Craig & Christian Music

It's that time again, when I run down the best of the new singles released to radio! As we go deeper into fall and winter, more and more songs are going to be appearing on the charts so stay tuned for more reviews as we enter the homestretch of 2012! 1. Bebo Norman- The Broken You can always count on Bebo to release a great first single.  And you can usually count on Christian AC Radio to ignore it.  Or at least this seems to be the unfortunate trend for his last two releases.  That being said, "The Broken" is probably his best carrier single since "I Will Lift My Eyes" with its epic chorus, inspiring lyrics and ear-snatching dulcimer infused hook.  This is not one to miss! 2. Group 1 Crew- His Kind of Love G1C has decided to continue down the pop sounding path they started down with their first #1 single, "He Said" (you can't argue with success, right?) with their second single, "His Kind of Love" from their new CD Fearless.

Mark Schultz- All Things Possible I have been a fan of Mark Schultz since he debuted way back in 2000 with his #1 single "I Am The Way".  It's safe to say he's one of my favorite artists ever.  So basically, I'm a little biased when it comes to reviewing this album- but not in the way you think.  You see, I hold Mr. Schultz to a very high standard- one he set in 2003 when he released Stories and Songs , an album that I feel was his crowning achievement- an album he has yet to match in production, heart, depth or melody.  While I have enjoyed Mark's subsequent releases since Stories & Songs  ( Broken & Beautiful  and  Come Alive ) I felt they were lacking in the above areas, no matter how perfectly formulated they were.   Broken & Beautiful  had some great story songs but the pop tracks seemed to be more like paint by the number style songs than anything truly inspired while the story songs on Come Alive  were far too saccharine, sappy and se

Group 1 Crew- Fearless For their first full-length album since the departure of rapper Pablo Villatoro, Christian hip hop/dance/pop group (now duo Manwell Reyes and Blanca Callahan) G1C have returned with Fearless  an album that nicely balances their hip hop and rap roots with the dance sounds they explored on their last record, Outta Space Love,  as well as their newfound pop and AC success explored on first single (and last single from their Outta Space Love: Bigger Love Edition  re-release) "He Said".  As expected, there is less rapping and more singing to be found on Fearless  than on any previous record- credit that to Pablo's exit (both Blanca and Manwell alternated between singing and rap while Pablo only rapped) and Blanca's voice is especially in high form as she has truly improved on her craft over the last two years and is quickly becoming one of the finest vocalists in the industry (for further evidence, see the title cut and "The End of Me

If you've listened to Christian Music for any length of time, chances are you've heard of Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin or Steven Curtis Chapman.  You're probably even familiar with artists like Matthew West, Natalie Grant, Sanctus Real, Big Daddy Weave or Francesca Battistelli. However, there are some phenomenal CCM artists that rarely see the light of day at Christian Radio, many of whom are not even signed to a major label.  I decided it was time to introduce you to 10 amazing artists that probably won't be played regularly on most Christian radio stations or may soon be rising to the top.  They are amazing singers and musicians and deserve to have their voices heard.  So if you're sick of the tried and true CCM that plays nonstop on the radio, check out these 10 artists you need to know! UPDATE! I have added Links to Amazon.com's MP3 site so you can sample my suggested songs as well as a music video from each of the artists.  Enjo

I can't even begin to tell you how big of news this is for CCM!  This is only the 3rd time a CCM artist has hot #1 on the Billboard 2000... ever!  And really, its only the second because everyone is counting LeAnn Rimes You Light Up My Life- Inspirational Songs  as a Christian album but we all know she was just using the Christian market to make money.  SO really Toby Mac's Eye On It joins Bob Carlisle and his Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace)  album from 1997 as the only two Christian albums to every debut at the top of the all genre Billboard 200 sales chart! AND what's even cooler is that Toby Mac did it without a mainstream crossover single- meaning that virtually 100% of the sales came from Christian Music buyers!  I guess Toby's just living up to the statement he made back in 1997 when DC Talk's single "Just Between You & Me" was getting played on mainstream radio: "If I crossover, I'm going to carry The Cross over!"  Thank

Let's get the obvious over with right from the start.  The cover art for Toby Mac's new CD, Eye On It  is horrible.  The interior art is adequate but whoever designed this cover (her name is Sarah Sung- I checked the credits) should lose her job... unless of course Sarah Sung is a young child... in that case, Mr. Mac and Ms. Sung get a pass.  At any rate, Art Director Jan Cook (who is usually a phenomenal art director) should be ashamed of herself for giving this a pass.   That being said, at least the design is bright and simple, which should catch an eye. Eye On It   is set to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 this coming week, the first Christian album to do so since Bob Carlisle took Butterfly Kisses  to the top in early 1997 (Billboard is claiming the last Christian album to go #1 was LeAnn Rimes' You Light Up My Life- Inspirational Songs  in September of 1997 but I refuse to consider this album a Christian Album since the bulk of the songs were pop standard