The Home of the Platinum Vinyl Awards. Reviews of New CD releases, mostly CCM but also mainstream releases that may interest the Christian Music listener. Music News and Commentary, especially when there's a CCM connection.
This is it, the final posting of 2nd Quarter Results. The big winner this quarter is Modern Worship with a whopper 26 Entries.That's almost enough for four years of finals. Let us get to it.
That completes our wrap of the 2nd Quarter of 2016. And I should be able to get the April Rewind up very early next month. So all is good. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are quickly approaching the end of our 2nd Quarter 2016 Pool Entry Announcements. We are actually down to the final two. Rap is the penultimate post. They had a very good quarter with 17 entries. That would be enough for 2 plus years of finals if they all made it. A lot of "snubs" will be made. Here we go.
If you haven't figured it out already, our last genre and big winner is Modern Worship, which had a whopping 26 entrants this past quarter, enough for almost four years. I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We continue our revelation of the Pool Eligible Entries for the second quarter of #PlatVnyl7. Gospel had a dozen eligible releases this quarter. That would almost take care of two final awards. That's why we put all things into a pool and judge them a second time, so we can avoid one quarters dominating the year. On to the entrants.
That's a pretty good list for one quarter, but two genres got much more than that. Rap is one of them, and it is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are continuing with our announcements of the 2016 Second Quarter Pool Eligible Entries for #PlatVnyl7. All the genres until the end are greater than the Final Nominee 7. That means that there will be a lot of judging to get to that number. And that is a good thing. Pop had 9 entries this quarter alone. Let's get to it.
Welcome back to our regularly scheduled edition of Music Video Monday. We aim to find the best Music Videos in Christian Music (and we have a fairly broad definition of Christian Music here). We are fully loaded this week. We begin with Metal Band For Today and a bit of a ballad, exposing their Bitter Roots. We make a return to last weeks debut with Foreveratlast. This is Shoreline. Finally we bring a little Passion to Music Video Monday. Passion as in Passion Conference, as in Crowder. Lift Your Head Weary Sinner. If this doesn't get you moving, check your pulse. I mean it. That does it for this edition of Music Video Monday. We will be back next Monday with a trio of great Music Videos. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We continue with our announcement of the 2nd Quarter pool entrants for #PlatVnyl7. Our next genre in ascending order is Adult Contemporary and Inspirational. There were a full 7 entrants for this one. After this you definitely need to edit to make the finals. Let us get to it.
We are back to the "real" genres. Alternative Rock served up a half dozen nominees, which would almost fill a final if they were all taken. What it does mean is there will be a good deal of judging to fill the final 7 in this category. Let's get to it.
All I have to say here is that Anchor and Braille has stepped in to fill the void left by the departure of Anberlin from the scene. They were rewarded with a Perfect Album. This is going to be a good year.
One final note. While going about the making of this post we found out about the untimely death of Prince Rogers Nelson (aka Prince) at the very young age of 57. Since it is my birthday tomorrow and I will be 50, I say very young. The Music World, including the Night Beat, has lost a legend too soon. I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Compilation Album, aka Various Artists, is next among the single genre nominees in the Second Quarter. Yes, I know it is not exactly a genre, but what can I say. It's not exactly general field either, so there it is. Either way they had six whole entries here, so they deserve mention. Let's get to it.
Rock Music is the first of our single genre posts, having met the minimum threshold of 5 entrants. When we get to the big winner of the quarter, they will have exceeded that bar by quite a few. Let us get on with it.
That gets us off to a rousing start. One quick note. Lacey Sturm is the former lead of Flyleaf, and her solo debut is a Pure Platinum Rawkfest. Next up is Compilation Album. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Welcome back to Music Video Monday. I know it has been a long time, but we never forget about thing here. Sometimes events just force us to put things into storage for a while. It has been almost a full year since our non Platinum Vinyl edition of MVM. Time to get back in the swing in things. We begin some Capital Kings. They released their second album, appropriately called II. They embraced a darker sound that works for them. This is Fireblazin. Next up we rock into the Metal Arena with one of CCM's Legends, Stryper. From their latest Album Fallen, this is Pride. We finish off our Video tour with a new favorite of mine, an addition to the thriving FFR scene in Christian. Brittney Paris is our lead this time, and the fun thing about FFR is each lead singer has a unique voice. With MFR bands, sorry guys, most of you are trying to sound exactly alike, with only a very few exceptions. Anyway, Brittney has got some Bad Blood to deal with. That kicks off this season of Music Video Monday on this Patriots Day 2016. (It's a Massachusetts State Holiday commemorating the First Running of The Boston Marathon where the redcoats chased Paul Revere from Hopkinton to Boston). Just kidding folks. You're dealing with and American History Buff. It is the day we remember the first battle of our American Revolution. Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775. However in our society I would bet most people would think my other version was accurate, which is a tremendous shame. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are finishing our multiple genre posts with Dance-Synthpop, Electronic-Industrial, and Instrumental. No more than four entries made it in any category. Let us get to it.
Just a few comments here. The Adam Young (Owl City released under his real name) releases are "Soundtracks", though the Motion Pictures are old. He just did a new soundtrack based on how he felt watching the movie. We begin the single genre posts next time with Rock Music, which met the minimum bar of 5 entries. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are beginning the announcements for the pool entries for the 2nd Quarter of 2016, aka #PlatVnyl7. We are half-way through and we are still announcing #PlatVnyl6. We are backed up, to say the least. We begin our journey with multiple genre posts for those genres which haven't had enough entries to justify their own blog post. There will be two such posts. Also Remix and Folk had no entries. The first of these posts will combine Children's Music, Hard Rock and Metal, and Live recorded Album.
We are doing well here at Night Beat HQ. We have completed the March ratings, which means we will soon compile the 2nd Quarter, just as the third quarter is underway. We have also gotten the announcements of the #PlatVnyl6 nominees for the Video Music Awards announced. So we are riding high for the moment. We get underway with the song releases, or what we playfully call
The Singles Scene
Fearless BND - Love Like Fire 4.50 Emeralds
Deitrick Haddon & Big Boi - Sinners (Saved by Grace) (Remix) 4.50 Emeralds
Icon For Hire - Here We Are 4.50 Emeralds
Melissa Lischer - Color Explosions 4.50 Emeralds
George Moss - Take On The World 4.50 Emeralds
Union of Sinners and Saints - Christ The Lord is Risen 4.75 Emeralds
Hezekiah Walker - Better 4.75 Emeralds
I am appreciating the return of Icon For Hire after their breakup with Tooth and Nail. For those not in the know, the Union of Sinners and Saints are members of Petra and Whiteheart in a new side project. Wonder which ones are the sinners? On to the releases which
Missed The Mark
City Side Music Ministries - Christian Dictionary A1 3.25 Emeralds
Joey Jewish - Beautiful Solitude 3.75 Emeralds
Judah and The Lion - Folk Hop N Roll 3.75 Emeralds
Kishon - Voices 3.75 Emeralds
Tyson Motsenbocher - Letters to Lost Loves 3.75 Emeralds
Nine Lashes - Ascend 3.25 Emeralds
Tal - The Great Struggling 3.75 Emeralds
All that I will say about this grouping is I am really disappointed in Nine Lashes. I will not go into all that here. Click on the link to go to my full review. It brings to mind AD and the lyrics "Progress, we are marching backward". No snark for the next grouping.
Pure Platinum Perfection
Jonathan Nelson - Fearless 5 Emeralds
Beckah Shae - Rest (Without Words) 5 Emeralds
Our final grouping is usually the largest, and it remains so this month. With over 35 releases however, I think it is one of THE LARGEST. Without further ado.
Semi-Precious Metal
Austin and Lindsay Adamec - Austin and Lindsay Adamac 4.75 Emeralds
Kris Allen - Letting You In 4.50 Emeralds
Dave Barnes - Carry On, San Vincente 4.50 Emeralds
Bethel Music - Have It All 4.75 Emeralds
Beautiful Eulogy - Selected Songs4.50 Emeralds
Charles Billingsley - Right Here 4.75 Emeralds
Steven Curtis Chapman - Worship and Believe 4.75 Emeralds
The Church Vessel - Rekindle 4.50 Emeralds
Citizen Way - 2.0 4.75 Emeralds
Covenant Church Worship - All This Light 4.50 Emeralds
Mr. Del - Love Noize 4.75 Emeralds
5ive - Flight 393 4.75 Emeralds
Christon Gray - The Glory Album 4.75 Emeralds
Gungor - One Wild Life: Spirit 4.50 Emeralds
Hope For The Dying - Legacy 4.75 Emeralds
Jarmone - Leap EP 4.75 Emeralds
Dustin Kensrue - Thoughts That Float on a Different Blood4.50 Emeralds
Twilight Meadow - The Worlds We Discovered 4.75 Emeralds
Paper Lights - Great Escape 4.75 Emeralds
Young Noah - Young Forever 4.50 Emeralds
Pearl City Worship- We Wont Be Silent 4.75 Emeralds
Planetshakers - Momentum: Live In Manilla 4.75 Emeralds
Tommee Proffitt and Brook Griffin - Even So Come EP 4.25 Emeralds
Propaganda - Selected Songs 4.75 Emeralds
River Valley Worship - Edge of Heaven 4.50 Emeralds
Jordan Smith - Something Beautiful 4.25 Emeralds
Tedashii - This Time Around 4.25 Emeralds
Temple Veil - Give His Love Away 4.50 Emeralds
Thi'sl - Against All Odds 4.50 Emeralds
Stuart Townend and Keith Getty - In Christ Alone: The Songs of Stuart Townend and Keith Getty 4.75 Emeralds
Various Artists - God's Not Dead 2 (Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture) 4.50 Emeralds
Various Artists - WoW Hits 20th Anniversary 4.50 Emeralds
Vineyard Worship - All The Earth Shall Worship: Live From The Vineyard Global Family 4.75 Emeralds
West of Hope - The Journey 4.50 Emeralds
Adam Young - RMS Titanic 4.75 Emeralds
That does it for the March releases. Next up, more #PlatVnyl6 announcements, and the 2nd Quarter Wrap. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We have come to the greatest of all the posts, as least in the video category. VIDEO OF THE YEAR. These are the best videos for the eligibility year, at least as far as the judges here are concerned. In some cases Movie Short may be used instead of Music Video. The nominees are: Darkest Part by RED ; Dreams by +kingskaleidoscope ; Ever Be by Kalley Heiligenthal and +Bethel Music ; For Those Who Can't Speak by +tenthavenuenorthVEVO ; and Volcano ft Jonathan Thulin by +Rapture Ruckus . Three of the 5 nominated videos are over 5 Minutes in length. One breaks 8 minutes. Here are the nominated videos in a nice playlist. That does it for the video nominees. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply
The penultimate video post for #PlatVnyl6 Nominations. Video by A New Artist. Since not all artists make music videos, it only imperfectly matches New Artist of The Year. The nominees are: Good, Good Father by +Zealand Worship ; Greater is He by +BLANCA CALLAHAN ; I'm Not Running Away From This by Hearts Like Lions; Return by+NYVES ; and Where The Light Is by +Dan Bremnes The Playlist of the nominees for your viewing enjoyment. The Last Post. Video of The Year comes out on Monday. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are quickly wrapping up the nominee announcements for our Video of The Year segment of #PlatVnyl6. We are moving on to Video by a Female Artist. It's just a bookkeeping thing you know, just like FFR. The nominees are: Dance Up by +Abigail Duhon ; Exhale by Plumb ; Neosho by +Jennifer Knapp ; The Well by +JJHellermusic ; and We Will Rise by Natasha Owens. Our Playlist of the nominated videos: Video by a New Artist is Next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We had a full plate of Video Entries this Year, and we have a full slate of genres as well, where we had dropped a few last year. We come to the General Field Based Video Awards nominees. There are 4 of them: Video by a Male Artist, Video by a Female Artist, Video by a New Artist, and Video of The Year. We Start with Video by a Male Artist, the Video Companion to Male Vocalist of The Year, though the two are not identical. The Nominees are: Letting Go ft Josh Lane by +Jekob Washington ; Volcano ft. Jonathan Thulin by +Rapture Ruckus ; Wanna Be Happy by +Kirk Franklin ; The Way That You Love Me by +Jonathan McReynolds ; and We Gon Reign by Flame. Our playlist of the nominated videos follows: Next up is Video by a Female Artist. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
This is it. What you have all been waiting for. Rock Video of The Year. After this all that remains on the Video Front is in the General Field: Video by a Male Artist, Video by a Female Artist, Video by a New Artist, and Video of The Year. They will be following in due time. First we Rock. The nominees are: Afterall by +Children183VEVO ; Darkest Part by RED; Memories by XXI ; Prodigal by +Sidewalk Prophets ; and This is Not a Test feat Capital Kings (live) by +Toby Mac . And the playlist of the nominated videos. Since we are finished with the nominees, I think I shall continue with the General Field Videos. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are down to the final two genre based video awards as we announce the nominees for #PlatVnyl6 Hard Rock/Metal Video of The Year. The Nominees are: Ghosts ft. Jeremy McKinnon by +AugustBurnsRedVEVO ;Knives to the Future by +Project86VEVO ; Slave to Nothing by +FitForAKingVEVO ; Survive by Gideon; and This Goes Out To You by P.O.D. And yes, we have made a playlist of the videos for your viewing, and voting enjoyment. Rock Video of The Year is next, and that completes the Genre Videos. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are down to the final three genre based Video of The Year Nominees. Of course we have a bunch of General Field based nominees including Video Of The Year. They Will be announced in time. First up, though, is Hip-Hop/Rap Video of The Year. The Nominees are: Come On In by +WHOSOEVER SOUTH ; Letting Go feat Josh Lane by+Jekob Washington ; Party People feat Social Club by +Derek Minor ; Space Boots by LA Symphony; and We Gon' Reign by Flame. The nominated videos packaged up in a nice neat playlist. Hard Rock and Metal are next. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
No Joke. We are underway with the nominations for #PlatVnyl6. We are in the middle of The Video of The Year Nominees. Electronic-Industrial is up next, the harder sibling of Dance-Sythpop. We are loaded for bear as they say. The nominees are: Can't Live Like This by +Hardie Avenue ; Mr. Roboto by +Rapture Ruckus ; Return by +NYVES ; Stressed Out by +twenty one pilots and Volcano ft Jonathan Thulin by +Rapture Ruckus The nominated videos in one convenient playlist. Hip Hop and Rap Video are next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We continue with our announcing the nominees for this years Platinum Vinyl Awards. We are moving through the Video of The Year Nominees first. Our next bunch of nominees is for Dance/Synthpop Video of The Year. The nominated videos are: Brighter by +FEARLESS BND ; Dance Up ft Spencer Kane by +Abigail Duhon ; Feel It ft Mr. Talkbox by +Toby Mac ; Heaven by +Group 1 Crew ; and Verge ft Aloe Blacc by +Owl City The Nominated videos packaged in a nice playlist for your enjoyment: Next up is Electronic-Industrial. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply
