Ear Candy: 10 Monster Albums for October

Of course by Monster I mean totally Awesome. This is a Christian Music Blog after all. Now that the month has wrapped, I guess it is quite appropriate that I have handed out Perfect 5's like candy. 10 of them were handed out this month. I believe that is a record, though all of them deserved it. I guess that just tells you the quality of the work that is out there. No complaints about the current state of CCM. You are just listening to the wrong stuff.

I'll do the list alphabetically, as I don't want to give any hint as to order.

• Jonathan Cain - What God Wants to Hear - The Journey of A Thousand Miles, sorry. What can you say when the former Journey Frontman gets saved. As a Word of Faith person will I be hearing "Don't Stop Believing" at the SWBC next year? This was a big surprise and I loved it.
• Lauren Daigle - Behold: A Christmas Collection - CCM's latest fave, and deservedly so, gets to showcase her pipes on a Holiday Collection that exudes Sultry Jazz. What's not to love.
• The Digital Age - Galaxies - The former band of David Crowder returns with an electronic worship experience like no other, and mixed with a bit of Armstrong, Neil Armstrong among the songs.
• Disciple - Long Live The Rebels - The Southern Rockers return. Kevin Young and company come out with their loudest yet.
• Nimisilla Park - Welcome to Nimisilla Park - very rarely will I hand out a 5 for an EP. My standard practice is to deduct a quarter of a point for length. An excellent mixture of Rap, Driving Rock, and Gospel Music made me change my mind.
• Ocean Calling - Quiet Magic. The Debut of Sophie Wilkie of Los Angeles, California by Way of Great Britain (hey, I detect the accent) is a blend of Synthpop, Trance, and ethereal vocals. My second favorite Trance artist since Salt of the Sound.
• Rend Collective - Campfire II: Simplicity - Our Northern Ireland worship band goes back to the basics, and mines platinum. The past release seemed normal, and that is a bad thing for this slightly unhinged band that reminds me of Caedmon's Call in that they will attempt to play just about anything (xylophone, trash can lids, etc). Stick to what works, I always say.
• Satellites and Sirens - Tanks - Another excellent release by Geoff Hunker and company, which skews a bit toward pop while maintaining a good synth mix. I personally love Old Souls, but maybe I am just in a nostalgic mood.
• Theocracy - Ghost Ship - Talk about excellent timing for a release. I had never heard of the band until I started doing research on The Emerald List for Heavy Metal. If Stryper ever decides to Retire (I hope not) these guys will pick up the Crown with little backlash. Excellent clean vocals, monster guitar solos, and a solid Christian Message. Who said a Theocracy was a bad thing?
• Jean Watson - More ethereal vocals, though this time going operatic more than trance. Though a lot of these songs would be excellent in a Lord of The Rings movie. 

There you go. 10 Pieces of ear candy. Indulge, as long as often as you want. I promise you will not get sick from over indulging. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.