BEC Recordings
Release Date: February 17th 2017
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
David Dunn– Yellow Balloons (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Hollyn – One Way Conversations
Gotee Records
Release Date: February 10th 2017
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Hollyn– One Way Conversations (iTunes/Amazon mp3)
TV Thursdays and Sentimental Saturdays: The Shows of Our Childhood
I’ve been reflecting lately about the TV shows I watch, both now and in years gone before, and how that has affected who I am today. Not that I truly believe that what I watch really has an impact on who I am as a person, but I’ve often pondered, mostly on a Saturday when things are quiet, about my TV watching habits. And how often my favourite TV shows, if you’d rank them from 1-20, are mostly of TV shows that have ended rather than still currently running. Not that I enjoy most of the shows that I currently watch, it’s just that unfortunately (or fortunately whichever way you look at it), most of my favourite shows are currently not on TV anymore. So let’s just give this a stab, shall we? Without further ado, my top 20 TV shows (of all time), and how that further relates to this blog post about being sentimental when it comes to reflecting about our childhood and how our TV watching habits may indeed shape our worldview much more than we may think.
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First Impression Review – Colton Dixon’s “Identity”
Eliminated from American Idol Season 11 in 7th place, pop/CCM artist Colton Dixon has been making waves within the CCM industry ever since his highly-publicised crossover hit of a first album A Messenger, that debuted in 2013 to critical acclaim. Using the same platform as many artists, like Carrie Underwood, Danny Gokey, Mandisa, Jason Castro, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson and Kris Allen; to start a career in music; Colton’s unexpected exit from the show was more of a blessing in disguise. Signing a record deal with Sparrow Records, and 2 albums later, Colton, alongside Mandisa, has been one of the most successful and greatest finds, out of anyone who has moved from American Idol to Christian music, ever. With much success, both critically and commercially, Colton, though only in his mid-twenties, writes and sings way beyond his years, so much so that his two successful albums A Messenger and Anchor were released within 1 and a half years of each other. Now he has journeyed into the unknown with his new album Identity, releasing March 24th- sure he still has his trademark pop-rock-radio sound, but this album is different from the rest- less rock than Anchor and much more dance and 1980s style music that is incorporated throughout his power-pop anthems in this 11 track album (17 in the deluxe edition).
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Fun Fridays – Board Games
Yes, I know another blog post series that we as a site post from time to time…and the first post is today. But just hear me out. Not literally, but just have a read through. If this post series doesn’t resonate with you…well, still give it a chance. And while my goal is to write Fun Fridays on a regular basis (not sure about Food Fridays or even Futuristic Fridays, both these posts are up in limbo at the moment), I do realise that realistically, I may not post as much as I want to…and I have to be ok with that. Because as this blog post series suggests, this is a time for me to post, about, you guessed it, having fun. Because frankly, as I look around at people at the place I work, I notice one thing- most people aren’t enjoying life as much as they should. Sure, that is a grave assumption, and many who read this statement might be up in arms about what I just said. But it’s true. People have somehow lost the spark and innocence that were once in all of us. And what I sadly see is this- people going about their mundane lives and basking themselves in busyness, hurrying and rushing around, all in the name of creating a world for the future, at the expense of enjoying it right now. Sure we can claim that what we’re doing is for the future generations, but if we’re miserable now, how’s that going to be as setting an example to the future of how they ought to live? The future and what we have to do to steer the course of circumstances that could either make or break the world of tomorrow is of utmost importance, but we really do need to have fun in the process.
New Singles of 2017
I know I know, I said this back in 2015, and I quote- ‘welcome to our new post of the week.’ Well here I am a year and a half or so later to say- we’ve only done one such post. And I know, we as a site should’ve probably been more active in posting these ‘mini-reviews’ of sorts, highlighting songs that came throughout the year that we’d think would’ve made an impact in the hearts of many around the world. So without further ado, here’s the second post of this series. And the series is this- while we’ve previously reviewed albums to this point, I want to branch out and review songs. Songs that have either just released or will release pretty soon, songs that in my opinion, will become big in the upcoming months ahead. The previous 5 tracks I highlighted in the last post were pretty much spot on- “Be One” from Natalie Grant is still in circulation today, and Sanctus Real’s “Longer Than a Lifetime” is still getting airplay even now, more than a year after Matt Hammitt departed the band. So what are these next 5 songs, that I reckon will become hits in weeks and even months to come? Read on to find out! Which songs will you pick up when they become available on iTunes?
Satellites And Sirens – Tanks
Dream Label Group
Release Date: October 14th 2016
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Satellites and Sirens– TANKS (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Anthony Evans – Back to Life
Independent
Release Date: February 3rd 2017
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Anthony Evans– Back to Life (iTunes/Amazon mp3)
Kari Jobe – The Garden
Sparrow Records
Release Date: February 3rd 2017
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Kari Jobe– The Garden (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
First Impression Review – Hollyn’s “One-Way Conversations”
Hollyn has been, if you could argue, one of the greatest finds in CCM within the last few years. If you would just pick one, I’d say it’d be her. Only 19, Hollyn has found her way into the hearts and living rooms of many listeners around the world, myself included. Signed to the small yet equally diverse Gottee Records (home to artists such as Finding Favour, Capital Kings and Ryan Stevenson to name a few), Hollyn’s maturity lyrically and stylistically, even vocally beyond her 19 years is as remarkable as it is awe-inspiring, which makes her new album One Way Conversations dropping February 10th digitally (and March 3rd physically) a must have for anyone who loves hip hop, pop, worship, rap, or even just plain something different compared to whatever is out there on the radio right now. Hollyn’s music is a sight to behold, full of hope, encouragement, emotion and raw honesty, something I reckon isn’t as expressed as it should within the confines of Christian radio.
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