Craig & Christian Music

Check out my lists of the best Christmas radio singles in Christian Music both for this year and for all time!  I'm sure I left out a TON of great Christmas Songs by Christian Artists so feel free to add your suggestions in the comments sections below.  Happy Listening and Merry Christmas! Best of 2012: 1. Francesca Battistelli- Heaven Everywhere 2. Mandisa- It's Christmas 3. Steven Curtis Chapman- Christmas Time Again 4. Dara MacLean- Bethlehem Skies 5. For King & Country- Baby Boy  6. Anthem Lights- All I Want For Christmas is You 7. Josh Wilson- Once a Year  8. Kari Jobe- When Hope Came Down 9. Jason Gray- Christmas is Coming 10. Jeremy Camp- Joy to the World 11. Amanda Noelle featuring Anthem Lights- Hark the Herald Angels Sing 12. Sidewalk Prophets- Because Its Christmas  13. Francesca Battistelli- Christmas Is 14. Mandisa- Somebody's Angel 15. Matthew West- Come On Christmas 16. Sanctus Real- Sh...

In Christian Music there artists that are stars, those on the verge of stardom, those only a few know about, and then those that are on their way up.  Today's blog focuses on Christian Music's Up & Coming Artists.  They've only released a couple of albums and had a few hit singles but they are already beginning to make their mark on the industry.  Each has their own unique style and ministry and is reaching their own corner of the world for Christ.  Be sure to check out these great artists if you haven't heard of them already.  In a few years these guys may run the business... 1. Britt Nicole With 1 successful headlining tour, 2 #1 albums, 3 #1 singles and 4 more top 10 hits, Britt is well on her way to becoming a household name in CCM.  After establishing her presence with her sophomore album The Lost Get Found , she broke through in a big way with her recently released CD Gold .  With the right balance of mainstream friendly da...

Radio Ready: The Broken, The End of Me, Sing of Your Glory, Lights of Distant Cities, Just a Glimpse iPod Picks: The Broken, World Gone Dark, Outside Her Window Was the World, Go With You, Lights of Distant Cities, Just a Glimpse, Daylight Breaking Let me just say this from the start: I love Bebo Norman!  His 2006 album Between the Dreaming and The Coming True  was a revelation to me and an album that I continue to return to time and again. What makes Bebo so great is that he has found the delicate balance intimate folk music and radio pop.  While his first couple releases were heavy on the folk sounds and his last two releases relied a bit too much on the radio-ready worship-pop, Lights of Distant Cities  finds Bebo properly balancing both styles while also treading through new sonic territory.  Folk is back en vogue with Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars, Gotye and their associates racing up the mainstream charts so it seems that the t...

Radio Ready: Bombs Away, The Dead Come to Life, Masquerade, Coat of Arms, I Am Nothing iPod Picks: Coat of Arms, Bombs Away, Masquerade, Peeta, The Dead Come to Life, Love/War, Graveyard The Background Jonathan Thulin first crossed my path about a year ago when he released an imagery driven, Lady Gaga-esque music video for his powerful single "Babylon".   New Release Tuesday  did a big feature on the video and it soon became the most viewed Christian Music Video on the social media site.  I was a bit confused and creeped out by the video but I fell in love with the song itself and its message.  While it was released nearly two years ago, its probably the most played song on my iPod for 2012.  I went ahead and purchased the parent album to "Babylon" which was cleverly titled The Anatomy of a Heartflow  and while none of the songs lived up to the lyrical creativity or musical power of "Babylon", what I did find was one of my favorite voices to appear...

Blue Mountain  is the album Brandon Heath was always meant to make.  While Heath could have easily released another slickly produced collection of the thinking man's pop songs he is known for, the singer-songwriter has instead opted to dig a little deeper and has created the best album of his storied career.  Bathed in country and bluegrass instrumentation with subtle yet effective hip hop beats and replete with descriptive lyrical imagery and storytelling, Blue Mountain  takes listeners on a complete life journey from its beginnings ("Love Will Be Enough For Us", "Blue Mountain") to its last breath ("Dyin' Day". "In the Dust", "Paul Brown Petty", "He Pain It All") and everything in between ("Love Does", "Jesus in Disguise", "Hands of the Healer", "Diamond", "The Harvester"). "The Harvester" opens Blue Mountain  with a jubilant bang as producer Dan Muk...

We already discussed the Superstars of CCM last post but there is a group of artists right behind the big guys that are quickly rising in the ranks within the Christian Music community.  These young artists are fresh and relevant to the next generation of CCM consumers and could very well find themselves within the Star list after their next album release, if they play there cards right, of course. So here's our list of the Top 10 Artists On The Bubble in Christian Music. These are the artists who have exploded onto the scene in the last couple of years in a big way and are becoming fixtures at radio retail and the tour circuit as well as within the hearts and ears of the Christian Music fan.  We'll see which of these guys rise and which ones fall into obscurity in the next few years.  Check out my suggestions on how they can remain relevant and push themselves into the Star category. 1. Mandisa - This former American Idol  finalist has really blown u...

2012 saw some interesting movement in stardom within Christian Music; however, the big names remain virtually the same, albeit in different positions than usual on the list.  My ranking of the CCM stars includes data from album sales, single sales, radio airplay, concert draws, awards and all around hype and recognition. Of course the real litmus test of a star is their impact on the listener and their love for the Lord but since there is no way for mere mortals such as us to measure these accomplishments, we must look at which artists have the greatest reach. Check out the list and discuss your favorites in the comments section below! 1. TobyMac - With a plethora of Gold and Platinum albums, dozens of hit singles, multiple Grammy Awards and shelves full of Dove Awards (including Artist of the Year and Song of the Year honors) both as a solo artist and with DC Talk to his credit, TobyMac has been a star in CCM for years.  However, 2012 brought the artist formall...