Craig & Christian Music

In the midst of all the music out there that sounds the same in CCM, there's actually quite a bit of it that is very good. Here are some songs that are impacting me especially right now and that you need to hear! ENJOY! 1. Nichole Nordeman- The Unmaking (SHE'S BACK!!!) 2. David Dunn- Have Everything 3. Blanca- Who I Am 4. Moriah Peters- BRAVE for KING & COUNTRY- Shoulders 5. Mandisa- Press ON 6. Unspoken- Good Fight 7. Lauren Daigle- First 8. Christy Nockels- Let It Be Jesus 9. Hawk Nelson- Drops in the Ocean/Diamonds 10. Selah- People of the Cross 11. Mercy Me- Flawless 12. Plumb- Exhale 13. Steven Curtis Chapman- Something Beautiful/The Glorious Unfolding 14. NEEDTOBREATHE- Brother 15. Natalie Grant- Burn Bright 16. Tenth Avenue North- Stars in the Night 17. Jonathan Thulin- Compass 18. Jason Gray- Laughing Out Loud 19. Josh Willson- That Was Then This is Now 20. Francesca Battastelli- Holy Spirit 21. Brandon Heath- Beh

Remember back in the 90's when Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith and Point of Grace were the stars? They had 4-6 singles released PER album and a new album every 18 months. Today the big named- stars like Casting Crowns, MercyMe, and Mandisa only get 2-3 singles per album which are released every 8-12 months and an album every 24-30 months! Basically, today we hear an overload of the same songs for years. In the 90's when CCM was a growing and thriving genre, even lesser known artists were given a chance to have multiple radio single releases in hopes of gaining a top 10 single (or four). Artists like Cheri Keaggy, Lisa Bevill or Sierra, who were not major stars in CCM, had multiple #1 and top 10 hits and sold a decent amount of records (approx. 100,000 units each). There was just a wider span of artists to listen to back then. Today a mid-pack artist may get 2-3 top 10 singles in their whole career! In the 90's, and even up to the mid-2000's, Christian CHR (P

2014 was a great year in Christian music! Although radio continues to play the same 20 songs for 2 years, there's been plenty of good music circulating your local Bible book store. So get out there (or go to iTunes) and buy these albums ASAP! 1. NEEDTOBREATHE- Rivers in the Wasteland NEEDTOBREATHE is always in the top 3 on my year end charts, when they release an album, and usually if I place them lower than #1 I regret it later. NTB albums usually are slow burners. But Wasteland was an instant classic to me. Sure, there are songs that will have to grow on me (Carolina, State I'm In) but this is clearly some of NTB's best work. Their refocus on Christ and spiritual themes throughout added to their love of all things grandiose and acoustic bring the perfect balance of passion and professionalism to the table. Could this be NTB's best work? I'm not sure I'm ready to place this above The Outsiders quite yet but its close! iPod Picks: Wasteland, Brothe

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