20. Phil Wickham-
“The Ascension.”
Wickham again released a solid album of pop guitar and synth
driven worship songs this year. Lots of catchy hook laden melodies and solid
lyrical reflections on who God his why we should worship Him alone, as well as
amazing ballads like “Over All.” It also contains Wickham’s remake of Bethel
Music’s “This Is Amazing Grace” that is quite well done.
19. Ghost Ship- “The
Good King.”
One of the biggest deals struck in the Christian music
industry this year was Mars Hill Records signing as distribution deal with
Tooth & Nail records. Their first two releases were the debut albums from
Citizens (which we will get to later on the list) and Ghost Ship. “The Good
King” rollicks through your speakers with rootsy worship sounds on tracks like
“Mediator” and “The Gospel” and well as blues on “Lion King” which is one of
the best tracks on the album!
18. The Lone Bellow-
“The Lone Bellow.”
If one feels extreme angst and emotion when listening to
this debut album from lead singer/songwriter Zach Williams and company, there
is good reason. Williams wrote the bulk of this album’s lyrics in a hospital,
while his wife was undergoing treatment after a horse riding accident nearly
left her paralyzed. The uncertainly of times like that birthed incredible
ballads like “Two Sides of Lonely” and “Bleeding Out.” While hope still
emerges, this song collection is intense, but that is truly what makes it so
good!
17. Ben Rector- “The
Walking In-Between.”
When I first discovered Ben Rector it was in 2012, when he
opened for NEEDTOBREATHE on their spring tour. He was extremely impressive in
that live performance and really engaged with the audience. This album,
Rector’s third full release is full of soulful ballads and catchy folk pop
ditties. “Beautiful” is easily one of the best windows rolled down summer anthems
to grace our speakers in years. “I Like You” is beautiful in its simplicity of
articulating what it feels like to be in love with a girl. Other highlights
include the gorgeous love song “Forever Like That” and the anthem like “Thank
God For The Summertime.”
16. Ivan &
Alyosha- “All The Times We Had.”
If you are a fan of
classic roots rock/folk bands and artists like Neil Young, America, & the
droning organ sounds of Procol Harem, you will love Ivan & Alyosha. The
sounds swirl and swing along with plenty of slide guitars and organs,
especially on songs like “Fathers Be Kind,” “Running For Cover” and the
incredible heart breaking “God Or Man.” This album was made for highway drives
through Nebraska and Kansas, with nothing but corn fields on either side. The
sound is definitely middle of nowhere America, yet Ivan & Alyosha are from
Seattle! Hard to reconcile mentally, but eardrum wise it doesn’t matter.
15. Fiction Family-
“Fiction Family Reunion.”
Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek
joined forces again this year, nearly five years after their debut as Fiction
Family. The result was a fine southern tinged rock album featuring some
typically biting lyrics from Foreman at times, especially on “God Badge” which
featured Foreman snidely singing ‘put your God badge down and love someone.” Elsewhere
there was the ode to relationship frustrations on “Up Against The Wall” and
“Fools Gold” a warning to young musicians everywhere to not let their art
consume them with pride and arrogance.
14. Bethel Music-
“Tides.”
The latest release from Redding, California’s worship band
was a solid mix of studio effects and swirling guitars, set at both bouncy
upbeat intervals, and ballad like pensive reflections. “Chasing You” is the
opening track to get the train rolling out of the station, and old hymn “I Have
Decided” gets a synthesized looping remake. However, this albums finest moment
is by far “Be Still,” which takes Psalm 46:10 as inspiration and reminds each
of us to quiet our hearts before God and enjoy His presence.
13. Shine Bright
Baby- “Dreamers.”
The pride of Orrville, OH gave us their major label debut
this past May on BEC Records, a subdivision of the famous Tooth & Nail
Records. They remind me of a hybrid of the dance pop sound of Owl City, and the
girl fronted rock sound of Superchick in their early 2000’s heyday. “Made To
Glow” reminds of us that we as Christians are to shine as lights in the world.
“Luminoux” features a swirling mix of synthesizers, and the title track round
out this fine 33-minute adrenaline shot of sound!
12. JJ Heller-
“Loved.”
While this is probably not JJ Heller’s best album of her
incredible career, it was a solid effort nonetheless. “If You Fall” features
probably the fullest band like sound of her career featuring backing
synthesizer as well as guitar, and “Create In Me” is a humble request for God
to use us with the gifts He has given us, but the best song by far is “Who You
Are” which communicates the fact that we may not always know what God is doing
in the trials in our lives, but we can still trust in who He is, God in control
at all times.
11. Derek Webb- “I
Was Wrong, I’m Sorry, And I Love You.”
Derek Webb celebrated his tenth anniversary as a solo artist
this past year by releasing an album that returns to his rootsy folk rock sound
he began it with in 2003 with his “She Must And Shall Go Free” album. This
album celebrates marriage, and family life, both literally family and church
family. The title track reminds us that we need to seek forgiveness for our
actions, and humbly admit we are wrong. “The Vow” is a wonderful celebration of
marriage and commitment, and “Eye Of The Hurricane” features some great
acoustic guitar work that is bound to get stuck in your head for hours after
you hear it!
10. Christa Wells-
“Feed Your Soul”
If you are a fan of
the incredibly talented songwriters Sara Groves and Audrey Assad, be ready to
add Ms. Wells to your list. She may be one of the more underappreciated artists
making music right now. This album focuses, as one might imagine from the
title, on the need we all have for God to feed our souls each day. Highlights
include “Have Your Eyes Open,” the title track, and my favorite love song of
2013, “The Way You Love Me.”
9. Jars of Clay-
“Inland.”
Jars of Clay’s first
indie release apart from any major label affiliation saw them taking a bit of
influence from many of their past albums and it was a winner. While, initially
this album didn’t grab me, upon multiple listens I found that it was actually
much better than I thought. ”After The Fight” kicks things off with plenty of
shimmery guitar. “Age of Immature Mistakes” is easily one of the better
commentaries on society these days, while “Fall Asleep” is one of the albums
strongest love song ballads. “Skin And Bones” features some of the better
guitar work we have heard from Jars of Clay in a while, and the closing title
track reminds us of our need for one another.
8. The Civil Wars-
‘The Civil Wars.”
The feud between Joy Williams and John Paul White that led
to the long hiatus/break up of The Civil Wars was much publicized over the past
year, and it was a complete surprise to me this past summer when it was
announced a final album would be released, recorded mere months before the duo
went their separate ways. The tone of the lyrics of this album seem to hint at
discord all over the place, from “The One That Got Away” to “Same Old Same Old”
and “Eavesdrop.” Yet that is what makes this album so good! It’s raw examination
of emotion and frustration make for a fine parting gift to us fans.
7. Vampire Weekend-
“Modern Vampires Of The City.”
If you were to have told me last January that one of the
best albums of 2013 written about wrestling with faith and doubt would come
from a mainstream band known primarily for their light hearted indie rock
grooves, I would have looked at you like you had two heads! However, that is
just what Vampire Weekend gave us when “Modern Vampires of The City” dropped
this past summer. Songs like “Unbelievers” and “Ya Hey” wrestle with
understanding who God is and eternal destinations. So fans know they still know
how to have fun though, they include songs like “Finger Back” and “Obvious
Bicycle” making for a well-rounded modern rock song cycle!
6. Citizens-
“Citizens.”
One of the best worship rock albums of 2013 came from Mars
Hill Church’s Citizens, who released an incredible mix of driven rock and roll
that is reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and All American Rejects (“Sweetness Of
Freedom,” “Hail The King”) as well as some remakes of old hymns (“I Surrender
All” and “Praise To The Lord”). The albums strongest cuts though are ballads,
“I Am Living In A Land Of Death” and the drop D tuning grunge influenced
closing track “Oh God,” which both build into forte finishing climaxes!
5. The Almost- “Fear
Inside Our Bones.”
This is the best straight up head bopping rock and roll
album of 2013! The Almost crashed back on the scene this spring with an album
that is impossible not to tap your feet and bob your head to. The guitars are
loud, the vocals are nasally toned, and the beats are like a freight train
rolling past you out of control! “Never Be Like You,” “Down” and the story song
“Lonely Boy” will bounce around your brain for days, beckoning you to return
for another listen.
4. Audrey Assad-
“Fortunate Fall.”
Similar to Jars of Clay, Audrey Assad went indie this past
fall and released an album stripped back to often just soft piano and guitar
melodies, with an occasional quiet drop backdrop. This sound fit the lyrical
tone of the album, which is reflective and meditative on passages of scripture,
mostly the Psalms, that reflect on who God and Jesus are, and what they did on
our behalf as sinners. If you are looking for a ‘prayer closet’ album, this is
it as songs like “Good To Me” and “Lead Me On” will be sure to put your mind
and heart in the right place when seeking Jesus.
3. The Digital Age-
“Evening & Morning.”
When The David Crowder Band dissipated back in 2012, I was
greatly disappointed. One of the best and most talented worship bands were
calling it quits! However, later on word got out that the members of the band
had reformed, sans David Crowder, and were now going by the name The Digital
Age. All summer long I waited for their debut full length album to drop, and it
finally did in August, and it was so, so good! Lots of high-energy worshipful
songs mix electronic influences with guitars. “Captured,” “Glow” and “Symphony
of Grace” all will have you jumping in your seat! “Overcome” and “Through The
Night” are wonderful songs about God’s faithfulness and goodness, and their
covers of both All Sons & Daughters’ “All The Poor And Powerless” and
Bethel’s “Break Every Chain” are spot on and give new takes on already powerful
songs!
2. Gungor- “I Am
Mountain.”
This album was birthed out of lead songwriter and vocalist
Michael Gungor’s trek into losing his Faith and then finding it again! That is
correct, Gungor has said in interviews that he actually questioned everything
about Christianity and his beliefs about God, Jesus and the Bible, and then
came out more in love with Jesus than before! The songs reflect doubt and
struggle and depression aplenty here on songs like “A Long Way,” “Wandering”
and “The Best Part,” delve into mythology for an allegorical tale about the
collapse of marriage’s stability on “Beat Of Her Heart,” and get straight up
political on the spaghetti western sounding “God And Country.” The album then
closes with what Michael Gungor has described as ‘chaos’ on “Upside Down” which
concludes with a crash of crescendo of guitars, keyboards and drums, showing us
that life isn’t ever all resolved this site of eternity!
1. Over The Rhine-
“Meet Me At The Edge Of The World.”
Anyone who has spent time talking music with me in recent
months will not be surprised that this album is my pick for album of the year. Add
to the fact that my close friend Sarah and I heard most of these songs for the
first time this summer when Over The Rhine debuted them in concert before this
album was even released and you will be even less surprised, as you will
remember how wowed I was after that concert! Simply put, this is the best album
to convey worshipful attitudes through lyrical imagery of the beauty of Ohio
and the world God has created I have heard since many albums made by the late
great Rich Mullins. It is there in every note song and played from the opening
title track of this double album, to the closing chords of “Favorite Time Of
Light.” Husband and wife duo Linford Deitweiler and Karin Bergquist have been
making music for over two decades together now, and it is hard to say they have
ever produced a more stunning and beautiful album! Oh yes, be aware there will
be some cuss words here and there, but somehow they never seem too
overwhelming. If your heart is looking to fall back in love with God and the
glorious creation He spoke into being, I can almost guarantee this will do the
trick!
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