Best Christian Albums of 2020

 Indeed the CCM industry is, for the most part, on worship-music life support but every so often a good Christian album is released. Here is my brief and hard-to-curate list for 2020. 

My actual favorite album released this year in the Christian music industry was Francesca Battistelli's amazing Christmas album This Christmas but I have always excluded Christmas albums from this list so unfortunately, it will not reign at #1. In fact, this year was an excellent year for Christmas music so at the bottom you will see my top five Christmas albums of 2020!

My #1 album this year is a bit unfair because it's an independent release from friends of mine who happen to also be missionaries in Romania. However, during this pandemic, this album was what was on repeat in our house, and to quote my 2-year-old daughter, the song "Promises" "is my best". The song became an anthem for our family during the long lockdown season and remains our go-to reminder of God's faithfulness. Overall the album brings together the concept of "Shalom" or "rest" beautifully and is an album I recommend for all. Check them out at https://theineloquent.com/

Elsewhere in CCM, REND Collective and NEEDTOBREATHE continue their musical excellence with albums that, while not better than some of their previous efforts, stand tall and strong in 2020. 

Matthew West continues to hold the fort for CCM with his strongest release since The Story of Your Life (my #1 album a few years back). Jason Gray also made a solid return to form through a series of EPs that became a truly powerful full-length concept album. I do think he tries a little too hard to be on the nose with some of his radio singles and this actually hurts his radio prospects. 

The biggest news for me in 2021 was that AVALON came back! Avalon is one of my all-time favorite CCM artists but their new album Called, while good, didn't quite hit as hard as I was hoping. I trust their next project delivers a bit more of a punch with a bit more pop experimentation. They played it a little too safe on much of the project with a few cookie-cutter radio songs and a number of standard worship tracks. However, you all should check out the trio of songs "Sacred Ground," "Glitter and Glory," and "Lanterns." These give an indication of what the next Avalon project should be! 

Natalie Grant, another all-time favorite, also released a pleasant new album that bowed too deeply to the ambient worship scene that is over-running the industry. "Face to Face" should have been the carrier single over the banal "My Weapon" but we all live and learn.  

The balance of my top 10 features pleasant, but not landmark albums by CCM favorites Tauren Wells (his debut was better), Chris Tomlin (a vast improvement from the career-low Holy Roar but not quite a landmark release), and Selah (their first project on their own label was good but I did miss the hymns)

Overall, we know the music industry went into a bit of hibernation in 2020 (well, except for Taylor Swift) so here's to hoping there will be more to listen to in 2021!


  1. The Ineloquent - Better
  2. Rend Collective - Choose to Worship
  3. NEEDTOBREATHE - Out of Body 
  4. Matthew West - Brand New
  5. Jason Gray - Order, Disorder, Reorder
  6. Avalon - Called
  7. Natalie Grant - No Stranger
  8. Tauren Well - Citizen of Heaven
  9. Chris Tomlin - Christ Tomlin & Friends
  10. Selah - Step into My Story

Christmas Albums of 2020


  1. Francesca Battistelli - This Christmas
  2. Carrie Underwood - My Gift
  3. For King & Country- A Drummer Boy Christmas
  4. Rend Collective - An Irish Christmas Vol. 2
  5. Chris Tomlin- Miracle of Love

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