Heating It Up: Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Quarter Nominees - Alternative

Moving on with the Fourth Quarter Nominations. For those new on the scene, the year of eligibility for the Platinum Vinyl Awards is October 1-September 30. So the fourth quarter is the summer months of July, August and September, hence "heating it up".

2011 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Quarter Nominees

We come to the Alternative Rock genre. Again, the genre was well represented, with ten entries this quarter alone. Let's get to it.

Alternative Rock

• Daniel Bashta - The Sounds of Daniel Bashta
• DecembeRadio - Southern Attic Sessions
• Divided by Friday - Prove It
• Gungor - Ghosts Upon The Earth
• Kiros - Outlaws & Prodigals
• Mikeschair - A Beautiful Life
• Rush of Fools - We Once Were
• Sidewalk Prophets - These Simple Truths (Deluxe Edition)
• Southbound Fearing - Southbound Fearing
• Switchfoot - Vice Verses (5)

There are a few multiple entrants here. Daniel Bashta is here and in Modern Worship, and Switchfoot is here and in Rock. We'll keep things going, hopefully one a day, and get through the genre based nominations in a week. As Always, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: August 2011

We are here at the Penultimate Edition of Night Beat Rewind for the 2011 Platinum Vinyl Awards. In case anyone is unclear on the word, that means next-to-last. Now remember my eligibility year is October 1-September 30, smack in the middle of the Grammy's (September 1, 2010-September 30,2011) and the Doves (November 1, 2010 -October 31, 2011).

Since I've been picking up new readers through Triberr and other sources, I think it's time to review my Emerald Rating System. As regards to regular music listening anything worth listening to on a regular basis will be scored 3 Emeralds or Higher. Now with regards to the Platinum Vinyl Awards, the bar is set slightly higher. PVA inclusion begins with 4 Emeralds, anything lower than that will not be considered (If you use a star rating, The numbers stay the same). At the end of the Year of Eligibility the entries in each genre will be cut down to get to a "Final Round" which, in a perfect world, would be Seven Nominees, but it will be how it will. Last year some categories only had Two nominees for the entire year. The Basics are as follows.

• 5 Emeralds - In to the final round. (There will never be 7 5 Emerald albums in a year in any given category, trust me on this one).
• 4.75 Emeralds - Great chance of making the final 7
• 4.50 Emeralds - A Very Good Chance of Making the Finals
• 4.25 Emeralds - Do You Believe in Miracles?
• 4 Emeralds - The Lowest bar of inclusion in the original mix, but let's not get too giddy about your chances.
• 3.75 to 3 Emeralds - These aren't Platinum, but Bronze Silver and Gold are still nice metals.
• 2.75 Emeralds or Lower - Break out the Gong and the Shepherds Crook.

As always, we start with the ones that didn't make it and progress to the ones that did make the initial mix.

• Blaze - Exposed 3.75 Emeralds
• Patrick Ryan Clark - Where Would I Be 3.75 Emeralds
• Bethany Dillon - Beautiful: The Hits Collection 3.75 Emeralds
• Stellar Kart - A Whole New World EP 3.75 Emeralds
• Lindsay McCaul - If it Leads Me Back 3.75 Emeralds
• Brother's McClurg - Alive 3.75 Emeralds
• Sandi Patty - The Best of Sandi Patty 3.5 Emeralds
• Sainthood Reps - Monoculture 3.75 Emeralds
• Aaron Shust - This is What We Believe 3.75 Emeralds

Yes I know it seems like a copout with all the 3.75's (and no complaints from the Sandi lovers out there). My opinion is that these just missed. Still not so sure on Stellar Kart. I know they're doing Disney Covers here but this might be a parody album. On to the best for the month of August.

• Ashes Remain - What I've Become 4.5 Emeralds
• Braille - Native Lungs 4.5 Emeralds
• Steven Curtis Chapman - Re:Creation 4 Emeralds
• Dorinda Clark-Cole - I Survived 4.75 Emeralds
• Committed - Committed 4.25 Emeralds
• DecembeRadio - The Southern Attic Sessions 4.25 Emeralds
• Denver & The Mile High Orchestra - Groovy 5 Emeralds
• Divided by Friday - Prove It EP 4.25 Emeralds
• Downhere - On the Altar of Love 4.5 Emeralds
• The Ember Days - Emergency 4.75 Emeralds
• Southbound Fearing - Southbound Fearing 4.5 Emeralds
• Shaun Groves - Third World Symphony 4.5 Emeralds
• Deitrick Haddon - Anthology 4.25 Emeralds
• Icon For Hire - Scripted 4.5 Emeralds
• Jai - Culture Shock 4.5 Emeralds
• Forever Jones - Get Ready (Deluxe Edition) **
• Mat Kearney - Young Love 4 Emeralds
• Donald Lawrence - YRM: Your Righteous Mind 4.5 Emeralds
• Mikeschair - A Beautiful Life 4 Emeralds
• Geoff Moore - Saying Grace 4.5 Emeralds
• Matt Papa - This Changes Everything 4.25 Emeralds
• Planetshakers - Nothing Is Impossible 4 Emeralds
• Cindy Cruse Ratcliff - Twenty Three 4.25 Emeralds
• V.Rose - V.Rose 4 Emeralds
• Selah - Hope for the Broken World 4.25 Emeralds
• Beckah Shae - Destiny 5 Emeralds
• Veggie Tales (feat Moriah Peters) - Songs for a Princess 4.5 Emeralds
• Warr Acres - Warr Acres 4.5 Emeralds
• Your Chance to Die - Suscitatio Somnus 4.25 Emeralds

** Forever Jones is being passed along at the same rating as the original album Last Year.

Links in this post go to my original review. In the case of Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, scroll down to the bottom of the linked post, which is for Darlene Zschech.

Am I glad I finally got everything fixed. As always, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Mini Review: Divided by Friday: Prove It

I am going to try to knock out a few posts today today to get me through the Labor Day weekday. In order to do that, I am going to have to cut my usual review length short.

First up is Divided by Friday. Due to the fact that they seem to like releasing EPs, this is their fifth album in 3 years. They have a Ivoryline feel. Most of the songs are Rock/Alternative, with Face to Face being the only ballad.

When a good band releases an EP my only disappointment is that it's too short, and such is the case again. As such I am going to give it only 4.25 Emeralds. It will go into the intial mix for this years PVA's, and we'll see how it goes from there. As the title says, they will have to Prove It.

One Down. Have you listened to the EP? Do You Like It? Please comment. As always, I am Awaiting Your Reply.