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.
Things are proceeding well at Night Beat HQ. Here it is just after Christmas and we are all caught up with the December Rewind and The First Quarter Wrap is ready as well. If I didn't know better I would think I could proceed forever without help. No, the baby is getting a bit to big to handle. Let's get on with it.
Christmas Music (Non-Eligible)
David Dunn - Overwhelming (Single) 4.75 Emeralds
Annie Moses Band - O Holy Night/Carol of The Bells 5 Emeralds
Matty Mullins - O Holy Night (Single) 5 Emeralds
Planetshakers - Christmas, Volume 1 EP 4.75 Emeralds
Considering that it is December, perhaps it is fitting that the Christmas releases are thin. You want maximum play-time after all.
The Singles Scene
Antoine (fka ABIV) Bradford - Be My Everything 4.75 Emeralds
Ty Brasel - Praying Hands 4.25 Emeralds
Riley Clemmons - Broken Prayers 4.75 Emeralds
Hawk Nelson - He Still Does (Miracles) 4.75 Emeralds
Jay Sanon - I Know U Know ft CUBO - 4.00 Emeralds
Now, on to the albums. We begin with those with that will not make the #PlatVnyl9 Pool.
Missing The Mark
J-Phish - New Kings 4.25 Emeralds
Keyes - Animal House EP 4.00 Emeralds
Surf Gvng - Gvng Gang 3.75 Emeralds
Must be the Christmas Season, or the fact that you can't fail what isn't released. On to the perfect and flawless.
Pure Platinum Perfection
Anabeth Morgan - A Place Your Glory Dwells 5 Emeralds
Project 86 - Sheep among Wolves 5 Emeralds
Yup, it's the slow release schedule. On to those in the middle.
Semi-Precious Metals
For All Eternity - The Will To Rebuild 4.75 Emeralds
GAWVI - 954 EP 4.75 Emeralds
Eric Heron - Afterglow: A Somewhat Complicated Story 4.50 Emeralds
Byron Juane - Life In The Evening EP 4.50 Emeralds
Sam and Samantha McCabe - Through The Night 4.75 Emeralds
Narrow Skies - In Hibernation 4.75 Emeralds
Aaron Powell - My Heart Belongs EP 4.75 Emeralds
Tommy and Me - What Every Child Should Know About God, Volume 1- Joyful 4.75 Emeralds
Tommy and Me - What Every Child Should Know About God, Volume 2 - Peaceful 4.75 Emeralds
U2 - Songs of Experience (Deluxe Edition) 4.75 Emeralds
War of Ages - Alpha 4.75 Emeralds
That does it. 2017 is in the Bag. Stay safe and we'll see you again in 2018. Until next time (there is still more housekeeping to do), I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Dance is up next as we announce the pool entries for the 2nd Quarter of 2017. They had six entries, which is very good for the quarter. There are three more posts after this, and they all smash through the 7 nominee category listing in the finals. As I finished up our last post, I hope that Amazon gets quickly back online so that I can update these posts with their affiliate links. On to the Dance Entries.
I can hear you saying "wasn't Hollyn just nominated in Rap?" Yes, and now she is in the pool (Nominees aren't official until the pool is closed) in Dance. That is part of the problem with this artist. She carries off various styles. She can rap, has an R&B/Gospel Voice, Has a Synthpop Sound, and does it all well. It makes it hard to peg an album. Next up is Adult Contemporary with 10 entrants into the pool. Until then, 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.
As promised, the first of our beastly trilogy. That's a Book of Revelation joke for the Biblically Uninformed. Three 7's in a row may pave the way for Heaven, but three 6's. Of course the fact that this grouping includes Dance Music probably cements the feeling that Dancing WILL send you to HELL among Southern Baptists and Nazarene's. (The first grouping is legend, the Second I know from experience, as I went to Eastern Nazarene College). Let's get down to it.
There you go, music for the Christian to shake their booty to. GAWVI is a DJ as they call them these days, as opposed to Radio DJ, which I was. Julianna Zobrist is only available on CD through Amazon. No Download. How Luddite. Pop is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
Welcome once again to an all new edition of Music Video Monday. Welcome to October, or in Night Beat Speak, #PlatVnyl8. A new year is beginning, and already we have struck Pure Platinum. And it is for a new artist. We begin our video journey with a little EDM. This is GAWVI DJ'ing for us in the Late Night. Let's keep the Dance Party going. Another up and comer is Julianna Zobrist, who is feeling Alive. Closing out our Dance party with our debut Platinum artistOcean Calling (aka Sophie Wilkie). She just came out with a new album entitled Quiet Magic, and from the album this is Black Sand. Next week we will have something other than EDM, I promise. Until then, though, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
