It’s 5 months or so until WOW Hits 2017 releases! Though we as a site have unveiled 2 predictions so far of what we believe should be included on the latest WOW Hits album (view the predictions here and here!), within nearly 2 months, more and more songs have been released, as well as released to radio. So it’s time to write another proposed list (and maybe one more in mid-July before the actual list unveils in August!)
There’s no doubt that any WOW Hits list can never be perfect, but I do hope than since timeliness is the key, and songs on the coveted WOW Hits compilation should reflect the claim that these songs on the compilation are indeed the top songs of that given year; hopefully the songs presented on this year’s WOW are much more deserving than last year or the year before. My brother Jon and myself have both reiterated time and time again that 39 tracks are way too short to include the hundred odd hit singles in CCM radio, but until the WOW brand re-brands and re-moulds into something new; this is what they have- WOW Hits albums releasing once a year in September sometime. So without further ado, here is my latest proposed list of songs I reckon should be at least considered for WOW Hits 2017.
Disc 1:
1. Grace Wins (Matthew West)
2. No More (Josh Wilson)
3. Your Love Awakens Me (Phil Wickham)
4. Amen (Steven Curtis Chapman)
5. Same Power (Jeremy Camp)
6. Good, Good Father (Chris Tomlin)
7. Trust In You (Lauren Daigle)
8. Guilty (Newsboys)
9. Your Words (Third Day)
10. Abide In Me (Matt Maher)
11. Make A Way (I Am They)
12. To Live Is Christ (Sidewalk Prophets)
13. Deeper (Meredith Andrews)
14. When I’m With You (Citizen Way)
15. King Of The World (Natalie Grant)
16. Everything Comes Alive (We Are Messengers) BONUS
17. Never Too Far Gone (Jordan Feliz) BONUS
18. The Joy Of The Lord (Rend Collective) BONUS DELUXE
19. Walking Like Giants (Stars Go Dim) BONUS DELUXE
20. Name (Nichole Nordeman) BONUS DELUXE
Disc 2:
1. Diamonds (Hawk Nelson)
2. Refuge (Finding Favour)
3. God Is On The Move (7eventh Time Down)
4. Believe (All Things New)
5. Air I Breathe (Mat Kearney)
6. Sound Of The Saints (Audio Adrenaline)
7. Say The Word (UNITED)
8. Where You Are (Y&F)
9. The God I Know (Love & The Outcome)
10. Eye Of The Storm (Ryan Stevenson)
11. Believer (Capital Kings)
12. Get Hype (1GN)
13. Unashamed (Building 429)
14. Power (Group 1 Crew)
15. Happiness (Needtobreathe)
16. Alone (feat. TRU) (Hollyn) BONUS
17. Move (Keep Walkin’) (TobyMac) BONUS DELUXE
18. Real (NF) (BONUS DELUXE)
19. It’s Not Over Yet (The Encore) (for KING & COUNTRY) BONUS DELUXE
Songs that missed out (on my list): Alive In Me (JJ Weeks Band), Tell your Heart To Beat Again (Danny Gokey), Live On Forever (The Afters), Sparrows (Jason Gray), Fierce (Jesus Culture), Bring It On (Kutless), Dear Younger Me (MercyMe), Remember (Passion), No Longer Slaves (Bethel Music), Not Backing Down (Blanca)
As always, let us know in the comments your thoughts, as well as your own proposed list for WOW Hits 2017!
Happy reading and speculating!
Here’s my guess:
Disc One
1) Stars Go Dim – You Are Loved {If they repeat it. They have in the past with Rhett Walker Band’s When Mercy Found Me}
2) Matthew West – Grace Wins
3) Chris Tomlin – Good Good Father
4) Jordan Feliz – The River {or Never Too Far Gone}
5) Big Daddy Weave – My Story
6) Jeremy Camp – Same Power {or Christ In Me}
7) MercyMe – Flawless
8) Francesca Battistelli – Holy Spirit {or If We’re Honest}
9) Casting Crowns – Just Be Held
10) Josh Wilson – That Was Then, This Is Now {or No More}
11) Jonny Diaz – Breathe
12) Natalie Grant – Be One
13) Sidewalk Prophets – Prodigal {or To Live Is Christ}
14) Finding Favor – Cast My Cares {or Refuge}
15) Aaron Shust – Ever Be
16) We Are Messengers – Everything Comes Alive (Deluxe)
17) Consumed By Fire – Lean On Me (Deluxe)
18) Citizen Way – When I’m With You (Bonus Deluxe)
19) Passion – Remember (feat. Brett Younker & Melodie Malone) [Bonus Deluxe]
20) Steven Curtis Chapman – Amen (Bonus Deluxe) {or One True God (feat. Chris Tomlin)}
Disc Two
1) Lauren Daigle – Trust In You
2) tobyMac – Feel It (feat. Mr. Talkbox) {or Move (Keep Walkin’)}
3) Danny Gokey – Tell Your Heart to Beat Again
4) for KING & COUNTRY – It’s Not Over Yet (The Encore Version)
5) 7eventh Time Down – God Is On the Move
6) Lincoln Brewster – There Is Power
7) The Afters – Live On Forever
8) Plumb – Exhale
9) Mat Kearney – Air I Breathe
10) Hawk Nelson – Diamonds
11) Unspoken – Call It Grace
12) Third Day – Your Words (feat. Harvest)
13) Newsboys – Guilty
14) Blanca – Greater Is He
15) Crowder – Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)
16) Hollyn – Alone (feat. TRU) [Bonus]
17) Phil Wickham – Your Love Awakens Me (Bonus Deluxe)
18) Meredith Andrews – Soar (Bonus Deluxe) {or Deeper}
19) Building 429 – Unashamed (Bonus Deluxe)
Braced songs are new on radio now, but will need to get some serious airplay if they’re to compete with my other option. NEEDTOBREATHE’s “HAPPINESS” and Love & the Outcome’s “The God I Know” are new, but are already getting serious airplay, so I feel like they are strong runners in this race, well able to bump some of these songs off.
seems like an ok list. but yeah, i still reckon that WOW Hits 2017 will have some choices on there that are way dated, and other songs that are quite new as well. timeliness for wow and their selection of songs on a wow hits was never their strong suit. regardless, i still reckon WOW Hits 2017 will be a great album. maybe even better than wow hits 2016 (if they get all the selections right!)
btw, how’d you like phil wickham’s album children of god, or nf’s therapy session? any other album’s in 2016 that you have enjoyed thus far? here’s my top 10:
worship and believe- steven curtis chapman
2.0- citizen way
deeper- meredith andrews
children of god- phil wickham
wildfire- rachel platten
the river- jordan feliz
love riot- newsboys
unite- 1GN
recalculating (all 3 eps)- paul colman
the call- joy enriquez
I can’t knock wowilovechristianmusic for timeliness when it takes me two months to respond :). Sorry. I’ve been busy and I just came back to check your list and make some changes to my own personal one. To answer your question, I LOVED ‘Children of God.’ It’ s one of my favorite albums of all time. And ‘Therapy Session’ was just as “Real” as Mansion was. I especially liked “Oh Lord.”
My top ten so far would be:
Passion’s ‘Salvation’s Tide is Rising’
Curt Anderson’s ‘Every Moment’
Hillsong Young & Free’s ‘Youth Revival’
Citizen Way’s ‘2.0’
JJ Weeks Band’s ‘As Long As We Can Breathe’
Jordan Feliz’s ‘The River’
NF’s ‘Therapy Session’
Phil Wickham’s ‘Children of God’
Urban Rescue’s ‘Wild Heart’
Jason Gray’s ‘Where the Light Gets In’
Right now I’m pumped for:
Unspoken’s ‘Follow Through’
The Afters’ ‘Live On Forever’
Casting Crowns’ ‘The Very Next Thing’
Tenth Avenue North’s ‘Followers’
Love Jason Gray’s album as well. Definitely reckon Where the Light Get’s In is one of Jason’s most transparent, honest and encouraging albums of his whole career thus far. Also loving albums from Switchfoot, Group 1 Crew, Hillary Scott, Needtobreathe and Hillsong UNITED as well.
Also looking forward to everything that was on your anticipated list as well. As well as Skillet, Love and the Outcome, About a Mile and Britt Nicole (hopefully she is doing something new this year)…
Also really really anticipating WOW Hits 2017… personally, if they have all the selections right in terms of timeliness, it’ll be better than WOW Hits 2016.