Jeremy Camp's Singles & Albums Ranked

Jeremy Camp has become a household name in CCM. Jeremy's testimony of walking by faith despite losing his first wife to cancer in his early 20's to his whirlwind second-chance romance with Benjamin Gate lead singer Adie Liesching made Camp an artist everyone wanted to root for. Despite his edgy rock beginnings and gravely voice, Camp has become a staple of Christian AC radio and a mainstay on the sales charts and festival circuits. On top of a booming musical career, Jeremy also became an ordained minister and pastors a church. In his 16+ year career Camp has sold 4.5 million albums and according to his website has scored 41 No. 1 hits on Christian Radio across all formats (Contemporary Hit Radio, Hot AC, Rock, and Inspirational Charts- the same songs have topped multiple charts- he's only released 27 official singles and not all of them have gone #1). His album, Beyond Measure, contributed six back-to-back No. 1 hits, including the track "Let It Fade" which held the No 1. spot for 10 weeks on AC Radio making him the #2 artist of the last decade in CCM. Below are my rankings of Jeremy Camp's albums and officially released radio singles. For the albums I ranked them from my personal critical perspective while I included measures of popularity and career-advancement along with my personal opinions for the radio singles. Sound off what you think in the comments below! Albums Ranked 1. Stay- A classic debut album that presented Camp as a fully formed artist. No other release has so completely presented a picture of who Jeremy Camp the artist truly is. It rocked hard when it needed to and was soft and tender when it was supposed to be. Everything he released after this would be compared to it. 2. Speaking Louder Thank Before- The closest Camp ever came to repeating the magic and conviction of his debut release. 3. Carried Me- A beautiful worship album with similar heart to Stay. 4. Restored- This felt a bit too safe and middle of the road compared to Stay but it still had a rock influence that is missed in Camp's recent releases. 5. I Will Follow- The best of Camp's second decade releases so far, its full of gooey hooks, passionate vocals and inspired lyrics. Camp dabbles in country-pop/rock soundscapes at times which is a style I feel he should pursue more seriously. 6. Beyond Measure- This release had some excellent high points and some clunky low points. 7. The Answer- A fine album in and of itself but did we really need a Jeremy Camp Pop/EDM record? It may grow on me over time. 8. We Cry Out- There are some great singles on this album but as a whole it feels a bit cliche and middle of the road. 9. God With Us- With no original compositions, this Christmas record felt somewhat forced and less than memorable. 10. Reckless- It is clear to me that this album was a compulsory release that found the Camp creative well a bit dry lyrically, melodically, and from a production standpoint. We are all grateful that Jeremy found fresh inspiration in future releases. Radio Singles Ranked 1. Take You Back- This single was both immensely popular (the #1 song of 2004) and a complete example of a perfect Jeremy Camp radio single. 2. Walk By Faith- The song of his career from a testimony perspective. This encapsulated both Jeremy's artistic and theological perspective on life. 3. Let It Fade- Just a massive hit with a perfect hook and impassioned vocal. I was shocked this wasn't the first single released from Beyond Measure. 4. Take My Life- The best rock song of Jeremy's career. He's never quite been able to repeat the fire of this track again. 5. I Still Believe- A close second to Walk By Faith as a career song but also as his first AC #1 it was a clear indicator of the sound of future AC singles. 6. The Way- The best single from the second decade of his career (so far), the piano line, operatic choir, expansive vocal performance and anthemic melody make this one of Camp's best songs. 7. Right Here- A great mid-tempo rocker 8. Overcome- The best corporate worship song Camp has released. This song will outlive Jeremy Camp the artist. 9. Lay Down My Pride- OK I'll admit that this was far from one of my favorite JC songs as it treads such similar lyrical water as many songs on his debut album (including rock hit Take My Life), and musically, it never quite rocked like it should have but I'll admit when I was wrong because it was a massive and important hit for Camp and was the #1 song on Christian CHR radio in 2005. 10. There Will Be a Day- Another massive radio hit, this single addressed a subject that modern CCM needs to talk about more- our future hope with Christ. Despite having an arrangement that kind of drags for the first half of the song, it struck a chord with listeners and became not only the #1 AC song of 2009 but became his first Gold digital single. 11. Healing Hand of God- This single served as a sort of bookend to the Walk By Faith/I Still Believe brokenness that Camp spoke a lot of in his early albums. This is a bold testimony of the power of God to heal a broken heart and life sung by someone who lived it firsthand. 12.  Understand- As Camp's first single, Understand introduced the world to Camp, and what an introduction it was! 13. Christ In Me- A solid radio song that has enough doctrinal meat to help listeners grow in their understanding of Christ while also being able to sing at the top of their lungs! 14. Tonight- Another great pop/rock hit from Beyond Measure, that sort of, felt like a male version of a Kelly Clarkson hit.  15.  Word of Life- Did anyone ever think that we needed an EDM song from Jeremy Camp?! I certainly never did but, you know what, I really liked this song! 16. Stay- This title track was the final #1 single from JC's debut album and felt like a victory lap more than a defining single; however, its still a fun song to listen to today :)  17. The Answer- Jeremy's current radio single is a great soulful ballad that will probably grow on me the more I hear it on radio. 18. Jesus Saves- When this single released I read the lyrics before I heard the melody and expected so much more than what we got once I finally heard the song. I've never really thought of Camp as a great worship leader because his voice is far too distinct to blend into a chorus of saints worshiping, so this corporate worship attempt was a little flat for me. However, it was a massive hit, and I'm pretty sure it's still sung in churches. 19. What It Means- A fun jingly song that was a bit out of character for Camp at the time, it showcased his excellent falsetto abilities and set a new lyrical direction for future releases. 20. My God- The only solid single released from Reckless, "My God" had the corporate feel of his previous album (We Cry Out) but carried a much more radio-friendly melody and song-along chorus. 21. He Knows- An excellently produced track with a solid vocal but the lyrics were borderline Limburger at times... This is a track that could have used another few hours in the writing session. 22. Give You Glory- I absolutely hated this song upon its release and was so upset that it became a big radio hit. Looking back, I was mad because I did not want Camp to go in the cliché P&W route (he did anyway), and this song is a pretty big offender of the cheesy worship clichés. 23. No Matter What It Takes- Another #1 hit from Beyond Measure that I felt could have used another round in the writing room. This one was filled with cheesy rock cadences instead of the P&W cliches. 24. Speaking Louder Than Before- For the record I did like this song... as an album track... but as a radio single it was a massive miss. SLTB was the first Camp single to be released to Christian AC radio to miss the top 10 and for a short time, he lost his place as a radio mainstay. Slow Down Time or Capture Me would have been better upbeat single choices. 25. Same Power- The lyrics of Same Power are actually quite profound but they address a subject that Christ in Me from his same record kind of addressed better. Also, I don't understand this new trend in CCM where a song is so minimally produced that all you hear for half the song is a programmed drum beat. This recording barely has anything besides faint keyboard programming and a beat in the back. Where are the live drums? The guitar? the keys? Just not a well-produced track. Again though, it was a big #1, so what do I know... I just can't rank it any higher... 26. Come Alive- This was actually a very pleasant single from the Reckless album, but it wasn't really given much of a chance at radio. Lyrically it didn't have much to say, and at this point, everyone had kind of given up on Reckless the album because it just wasn't very good. Too bad this wasn't the carrier single for the record because it would have been a much bigger hit than our last-place song 27. Reckless- The dud carrier single and title track of Camp's disappointing 2013 album. This was Camp's first carrier single to not go #1, and on many charts, it barely made the top 20. No one liked this song. Easily Camp's worst single. Overall (except for Reckless) I love Jeremy Camp's albums and radio singles and look forward to many more hit songs for years to come!