondering what's next. Now
Crowder returns with his answer: "B Collision," a melodramatic album about
heaven, hell and many subjects in between.
June 30th, 2006
Loosey-Goosey
I think that the Toledo Blade likes
David Crowder's new album:
"B Collision" is a loosey-goosey set with a streak of bluegrass right
through the middle, including acoustic guitars, banjo, and fiddle.
June 26th, 2006
Global Worship Now
Coming soon, from Integrity Music, the
Global Worship Now website:
God is birthing a revolution in today's church: Inspired creativity and
innovative resources are flowing from local congregations like never before.
GlobalWorshipNow.com exists as a platform to help dynamic churches share
their songs, media and messages with the Body of Christ worldwide.
June 26th, 2006
Searching for Significance
Natalie Grant answers questions from South Carolina's The State
newspaper:
How did combating international human trafficking become so important
to you?
I think all of us are searching for significance, to be a part of something
that matters, whether you’re a Christian or not. (In the music industry) it
can be really easy to become self-involved and be about you. Where’s my song
on the chart? How is my career going? It was kind of a wake up to me. This
isn’t what I was created for. I was watching television, and it’s the last
place I thought I’d have an epiphany. I was watching “Law & Order” and they
did an episode on human trafficking. I had never heard of it and I started
doing my own research.
June 17th, 2006
"Then I Realized I Didn't Like Much Christian
Music"
Christianity Today reviews a new book:
Show me an evangelical between the ages of 15 and 50, and I'll show
you an evangelical who can tell this story (or something much like it): I
used to listen to secular music, then I discarded it all and listened only
to Christian music. Then I realized I didn't like much Christian music, so I
slowly started listening to secular music again. Now I listen to the David
Crowder Band in the mornings and Radiohead on the drive home.
June 16th, 2006
The Many Worthy Contributions Christian
Artists Have Made to Christian Culture and Entertainment.
 Integrity's
"100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music" is
now on sale.
The list is subjective, and the editor, Jay Swartzendruber, admits so.
But with the help of a group of music industry executives and 2,500
Christian music fans, he has whittled thousands of songs down to the top
100.
"Before we began sifting through thousands of potential nominees, we also
had to clarify what made for one of Christian music's greatest songs,"
Swartzendruber said. "In this case, did `great' mean excellent, innovative,
popular or influential? Actually, all of the above."
They did a commendable job picking the songs. You'll find favorites such as
Amy Grant's "El Shaddai," Rich Mullins' "Awesome God" and Michael W. Smith's
"Friends." The list also includes everything from music pioneers Keith Green
and 2nd Chapter of Acts to current artists Mark Schultz and MercyMe.
I won't give away the top 10, but the rankings are solid, though debatable.
If you've listened to Christian music for a very long, you'll recognize many
of these as standards played regularly on the radio.
One of the best features of the book is that with every song you learn the
story behind it. Other artists offer comments on how they were affected by
the song, and interesting factoids are interspersed throughout.
"100 Greatest" is a good reminder of the many worthy contributions Christian
artists have made to Christian culture and entertainment. If you've never
given the genre a try, this book could be a valuable guide in sampling some
of Christian music's best offerings.
June 15th, 2006
Bless the Broken Road
The Grand Rapids Press carries a preview of
Selah's new album, "Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album." This pairs
the group with a variety of guest artists, including a former Selah member,
along with Kim Hill, Cynthia Clawson, Nichole Nordeman, Jill Phillips and
Jason Crabb of the Crabb Family.
June 9th, 2006
Twenty-Six, Going on Forty-Six
Jaci Velasquez reflects:
I am 26 years old and when I tell people I’m 26 years old, I feel like I
should be telling them I’m 46 because of the life I’ve led.
May 31st, 2006
We Really Are a Band
The Christian Today website interviews
Delirious? band members:
One thing we learned during the recording of The Mission Bell is that we
really are a band. When we got in the studio and played together, there was
a sort of magic that happened in this album. And I guess that’s what makes
the record stand out in many ways. There’s a special sound to it.
May 23rd, 2006
Christian Artists Hit the Mainstream
Christian artists are still scaling the secular charts, reports
Billboard Radio Monitor, and at least two Christian label officials say
the trend will continue. A fascinating report, well worth reading.
May 23rd, 2006
God Is Bigger Than the Boxes We Put Him In
Sonicflood is to
join a missions mobilization tour of at least 40 cities from September,
sponsored by the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.
Rick Heil, Sonicflood’s lead singer, said he hopes the three-month
nationwide tour will inspire students to think about their faith and examine
what it means to follow Christ.
“So many students are searching for truth and looking for something more,”
said Heil, who has participated in international mission trips to South
Africa, Turkey and Thailand. “I hope through this tour students will realize
that God is bigger than the boxes they have put Him in. I pray that the
students will see that God loves everyone the same and He is to be shared.
“If you have the cure for cancer,” Heil said, “wouldn’t you want to share it
with the world? We can offer a cure for sin -– Jesus Christ -– and we should
share Him with the world.”
My Life, His Mission, meanwhile, is a six-week challenge to encourage
student participation in missions.
May 22nd, 2006
Broken but Joyous People
Delirous? front man
Martin Smith writes about his experience with “Hope: Rwanda 100 Days of
Hope”
We were guests at a three-day event in the national stadium in Kilgali,
which was organized by the American preacher, Joyce Meyer. Stu and I went on
our own this time just to fit in with the band there. The stadium was
electric every night with about 20,000 to 30,000 locals rocking to “Majesty”
and other Delirious? tunes. It was an honor to be part of the Joyce Meyer
team who are an amazing bunch of people.
This event was one of hundreds happening all throughout Rwanda. These events
took place over 100 days where everything took place from building houses,
taking Bibles into prisons, training doctors and housing orphans.
It was an incredible time for us, and it was fantastic to meet and fall in
love with the Rwandan people. Next time we’ll go back ready for business
with the whole band. Our experience again heightened the fact of how man can
be so evil to each other, but in the end good prevails because deep in the
hearts of people we are made to want good, not evil. This made me realize
that there is a God, and in Rwanda I was reminded that this great God is
alive and lives in the hearts of many broken but joyous people.
May 16th, 2006
Local Praise and Worship for the World
Britain's
Cross Rhythms newsletter reports on a scheme where local church worship
composers get a chance to have their songs professionally recorded and
released by dB Studios on an album series.
I asked [producer] Howard [Williams] how dB set about finding all these
grassroots composers? "Throughout the year the studio runs a number of
training days for songwriters, vocalists and musicians," he explained.
"We are also closely connected with a two year course for worship leaders,
the Central Worship Academy, run by Chris Bowater and Andy Bromley. We have
connections with many churches around the country and have contacts with
many bands and songwriters that have built up since the studio formed. Each
project is made up of all of these connections. We also have articles on our
website www.db-studios.co.uk that
have led songwriters to us."
May 8th, 2006
Can the Devil Match That Business Model?
Christian Music Today's
The Scoop points to a recent article on Christian music in the
New York Times, which gives a so-so review to Mercy Me's new "Coming
Up To Breathe" album, but then concludes:
In an overwhelmingly Christian country, it may seem strange that
Christian rock even exists as a niche genre; if rock better reflected
American demographics, then secular rock would be the niche.
But at a time when rock radio commands a dwindling core of listeners, and
when major labels are struggling to create the multi-million-selling stars
they depend upon, niche status might not seem so bad.
MercyMe already has a devoted fan base, a ready-made touring circuit and
lots of loyal album buyers. The Devil may still have the best tunes (for
now), but can he match that business model?
May 4th, 2006
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