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.
Sticking up for a fellow pole here at Night Beat HQ. Not that I'm one of those Polish Pride people, I'm not. I mean most days I would just assume I would be any other ethnicity. (I love it when people think I'm Italian.) Hey, my Dad almost had me convinced that I was a Bosnian Crown Prince. (The official name of the country is Bosnia-HerzeGOVINA) (Caps added for Emphasis, Look at my name in the byline.) But upon further review I figure, since that part of the world is fairly warlike (anyone remember WWI?) even up to the present time, maybe it is not wise to assert Balkan Royal Lineage, no matter how flimsy. Anyway, while Nicky doesn't really have anything to do with Music, (except that Copernicus Rocks sounds cool), it is a slight comment on some recent happenings in the world. Look it up. Now, on to our behind schedule quarterly wrap.
We begin our wrap with some multi-genre posts, where we handle the genres that had less than the threshold of 5 entries. This first one is a little tricky. Even though we have a category called Folk Rock, this is Live Album, Folk/Folk Rock, and Rock. It is the first of three multi genre posts. Let's get to it.
We have reached the end of this portion of the Video of The Year Nominees. There is still the General Field portion of the awards to go, but that is yet to be narrowed down. Most likely we shall go to the other portions for a while. Those were completed first. Anyway, the nominees for Rock Video of The Year are: Back From The Dead by Skillet; Black Honey by Thrice; Rot by Lacey Sturm; Shake The Skies by FearlessBND; and Still Breathing by Veridia. Our last convenient playlist (for a while) That does it. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Heavy Metal Video of The Year is the next to have its Nominees Announced for #PlatVnyl7. We have a very diverse group of Nominees this year. Let's get right to it. The Nominees are: Coma by Everything In Slow Motion; Her Halo by Teramaze; No Truth, No Sacrifice by For Today; Pride by Stryper; and Radio by Michael Sweet. Our Metal nominees once again in a convenient playlist. Rock is all that is left. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We continue with our announcement of the #PlatVnyl7 genre based Video of The Year Nominees. We are progressing slower than I would like, but we are progressing nonetheless. The nominees are: Everyone Eats by Alert312; Go To Work by Benjah; Hey Girl by Nicole C. Mullen; I Just Wanna Know by NF; and Nothing But the Blood ft Deitrick Haddon by GuvnaB. One note. Sometimes you can get your way to the top by being somewhat disturbing. So a warning is in order for NF. It is not a happy video. The Playlist of the nominees. Next up is metal. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We continue our announcements for the nominees for the genre based video of the year awards in #PlatVnyl7, the current awards year. Up now is Electronic-Industrial Video of The Year, the somewhat harder edge to Dance. There are 5 videos once again: Blankets of Night by Hammock; Bonfires by The Quiet Science; Monster by Colours; Used To by Mutemath; and We're A Lot Like Trees by Paper Lights. The nominees in a nice playlist. Rap and Hip Hop are next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We begin the Electronic Segment of the Video Award Nominations. First up is Dance-Synthpop Video of The Year. This category is a bit special as it has 6 nominees. Try as we did we couldn't get it down to 5. And some of them seemed to get more special as the judging went on. So we have 6. Usually Video of The Year explodes the category, so why not an individual genre. Let's get to it. The nominees for #PlatVnyl7 Dance-Synthpop Video of The Year are: Adventure by The Fifth Service (a band of Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, MN); Alive by Julianna Zobrist; Another Day by Alache; I Can't Quit by Capital Kings ft Reconcile; Love Like Fire by FearlessBND; and You Deserve Life by Kaimo K and Cathy Burton (via Bella Veleva). They will make you wanna move, wanna dance, and at least one may make you cry. Our nominee playlist. Next up is the second of our all electronic genres, Electronic-Industrial. Until then I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Welcome back to our announcements of the #PlatVnyl7 Nominees for the Genre-Based Video of The Year Awards. As we make our way through the represented genres we have arrived at Pop Music. We have a very nice mix this year. The nominees are: Breathtakingly Beautiful by The Rubyz; Color Explosion by Melissa Lischer; Hey Girl by Nicole C. Mullen; Meteorites by Lights; and Resonate by LoveCollide. Once again, we package everything up in a convenient little playlist. The next genre up is Dance. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are slowly continuing our announcements for the final nominees for this years genre based Video Of The Year Awards. We move on to Alternative Video of The Year. And sometimes with this category we mean both the musical genre and, well, if you watch the video you will know what I mean. To the nominees: Blankets of Night by Hammock; The Girl With The Tiger Eyes by Kevin Max; Monument by Mutemath; Take Me by The Ember Days; and Wow To The Deadness by Steve Taylor and The Danielson Foil. As always we package things nicely in a playlist. No errors this time. That does it for Alternative Video. I will be off tomorrow. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Correction: Soon after the original post was made it was discovered that two of the original 5 nominees were actually from #PlatVnyl6, which was last years award. JJ Hairston and Armar'rae Hill have been purged from the playlist. However that does not absolve the original error. The requisite 40 lashes with a wet noodle has been decreed and administered. The next group of video nominees which has been narrowed to the final 5 is Gospel Video. The video awards are still being narrowed in most categories. Let's get to it. The #PlatVnyl7 nominees are: Heaven's Angel by Alache ft Ron Kenoly, Jr; Promises ft Canton Jones by Trisha Alicia; Your Love by William Murphy; Sinners (Saved By Grace) by Deitrick Haddon and Big Boi; and Better by Hezekiah Walker. Once again we have packaged everything in a nice little playlist. We have to get back to judging these videos, but there is plenty enough to keep us busy at Night Beat HQ, so until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are slowly climbing out of the hole we found ourselves in at the beginning of this year. As the saying goes, the first thing to do is to stop digging. I think we can say that we did that. After this we still have the Second Quarter Wrap to do, and Keep Up With the May Releases, and continue with the Nominations for #PlatVnyl7. You see what I mean? We begin our April wrap with the songs, and were there a boatload.
The Singles Scene
Deraj - Way Up 3.75 Emeralds
Jamie Grace - The Happy Song 4.75 Emeralds
I Am They - Crown Him 4.75 Emeralds
J-Heir - Reloaded 5 Emeralds
Gospel Lee - Reset 4.50 Emeralds
Derek Minor - Change The World Remixes feat Hollyn 4.75 Emeralds
Branan Murphy - All The Wrong Things (feat Koryn Hawthorne) 4.75 Emeralds
Natasha Owens - I am Loved 5 Emeralds
Sarah Reeves - Nowhere 4.75 Emeralds
Kristina Schell - Pharisee 4.75 Emeralds
Third Day - Revival 4.75 Emeralds
Tony Tillman - Granny's Couch 3.75 Emeralds
Transform DJ's - Never Alone 4.50 Emeralds
Count them. That is 13 official singles (some are "EPs" with several versions of the same song, so the actual number is higher). It is enough for a Deluxe album, which is a nice segue for our next group, albums which did not make the cut.
Missing The Mark
BRVNDONP and Mission - Barely Finished 3.50 Emeralds
Mike Clements - The Layover 43.50 Emeralds
Lawren - As You Pass, Go EP 3.75 Emeralds
Light The Way - Dude, Lame 3.75 Emeralds
Leslie McKee - Another Mile 3.75 Emeralds
Mogli The Iceburg - Tumultu 3.50 Emeralds
Nothing Left - Destroy and Rebuild EP 3.75 Emeralds
Angie Rose - Sippin Coffee In The Bakery 3.50 Emeralds
RVN Band - Dancing Season 3.25 Emeralds
Spence 4hire - Make Noise EP 3.50 Emeralds
Oscar Urbina - MP2: Darkness 3.75 Emeralds
Various - The Case For Christ (Songs Inspired By The Original Motion Picture) 3.75 Emeralds
A full dozen in the rejected category. Of course when I say rejected, I mean from awards consideration. Most of the albums in this group are OK, just not great. On to the great, and that is an understatement this month.
Pure Platinum Perfection
Bethel Music - Starlight 5 Emeralds
Stu G and Friends- Beatitudes 5 Emeralds
Matty Mullins - Unstoppable 5 Emeralds
Kim Walker-Smith - On My Side 5 Emeralds
Various - Christian Dance Music Vol. 1 (Mixed by FreeG and Emasound) 5 Emeralds
An over 2-1 margin rejected/perfect is a great sign. One note, it takes more than saying "I want to dance" over and over again to make a dance album. RVN band could take a few lessons from FreeG and company. Stu G (Stuart David Garrard) is the former Guitarist for British Supergroup Delirious? Now on his own, he has assembled an excellent group of Friends (Audrey Assad, Amy Grant, All Sons and Daughters, and former bandmate Martin Smith). It is a must have album. Now, finally, to the albums which fall in between.
Semi-Precious Metals
Lauren Alexandria - Victorious In Love EP 4.75 Emeralds
Anthem Lights - Hymns 4.50 Emeralds
Citylovemusic - Citylovemusic EP 4.75 Emeralds
The Classic Crime - How To Be Human 4.75 Emeralds
Covenant Worship - Sand and Stars 4.50 Emeralds
DJ Kirk - DJ Kirk 4.75 Emeralds
Freedom Worship - The Veil 4.50 Emeralds
Har Megiddo - Pressure 4.75 Emeralds
North Central University Worship Live - Always Remain 4.50 Emeralds
North Point Inside Out - Nothing Ordinary EP 4.75 Emeralds
Jeremi and Amy Richardson - Wind And Water 4.75 Emeralds
South of Royal - Deliverance and Doubt EP 4.75 Emeralds
Garett Serban - Anthem EP 4.50 Emeralds
Shane and Shane - The Worship Initiative, Volume 12 4.50 Emeralds
That is it. April is in the bag. Yahoo. Considering I had to re-rate the entire month after I lost my initial notes getting things done and posted within the first half of May is a minor miracle. I'll take it. No time to sit back and celebrate. There is still a lot of work to be done. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Things are backed up here at Night Beat HQ. Here it is almost the first of May and I have not even put out the March edition of Rewind. Well, the procrastination and delay ends right now. Some of the problem is unavoidable. My April notes disappeared, so I am forced to re-listen and re-rate for the first 3 weeks of April. Ouch. Anyway, let's get to it. We begin, as always, with the songs released during the month, or as we like to call it.
The Singles Scene
Built By Titan - You (feat Skybourne) 4.75 Emeralds
Hillsong Worship - What A Beautiful Name 4.50 Emeralds
Hillsong Young and Free - Where You Are (Re-imagined)
Dara Maclean - Ashes 5 Emeralds
Mandisa - Unfinished 5 Emeralds
Kim Walker-Smith - Throne Room 5 Emeralds
Ryan Stevenson - The Gospel 5 Emeralds
Despite it being marketed as an EP, I am including Hillsong's What a Beautiful Name as a Single.It is really 1 song remixed 6 different ways. That does it for the singles. We move to the albums, and we also begin with those albums which do not make the #PlatVnyl8 cut.
Missing The Mark
Dru Bex - The Good Album 3.75 Emeralds
J-Giles Son - Promise 2 3.50 Emeralds
Montel Dorsey and MUniversity - Love Over Hate 3.50 Emeralds
Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors - Souvenir 3.75 Emeralds
Random Hero - The Covering 3.75 Emeralds
5 miss the mark makes me confident that things are still on the level at Night Beat HQ. Too many would make me wonder about the quality of the industry. Of course the next grouping makes me wonder if I am going soft.
Pure Platinum Perfection
Colton Dixon - Identity 5 Emeralds
Demon Hunter - Outlive 5 Emeralds
Edge Kirkland - Ekrmx 5 Emeralds
Mercy Me - Lifer 5 Emeralds
Kerrie Roberts - Boundless 5 Emeralds
5 Perfect albums in a month means 60 in a year if the trend continues. That could mean an award ceremony of only perfect albums.
Semi-Precious Metal
As We Ascend - Farewell To Midnight 4.75 Emeralds
Jason Bare - Fearless 4.75 Emeralds
Daniel Bashta - My Resurrection (Live) 4.50 Emeralds
Brooke and Boggs - Wildfire EP 4.75 Emeralds
Dante Bowe - Son of a Father 4.75 Emeralds
Earnest A - Form Father to Son 4.50 Emeralds
Elevation Worship - There is a Cloud 4.75 Emeralds
Fireflight - Re-Imag-Innova EP 4.75 Emeralds
Flatfoot 56 -Odd Boat 4.75 Emeralds
Young Fox - Sky Beats Gold 4.75 Emeralds
GAWVI - We Belong 4.75 Emeralds
Informants - Uprising 4.75 Emeralds
K.I.D.S. - Side A EP 4.75 Emeralds
Sajan Nauriyal - Always Enough 4.75 Emeralds
Out of The Dust - Out of the Dust 4.75 Emeralds
Righteous Vendetta - Cursed 4.75 Emeralds
Root Road - Come Alive 4.50 Emeralds
Selah - Unbreakable 4.50 Emeralds
Aaron Shust - Love Made A Way (Live) 4.75 Emeralds
Rita Springer - Battles 4.75 Emeralds
Aaron Sprinkle - Real Life 4.75 Emeralds
Laura Story - Open Hands 4.75 Emeralds
Greg Sykes - Reverse EP 4.50 Emeralds
Mike Teruel - Fragments 4.50 Emeralds
Jaci Velasquez - Trust 4.75 Emeralds
Darlene Zschech - Here I Am Send Me 4.50 Emeralds
It took a week, but here we are. The MARCH edition of Rewind. If you haven't noticed the calendar, it is May. If you live in the Northeast United States you can be forgiven for your disbelief. It certainly doesn't feel like May, it feels a lot like March. On to April. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
The final group of video nominees which has been narrowed to the final 5 is Gospel Video. The video awards are still being narrowed in most categories. Let's get to it. The #PlatVnyl7 nominees are:You are WorthyJJ Hairston and Youthful Praise; Invincible by Armar'rae Hill and True Foundation; Your Love by William Murphy; Sinners (Saved By Grace) by Deitrick Haddon and Big Boi; and Better by Hezekiah Walker. Once again we have packaged everything in a nice little playlist. We have to get back to judging these videos, but there is plenty enough to keep us busy at Night Beat HQ, so until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Continuing with our announcement of the nominees in the genre portion of the Video of The Year Awards for #PlatVnyl7, as the current award year is referred to. Our next set of nominees belongs to Modern Worship. While they have no shortage of entries in the album and song portions of the awards, they are a newcomer in the video portion. On to the nominees. They are Run Devil Run by Crowder; two videos by FearlessBND, Revival and Shake The Skies; Perfect Love by Cindy Cruse Ratcliff; and Stand by Sagebrush Church. Once again, the nominees in a Video Playlist. That does it for Modern Worship. Gospel is next. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are continuing to roll out the announcements of the #PlatVnyl7 genre based Video Of The Year Nominees. We move from Folk to Adult Contemporary. The #PlatVnyl7 nominees are: Memories by Phillip LaRue; Be Thou My Vision by Audrey Assad; See You Again by Charles Billingsley and Meredith Andrews; This Is Love by Sanctus Real; and Sail On by Meredith Kinleigh. The nominees in a playlist. That does it for Adult Contemporary Video of The Year. We Will Head To Modern Worship Video Next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
We are trying to pull ourselves up out of a hole here at Night Beat HQ. One of the best ways to do that is to get going on the Platinum Vinyl Awards. This year (we are behind schedule) is #PlatVnyl7. We always use the Music Video Monday format to announce the Video Awards Nominees. Since we have narrowed a few of the categories to the final 5 nominees, I think it is high time to begin the announcement process. We begin with Folk/Folk Rock Video of The Year. The nominees for #PlatVnly7 are Signal by Sara Groves; Beloved One by Jenny and Tyler; The Dream Alive by Vocal Few; What Do You See? by Mr and Mrs Something; and Band of Gold by The Grey Havens. Here is the video playlist. That does it for this edition of Music Video Monday. We will try to keep this up daily. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply
