Welcome to our newest blog series Top Tens, which will be posted every Sunday (Australian time, which may be Saturday in other parts of the world…), where I will be sharing my ‘top ten ____’- whether it be favourite songs, artists for a certain time period (which is obviously a personal opinion and isn’t meant to drag artists down), movie trilogies, Australian food, past times in the summer, activities to undertake at the beach, superheroes, the list goes on. I will also give completely subjective reasons (which are not in concrete and could change this time next year) and then I’ll open the forum and discussion to all of you! This series we’ll be delving into a variety of topics and issues (like what I have already listed), so stay tuned for the upcoming weeks.
Today we’ll be talking about my top (favourite) 10 solo worship artists over the past 10 years (as well as songs from them that made them my favourite artist!), seeing that this site is a music review website first and foremost! So without further ado… here’s my top 10 worship artists (in reverse order)- bands are coming later on, same with favourite artists (based on songs) for other genres.
David Crowder: The guy with the goatee who split from his bandmates, and created a solo album this year, has given us inspiring melodies such as “O Praise Him”, “How He Loves” and “Here Is Our King”- I thought I wouldn’t like his solo album, given that it seemed like he could have been betraying his ex-bandmates, but I am still a fan of Crowder’s work; his passion and enthusiasm is as infectious as any other worship artist currently!
Julissa: The Puerto Rican-American singer who vocally sounds a lot like Jaci Velasquez, adds quite a lot of diversity into this list musically, and has been a standout signing on Integrity Music over the past few years since she signed in 2010. The song “What Else Can I Say?” and music video was one of my favourites in 2010. Julissa has also recorded some pretty awesome worship covers on Metamorphosis, and her heart for Jesus is evident in these inspiring melodies!
Matt Redman: We sing quite a lot of his songs at church, so naturally Matt Redman would be present in this list- probably my favourite British worship artist based on the songs “10 000 Reasons” and “Blessed Be Your Name” alone. I also love his behind the song videos and the fact that he puts music chords on his lyric videos; it’s pretty ingenious!
Tim Hughes: Another famous British artist, I saw Tim play in 2003 at Blackstump (a Christian music festival) and have since loved his music (the song that made me a real fan was “Happy Day” in 2007). With such relatable music, his songs are a main reason why I love Soul Survivor and Worship Central. The teaching videos and one time that Tim preached a sermon were cool as well!
Phil Wickham: Phil’s distinct voice, together with his passionate heart for Jesus, and honest, inspiring vertical worship lyrics, has me always anticipating his new material and always revisiting his current and older work. Response was the album that made me a more active fan, and in particular “At Your Name”!
Kari Jobe: First signed to Integrity Music and then Sparrow Records, I first started to really listen to Kari Jobe’s music when I reviewed Where I Find You for Christian Music Zine. As I revisited her earlier albums, it was “Revelation Song”, written by Jennie Lee Riddle, that impacted me, and it also doesn’t hurt that Kari’s voice is so sublime and captivating, and her lyrics and heart for Jesus impressive as well!
Meredith Andrews: Unlike most of the artists on this list, I have actively followed Meredith’s career from the start, since the release of The Invitation in 2008. As I have heard and witnessed Meredith’s maturity musically and vocally from the pop single “You’re Not Alone” to the most recent worship album Worth It All (highlights are “Strong God”, “Open Up The Heavens” and “Not For A Moment”) and her worship contributions in Vertical Worship Church Band; I can confidently say that she is currently one of the female vocalists that I really admire and respect. Whenever a new release is in the works, I am eager for it, and anticipate it greatly!
Lincoln Brewster: If there is one artist who can play the electric guitar like no other, especially in instrumental solos, it’s Lincoln. As his cover of Chris Tomlin’s “Everlasting God” propelled him into stardom, and I began loving his music after hearing the energetic pop/praise tune “Today Is The Day”, Lincoln’s passion and heartfelt lyrics are God’s blessing and provision- you can tell from listening to his songs that God has anointed him with the gift of leading people in communion with Him.
Chris Tomlin: Probably the first worship artist I ever listened to from start to finish on an album (Arriving in 2004); it was the song “How Great Is Our God” that made me a fan, as well as hits like “Holy Is The Lord” and “Indescribable”. Arriving probably tops my favourite Chris Tomlin album because of nostalgia.
Paul Baloche: The composer of worship songs, such as “Above All”, “Open The Eyes Of My Heart”, “Offering”, “What Can I Do” and “The Same Love”; Paul takes top spot (though this could change if you ask me about this list next week!), as his 25 year old career has given us many timeless classics to sing, with plenty of tracks having ministered to and impacted me over the years! You can always rely on Paul for a great worship album- he hasn’t let me down yet!
So there is my top ten worship artists (from the past ten years)- and this doesn’t include bands, as well as artists from other genres- what are yours? Let me know so that we can compare and have a healthy discussion…