Review and/or list what you feel are the best Christian albums!
To kick it off, I'll list mine. My musical standards tend to favor melody-writing, production, and arrangement. Vocal quality comes second to those things while lyrics come third.
I consider these albums to be standouts, which means I would buy them on CD if I have not already. Typically in order to fit this criteria, I have to really like at least 55 to 60 percent of the track-list.
Amy Grant
Age To Age (1982) - There isn't much to be said here that hasn't already been said. This one's a classic.
Unguarded (1986) - Many people prefer her later album "Lead Me On" to this one, but I enjoy this one much more. One of her best IMO.
Heart In Motion (1991) - This one was controversial when it came out, but musically it's a blast!
Darlene Zschech
Kiss Of Heaven (2003) - When I first heard this, I thought it was a bit poppy. But the songs speak for themselves. She is such a great songwriter. This is a standout album.
David Evans
Spirit (1992) - This one is a relatively unknown gem. A few cheesy tracks on here but the majority of them stand out. The production and his voice are out of this world.
Downhere
So Much For Substitutes (2003) - This one is hard to describe. They have a very unique rock sound and this is probably their best album. Check it out!
Hillsong
Show Your Glory (1990) Currently Out Of Print - A relatively unknown and very hard to find album. This is an early studio album from the church in their early days featuring songs mostly by Geoff Bullock. It also features some of Darlene Zschech's early vocals. It is an absolute shame it is out of print because it is in my opinion their best album musically, and the production is absolutely incredible. If you are fortunate enough to find this somewhere, give it a listen. It really is amazing.
People Just Like Us (1994) - One of the churches earlier albums in their Hillsong Worship (once called Hillsong Live) series, and probably the best in said series. A few songs are cheesy but man, even in the early days the production and arrangement is amazing! Plus, this has the first ever recording of Shout To The Lord on it.
Shout To The Lord 2000 (1998) - This album features Darlene Zschech as worship leader as Geoff Bullock stepped down in 1995. This was my first introduction to Hillsong as a kid and many a great memory is associated with it.
You Are My World (2001) - Darlene leads again here. Production is absolutely huge and the songs are amazing. Check it out!
Jars Of Clay
Jars Of Clay (1995) - This one was almost an honorable mention because it has quite a few songs that are a bit on the folksy side for me, but it simply has too many good songs to ignore, and even some of the folksy ones have grown on me.
Jason Upton
Faith (2001) - It can get repetitive at times, but it has some of the most powerful worship music I have ever heard. Probably one of the better modern worship records. Absolutely sublime.
Jennifer Knapp
Kansas (1998) - Almost an honorable mention for pretty much the exact same reasons as Jars Of Clay, a lot of very folksy songs, but there are too many good ones to ignore here. A fantastic album.
Katy Hudson
Katy Hudson (2001) Currently Out Of Print - Almost an honorable mention because her voice is very rough in areas here, but the songwriting and production are so very good. Also worth noting is that she wrote four out of the ten songs and co-wrote the rest at a very young age. This album really grew on me and some of the lyrics are particularly powerful. I definitely recommend checking it out. And yes, this was the Christian album she released before she would later re-emerge as Katy Perry.
Matthew Ward
Fortress (1990) - This is another relatively unknown gem. I love the production on this album and Matthew Ward has such a unique and distinctive voice.
Natalie Grant
Awaken (2005) - This album had a lot of singles that got played on CCM radio. At the time, they were arguably overplayed. Over the years though, looking back, the songs were played a lot for a reason. There are so many fantastic songs on this album. It probably has the best song-writing from her career thus far, IMO.
Newsong!
Trophies Of Grace (1986) Currently Out Of Print - This one was almost an honorable mention because it has some VERY cheesy production on it. Very dated. This marked the beginning of the quartet's transition from southern gospel sound into a bit of a more poppy sound. The album grew on me, and barring about three very cheesy songs, it's a great album. Hard to find though.
Say Yes! (1987) - This marked a clearer stage into the bands switch in sound from southern gospel quartet to more 80's pop, and it is delicious!
Light Your World (1989) - From the later part of their original quartet era, Newsong! released three consecutive albums that were the best in their career, IMO. This one was the first.
Living Proof (1990) - This one is the second. Absolutely phenomenal.
All Around The World (1993) Currently Out Of Print - This was the bands last album with the original line-up, and my personal favorite. They need to hurry up and re-release this already! So good!
People Get Ready (1994) - This was their first album featuring a new line-up including Russ Lee, and probably their strongest album outside of the original line-up. They've release good material since, but not quite as consistently solid, IMO.
Rebecca St. James
God (1996) - A childhood favorite of mine. Some of the lyrics are cheesy, but the music and the production will blow the roof off! Such an energizing record!
Transform (2000) - Almost an honorable mention due to a few very cheesy power-pop songs. But the rest of the album is sonically and atmospherically unique. Check it out!
If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something (2005) - My personal favorite of hers. The songwriting is at a whole new level here, and the whole sound of the album is just great. Highly recommended.
Red
End Of Silence (2006) - I'm still waiting for the band to one-up this one. One of the best modern Christian hard rock albums out there.
Sarah Kelly
Where The Past Meets Today (2005) - This one is a relatively unknown gem. The songwriting is absolutely profound and her vocals are out of this world. Check it out!
Skillet
Alien Youth (2001) - This album is fun and it just rocks! Plus the last two tracks are absolutely beautiful. Probably their best album IMO.
Collide (2003) - Very good album and their first venture into their more modern rock sound. This is probably the best from their modern rock material, IMO.
Steven Curtis Chapman
Real Life Conversations (1988) - An old one from him, but my favorite. So many great songs!
Stryper
To Hell With The Devil (1986) - Ok, so this album does have its cheesy moments, but it also has a lot of great songs!
Against The Law (1990) - Another controversial release. Still, musically, this is probably their best, IMO.
So those are the albums that really popped to my mind more than any others. I may put up a list of honorable mentions eventually but there will be a lot! lol
Feel free to share what albums you enjoy the most! You don't have to do a list like mine. It can be more simple. Or you can just post a review. Or you don't have to list at all we can just discuss our favorite albums!
Your turn!
To kick it off, I'll list mine. My musical standards tend to favor melody-writing, production, and arrangement. Vocal quality comes second to those things while lyrics come third.
I consider these albums to be standouts, which means I would buy them on CD if I have not already. Typically in order to fit this criteria, I have to really like at least 55 to 60 percent of the track-list.
Amy Grant
Age To Age (1982) - There isn't much to be said here that hasn't already been said. This one's a classic.
Unguarded (1986) - Many people prefer her later album "Lead Me On" to this one, but I enjoy this one much more. One of her best IMO.
Heart In Motion (1991) - This one was controversial when it came out, but musically it's a blast!
Darlene Zschech
Kiss Of Heaven (2003) - When I first heard this, I thought it was a bit poppy. But the songs speak for themselves. She is such a great songwriter. This is a standout album.
David Evans
Spirit (1992) - This one is a relatively unknown gem. A few cheesy tracks on here but the majority of them stand out. The production and his voice are out of this world.
Downhere
So Much For Substitutes (2003) - This one is hard to describe. They have a very unique rock sound and this is probably their best album. Check it out!
Hillsong
Show Your Glory (1990) Currently Out Of Print - A relatively unknown and very hard to find album. This is an early studio album from the church in their early days featuring songs mostly by Geoff Bullock. It also features some of Darlene Zschech's early vocals. It is an absolute shame it is out of print because it is in my opinion their best album musically, and the production is absolutely incredible. If you are fortunate enough to find this somewhere, give it a listen. It really is amazing.
People Just Like Us (1994) - One of the churches earlier albums in their Hillsong Worship (once called Hillsong Live) series, and probably the best in said series. A few songs are cheesy but man, even in the early days the production and arrangement is amazing! Plus, this has the first ever recording of Shout To The Lord on it.
Shout To The Lord 2000 (1998) - This album features Darlene Zschech as worship leader as Geoff Bullock stepped down in 1995. This was my first introduction to Hillsong as a kid and many a great memory is associated with it.
You Are My World (2001) - Darlene leads again here. Production is absolutely huge and the songs are amazing. Check it out!
Jars Of Clay
Jars Of Clay (1995) - This one was almost an honorable mention because it has quite a few songs that are a bit on the folksy side for me, but it simply has too many good songs to ignore, and even some of the folksy ones have grown on me.
Jason Upton
Faith (2001) - It can get repetitive at times, but it has some of the most powerful worship music I have ever heard. Probably one of the better modern worship records. Absolutely sublime.
Jennifer Knapp
Kansas (1998) - Almost an honorable mention for pretty much the exact same reasons as Jars Of Clay, a lot of very folksy songs, but there are too many good ones to ignore here. A fantastic album.
Katy Hudson
Katy Hudson (2001) Currently Out Of Print - Almost an honorable mention because her voice is very rough in areas here, but the songwriting and production are so very good. Also worth noting is that she wrote four out of the ten songs and co-wrote the rest at a very young age. This album really grew on me and some of the lyrics are particularly powerful. I definitely recommend checking it out. And yes, this was the Christian album she released before she would later re-emerge as Katy Perry.
Matthew Ward
Fortress (1990) - This is another relatively unknown gem. I love the production on this album and Matthew Ward has such a unique and distinctive voice.
Natalie Grant
Awaken (2005) - This album had a lot of singles that got played on CCM radio. At the time, they were arguably overplayed. Over the years though, looking back, the songs were played a lot for a reason. There are so many fantastic songs on this album. It probably has the best song-writing from her career thus far, IMO.
Newsong!
Trophies Of Grace (1986) Currently Out Of Print - This one was almost an honorable mention because it has some VERY cheesy production on it. Very dated. This marked the beginning of the quartet's transition from southern gospel sound into a bit of a more poppy sound. The album grew on me, and barring about three very cheesy songs, it's a great album. Hard to find though.
Say Yes! (1987) - This marked a clearer stage into the bands switch in sound from southern gospel quartet to more 80's pop, and it is delicious!
Light Your World (1989) - From the later part of their original quartet era, Newsong! released three consecutive albums that were the best in their career, IMO. This one was the first.
Living Proof (1990) - This one is the second. Absolutely phenomenal.
All Around The World (1993) Currently Out Of Print - This was the bands last album with the original line-up, and my personal favorite. They need to hurry up and re-release this already! So good!
People Get Ready (1994) - This was their first album featuring a new line-up including Russ Lee, and probably their strongest album outside of the original line-up. They've release good material since, but not quite as consistently solid, IMO.
Rebecca St. James
God (1996) - A childhood favorite of mine. Some of the lyrics are cheesy, but the music and the production will blow the roof off! Such an energizing record!
Transform (2000) - Almost an honorable mention due to a few very cheesy power-pop songs. But the rest of the album is sonically and atmospherically unique. Check it out!
If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something (2005) - My personal favorite of hers. The songwriting is at a whole new level here, and the whole sound of the album is just great. Highly recommended.
Red
End Of Silence (2006) - I'm still waiting for the band to one-up this one. One of the best modern Christian hard rock albums out there.
Sarah Kelly
Where The Past Meets Today (2005) - This one is a relatively unknown gem. The songwriting is absolutely profound and her vocals are out of this world. Check it out!
Skillet
Alien Youth (2001) - This album is fun and it just rocks! Plus the last two tracks are absolutely beautiful. Probably their best album IMO.
Collide (2003) - Very good album and their first venture into their more modern rock sound. This is probably the best from their modern rock material, IMO.
Steven Curtis Chapman
Real Life Conversations (1988) - An old one from him, but my favorite. So many great songs!
Stryper
To Hell With The Devil (1986) - Ok, so this album does have its cheesy moments, but it also has a lot of great songs!
Against The Law (1990) - Another controversial release. Still, musically, this is probably their best, IMO.
So those are the albums that really popped to my mind more than any others. I may put up a list of honorable mentions eventually but there will be a lot! lol
Feel free to share what albums you enjoy the most! You don't have to do a list like mine. It can be more simple. Or you can just post a review. Or you don't have to list at all we can just discuss our favorite albums!
Your turn!