Hey everyone, it’s been a while (at least in other blog series, while I methodically and steadily work on Flashback Fridays every week!), so let’s dive back into these ‘dormant’ blogs. And what do I have this week, that is so momentous and significant that it requires me to write a post, with the subject matter being relevant to three blog categories?
If you can remember back about 6 months or so, I had the pleasure of unveiling my favourite 25 albums of January – June of 2017. And while I myself still haven’t reviewed everything that I wanted to in the year of 2017, I have since come to the conclusion, that 2017 was and is one of my favourite years in terms of music. And thus here we are in January 2018, as I am unveiling my favourite 30 albums of the back half of 2017. I have incorporated quotes/descriptions of my favourite 15 albums of July-December and the remaining 15 without quotes (because frankly, it could take too long for a reader to check out, and thus, the post could seem daunting and overwhelming to read), totaling 30 albums in the back half of the year that have stood out for me personally. And so without further ado, here below are my favourite albums of 2017 (second half). I will also do a post showing my favourite albums of 2017, period (thereby incorporating my favourite albums of the first half and second half of 2017 in one post. What are your favourite albums of 2017. Read on to check out mine!
Continue reading BEST OF 2017- PART 12: TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2017 (JULY – DECEMBER)
Essential Records
Release Date: August 4th 2017
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Third Day– Revival (iTunes/Amazon mp3)
It’s that time of the year again. The end of September/beginning of October means that we’re due to post another best of 2017 list! Excited? This time, it’s time to reveal our favourite songs from July – September 2017. You can check out our previous ‘best of 2017 song lists’ here (Jan-March 2017) and here (April-June 2017), and be sure to let us know your thoughts on your favourite songs!
Continue reading BEST OF 2017- PART 6: TOP 20 SONGS OF 2017 (JULY – SEPTEMBER)
Just a few months ago, I posted my favourite songs of 2017 thus far, from January – March 2017. Now here is a follow-up post, favourite songs from April – June 2017. And while this type of series hasn’t really been done before (in previous years, I’ve only posted one ‘top songs of ____’ post at the end of that particular year), I’ve said, and I will say again, that 2017 is the year of the song. Not just hit songs on albums, but just hit songs period- whether it’s on an album or just released as a single. Because frankly these days, when I look at the year up until now objectively, I have realised that more often now than years previously, artists are releasing singles as opposed to new albums. Don’t get me wrong, the number of albums this year is just as much, if not more than last year. It’s just that within these last few months, we have been blessed with tracks that aren’t necessarily attached to any album. And maybe that’s a good thing. To not have to wait until an artist as a collection of songs that they can release to listeners. Often if that is the case, artists may have to wait for management approval, or they’ll have to discuss about radio format and marketability before they release an album. In 2017, with artists releasing more songs as opposed to albums, we are ever reminded that in such an industry like the music industry, it takes a lot for an album or even a song to be released on iTunes- so we ought to be appreciative when an artist does release something, be it an album or a single.
Continue reading BEST OF 2017- PART 3: TOP 20 SONGS OF 2017 (APRIL – JUNE)
Essential Records
Release Date: April 28th 2016
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
Third Day– Revival (iTunes/Amazon mp3)
Third Day have been around for donkey’s years. Since the mid 1990s when they released their self titled album in 1996 (which spawned the radio hits ‘Nothing at All’, ‘Forever’, ‘Love Song’, ‘Thief’, ‘Praise Song’ and the ever-reliable-at-concerts ‘Consuming Fire’), Mac Powell and the band have delivered heartfelt songs and emotive moments of poignancy to millions of listeners of their music throughout the years. Now in 2017, we see that the band have been around for 20 years officially (signed to Provident Label Group), and maybe even more than 20 years unofficially, considering that the band started even performing together without a label prior to the mid 1990s (I think in an interview, Mark Lee, guitarist, said that they played together as ‘Nuclear Hoedown’ in 1991 or 92). So what does that mean for a group that has shown us what it means to walk the line of rock and worship?
It was about 10 years ago when WOW Hits 2007 was releasing, that I branched out and listened to a wider range of Christian music. From artists like BarlowGirl, Rebecca St. James, Superchick and ZoeGirl, to Tree63, Stellar Kart, Sanctus Real and Hawk Nelson; my musical tastes have certainly evolved from the early days when I just listened to artists like Carman and Delirious?. While over the last 10 years, many bands that I’ve listened to are now disbanded, what had transpired within the 10 years was, and still is, a season of appreciation and enjoyment of music of various styles. So now here I am to start a new series. In light of the new WOW Hits 2017 album releasing in September, here’s my top 10 bands that I have thoroughly enjoyed throughout these last 10 years that I have listened to Christian music on a regular basis. Then next week I’ll discuss my favourite male CCM artists, and then the week after my favourite female CCM artists… and so on. So what are my favourite bands of the last 10 years? Read on to find out.
Continue reading Top 10 ___: Top 10 CCM Bands Over the Last 10 Years
Yes, I know we as a site just posted a top 10’s mere days ago, but this topic has been brewing in me for a while. What does it mean for an album to be influential? Sure you can have your favourite albums of any given year because of great lyrics, music and the technicalities of it all. Yet for an album to be influential in your life is a different story. For an album to mean something to you in a season of our life, the album has to strike a chord with you when no other album has done before. For me during my 26 years on this earth, there has been several that have done that. Maybe we need to stop listing our favourite albums just because, and really delve deep into the heart of the matter- what albums have influenced your life in a positive manner from birth til now? Which albums are impacting for sentimental reasons? Which albums are special, mean a lot to you when others may not like the tracks for whatever reason? Regardless, influential albums are such that shape us and our character as the years go by. What are mine? Read on to find out.
Continue reading Top 10 ___: 15 Albums That Have Been Influential In My Life Thus Far
In light of the facebook post by DC Talk last week, and the anticipation by anyone who is anyone who loves music in general, about the update on social media DC Talk are going to undertake later on today; I thought this post would be fitting. Songs from the 1990s can seem like decades ago (and it was), but sometimes, and I’m guilty of this, is that sometimes all I’m listening to on my iTunes playlist is the newer songs. When I stop and wonder and think- what happens if these songs in the 1990s weren’t written? How would the musical landscape change then? So here are 10 songs we as a site thought were impactful and pivotal during the 1990s in the Christian music scene, and if these songs weren’t written, then the whole landscape of CCM would look quite different. Read below to see what our 10 choices were.