New Music Tuesday
I recently picked up some new (and older) music for myself through friends and the internet. Heres a few…
Dave Barnes – Me and You and The World
Acoustic / Pop / R&B
Dave Barnes’ music is an eclectic blend of soul-infused pop-rock built on melodies that stick in your head and refuse to leave.
Bethany Dillon – So Far: The Acoustic Sessions
Christian / Acoustic / Pop
I have always thought Bethany Dillon was given a rare gift — the combination of a distinctive, powerful voice and well above average songwriting and acoustic guitar playing abilities.
Canton Jones – Kingdom Business
Hip Hop / R&B / Soul
A Morehouse college graduate, artist, writer, and producer, Canton Jones brings an element of powerful messages and sound that are quickly making him a favorite amongst aficionados and fans of great Urban Gospel and Holy Hip Hop music worldwide.
Christian Rap / Hip Hop / Rap
Flame has become my new favorite holy hip hopper. He brought the chops and laid it down sizzling with powerful imagery and lyrics that wouldn’t let up. I still love Lecrae, but Flame outdid himself.
The Fray – Acoustic in Nashville: Bootleg No. 2
Rock / Pop
It was recorded live in Nashville, Tennessee, in mid-December 2006, and released on September 4, 2007. It features never-before-released acoustic versions of “Look After You”, “She Is”, “Vienna”, “How To Save A Life” and “Heaven Forbid”.
Hillsong United – The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts as One
Christian / Alternative / Religious
This latest work from Hillsong Australia is their most creative yet! They took their live album formula and added a twist to it by making the recording worldwide. What results is a masterpiece of seamless transitions and an overwhelming feeling that you are worshiping in the middle of the enormous crowds. Every song has a uniqueness that separates it from the original recording, so the entire CD feels fresh and all new. If this is any indicator of the direction that God has led The I Heart Revolution to go, then quality worship music will continue to pour out from Hillsong Church.
Christian / Rock / Other
Who is Ian McIntosh? He is a guy who I came across on The Worship Community and I checked out his myspace and fell in love with his music. He believes that since we have the most creative being in the world being God that we should be the most creative in everything. This piano driven edgy sound will take you to new places in your worship. Ian’s sound is a bit similar to the likes of secular band Sigur Ros. He is out with a ‘new’ kind of worship and I love it!!
Jeff Deyo – The Worship Collection
Christian / Rock / Ambient
The Worship Collection is not the hastily thrown together afterthought you’d expect, with fifteen tracks and glossier than usual packaging for a best-of album. And before you begin to wonder how many more times Gotee plans to return to the well and recycle Sonicflood’s first two releases, it’s actually warranted here.
Hip Hop / Rap / Rock
Manafest is back with the sequel, the impressive Glory. I remember childing the guy for the silly looks in his album photography—it was a strange mixture of Fred Durst-styled posturing and feigned b-boy stances—but it turns out that’s the emcee’s true identity. He is not a hip-hop artist. Neither is he a rock vocalist. He just wants to straddle the continuum between the two, and Glory proves he can do both without stuttering.
Christian / Rock / Pop
This new version—spearheaded by Rick Heil, the original band’s touring bassist—has enjoyed moderate success since its debut in 2001, releasing three albums and embarking on numerous worldwide tours. To chronicle this phase in their career, the band captured the self-explanatory Glimpse: Live Recordings from Around the World.
The Swift – Singing Back To You
Christian / Pop / Rock
The Swifts rendition of Hillsong United’s “What the World Will Never Take” does have its charm. But the lackluster moments outweigh the creative ones, especially with the blasé opener “Love Song,” a track that could be sung by any number of AC artists like Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Third Day, and a plodding version of the Delirious anthem “Rain Down” is also unnecessary. Things do pick up with a promising arrangement of Matt Redman’s “Nothing But the Blood” that resembles what The Swift do best. Now if we just had a few more tracks like these, the band’s Rocketown debut really would be something inspiring.
But instead The Swift seems to have lost its identity with this release. The once-charming piano has been overshadowed by a guitar-driven style we’ve already heard countless times from other worship bands. And given the group’s unique potential for faith-based fun on previous efforts, that’s a real shame.
Make sure you check out all these bands. They are all worth listening to.
Filed under: Christ, christian music, dave barnes, god | Tagged: music, dave barnes, canton jones, sonicflood, bethany dillon, flame, christian music, the swift
