Copernicus Rocks: The 2017 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr - Modern Worship

The Penultimate Post for the Second Quarter of 2017 is Modern Worship. Actually they won, sort of. First Place is a tie with Pop. Both had 11 entrants. Let's not wast any more time.

Modern Worship

• Daniel Bashta - My Resurrection (Live)
• Brooke & Boggs - Wildfire EP
• Elevation Worship - There Is A Cloud
• Fearless BND - We Are Fearless
• Hillsong Young & Free - Youth Revival Acoustic
• Hope Chapel - Hear My Cry
• Informants - Uprising
• Kari Jobe - The Garden
• Rita Springer - Battles
• Vineyard Worship - Through It All (Kaleo Worship) 
• Darlene Zshech - Here I Am Send Me 

Only one more post and we're done with the 2nd Quarter. Pop is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.
  

Merely Ordinary

If you've been following the Night Beat for any length of time you have most likely picked up a rant or two about my dissatisfaction with the state of Modern Worship Music. Most of that seems to be centered around the hillsongification of the genre (Yes, I just made that up. But maybe I could get it to trend). While Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia is the most successful and has spawned a legion of imitators, that is both a blessing and a curse. Most of the music in the genre sounds pretty much the same.

That being said, there is a new breed of Worship Music arising. While Australia still is King, the city is Melbourne and Planetshakers. Then there is Northern Ireland and Rend Collective (Current Album excepted. A little slip. No need to panic yet). Here in the States we have Daniel Bashta and Kari Jobe that have a flair for the dramatic, or should I say orchestratic.

At least until now, at least for Jobe. Majestic was a 5 Emerald Hit and cleaned up at the Platinum Vinyl Awards. There was the Obligatory Deluxe Album. They should have done the instrumental album, but instead went acoustic with Majestic Revisited. Bad Move.

The songs are meaningful, but part of the magic that made majestic live up to its title was the soaring orchestration. In my opinion it makes Kari sing better. Without the challenge of trying to sing above the soar, she gets very quiet, and that is a shame. The songs are the same, just more ordinary.

I never thought I would say this, but I am giving Majestic Revisited by Kari Jobe a quite ordinary score of 3.75 Emeralds. A Platinum Vinyl Awards without Kari Jobe. Maybe she cans still be a presenter. Oh well, until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Fast Forward to Forever Giveaway

It's finally here. The first giveaway of the year. We operate on a shoestring here at Night Beat HQ, so we have to work at restocking the prize closet. We finally have done so, and I have got some real doozies for you, if I do say so myself. We have four winners from #PlatVnyl5 including the Album of The Year. Let's take a look at the Prizes.

The rom-com line is "You Had Me at Hello". In the music world that translates into "Discovered by Kirk Franklin". The Pure Platinum emanating from the Gospel Genre doesn't come from Wall Street but The Walls Group. A family band consisting of four siblings Darrell, Rhea, Paco, and Ahjah (That's Brother, Sister, Brother, Sister, in descending order of age). Their sophomore release is called Fast Forward, though you wont want to do that to their album. They open with the question "If I talk about Jesus, can I get some love on the radio" Give it a listen and you will be screaming out YES, YES, YES.

Scandinavia has been doing its best to contribute to the Christian Music scene for quite a while, at least since Jerusalem began to Rock out in Sweden in 1975. Yeah, I know, Evie, but I'm trying to forget that. Lately we have a lot of Scandinavian Influence with David and Jonathan Thulin, Blindside, and Even Icon For Hire. Yeah, a whole lot more than ABBA came from there. Icon For Hire is a domestic band, but lead singer Ariel (pronounced R-E-L) was born in Sweden. Icon For Hire started as an independent rock band from Decatur,  Illinois before being discovered by Midas (aka

Brandon Ebel of Tooth and Nail Records). Their Scripted debut had overtones of Skillet and other bands and took the rock world by storm.They played warped tour. And their self titled sophomore release won best Rock Album. They took an even harder louder turn this time around and it paid off big time.

Nothing is harder than Metal, and for those of us in a certain age group Metal Means Melodic Metal, none of that thrash growls for us. Harmonies rule. And when it comes to Heavy Metal Harmony, there is only one name on the top - STRYPER. The album that propelled them to the top of the list was called To Hell With The Devil. The title alone sent shivers down the spine of Christian College Administrators. It was a stand alone album for almost three decades. Until 2013, when No More Hell To Pay came out. It was a fitting completion to the first album and I thought of it that way. But they upped their game once again and are going for the Trilogy. Fallen comes out this Fall (no pun intended).  As to the title, I almost want to say "from your mouth to God's ear". The last Christian album entitled Fallen went multi-platinum and shot its Artists to Rock Stardom. Of course they also got kicked out of the kingdom for their promotional efforts. One out of two ain't bad, though. NMHTP picked up the Platinum Vinyl Award for Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album of The Year.

And now we come to the big release. Album of The Year. This year the award went to the Modern Worship genre, which was a big surprise. Some albums just wont be denied, however. Majestic (Live) by Kari Jobe was one of those albums. It is one of the rare worship albums that make you feel like you've been transported directly to the throne. The song and video for Forever really moves you. It cleaned up at the Awards. Modern Worship Song, Video, and Album, and Album of The Year among others. As opposed to the other albums in the sweepstakes, the winner here will get the Deluxe Edition, which includes several videos, including Forever.

I have gone on long, but this is the best Sweepstakes I have put together, and it is fitting for the 5 year Anniversary of The Platinum Vinyl Awards. Just Enter below. You Wont be disappointed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MVM Special Edition: #PlatVnyl5 VMA-Video of The Year

The end of the #PlatVnyl5 Video awards is upon us. Only one award before the coveted Video Of The Year is handed out. Video by a Female Artist is first. The nominees were: Forever by Kari Jobe; Heartbeat by Beckah Shae; No Better U by V.Rose; Running With The Boys by Lights; and When The Crazy Kicks In by Francesca Battistelli. And the winner was: Running With The Boys
Finally we come to Video Of The Year.  We had 7 entries in this category, where we usually try to keep things to five for the videos. The nominees were: Felix Culpa by Kings Kaleidoscope; Forever by Kari Jobe; Heartbeat by Beckah Shae; Heartbeat by Sumerlin; Ready, Aim by Mali Music; Relief  by Wolves At The Gate; and When The Crazy Kicks In by Francesca Battistelli. And the #PlatVnyl5 Video of The Year is and was: Forever.

And that concludes the blog announcement of the #PlatVnyl5 Music Video Awards. All that really remains is to update all the awards on the winners page. Keep it locked here, though, because #PlatVnyl6 has turned the final corner, and we are racing toward the close of the eligibility year. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

An Event To Cherish Forever: #PlatVnyl5

The Ceremony is in the bag. The awards have been (virtually) handed out and I could not be more pleased. Five Years. You have dreams when you start things but you're never really prepared for the hard work or the payoff. Such was the case here. I always knew the awards system was biased in favor of a few artists, and the musical variety was pathetic. It was the Amy and Smitty Show. But I was just a college DJ, what could I do?

Fast Forward to 2015. The Platinum Vinyl Awards, first launched in 2010, is now in its Fifth Year of Existence. Though a physical statuette is still not a reality,and neither are the celebrity presenters, the event has quickly risen to be one of the top Awards Ceremonies for CCM and the Fringe on the net. Doves? Don't make me laugh. Now encompassing 57 categories in Video, Album, Song and the General Field. Variety? How does 12 genres strike you? A new general field award dedicated to EP's. Big things are coming up.

On to #PlatVnyl5. Every so often a release comes along which will not be denied, and it dominates the awards. Such was the case this year. Worship Leader Kari Jobe released Majestic (Live), and while the first listen didn't exactly wow me, the album grew. Then there was the video for the song Forever. In the end the artist and album garnered 6 wins: Modern Worship Video of The Year; Live Recorded Album of The Year; Modern Worship Album of The Year; Modern Worship Song of The Year; Video of The Year and Album of The Year. That would be enough to make this a breakout year. But while all that was going on Lindsay McCaul quietly racked up four trips to the podium of her own: Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Alum of The Year; Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Song of The Year; Female Vocalist of The Year; and Song of The Year for One More Step. Add to that the return of Bloodgood, the consistency of Stryper and new artists Salt of The Sound and you have a year that will be talked about in the music industry for quite a while. If this is how it is now, I can't wait for #PlatVnyl6. 

We will have the announcements of the video awards on the blog and the full results will be posted on the winners page soon. I hope to soon have a big giveaway as well. Stay tuned. Things are just beginning to heat up here. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

#PlatVnyl5: The Nominations Are In

The nominations are over. #PlatVnyl5 moves into the final judging period and the winners will soon be announced. The world waits with baited breath. Excluding compilations, there were 130 nominated artists, though featured appearances may have inflated the total by a few votes.

There were 55 categories, a record. The awards are spread over four fields: Album, Song, Video and General. Heading into the finals, British Expats Ben and Anita Tatlow, aka Stockholm's Salt of The Sound, lead the nomination pack with a record setting 11 nominations. Due to multiple nominations in a category, however, the maximum times they can step up to the virtual podium is 7.

They can be beat by the second place nominee holder, Kari Jobe of Gateway Church in Southlake, TX. Her 9 nominations for Majestic (Live) and its signature song Forever were all individual category nominations, so she has the opportunity to make 9 trips for 9 nominations. The album certainly lived up to its name. I confess at the first it didn't impress me, going only by Amazon clips. Once I saw and heard the video I changed my tune and upgraded it from 4.5 to a perfect 5 emeralds. It is a formidable hurdle for the others.

Tied for Second with 9 nominations is someone who probably will never be on the same stage with Kari Jobe. Metal Pioneers Stryper. Since they also had multiple nominations for two albums, they will only be eligible for 8 wins, which is pretty good considering.

Salt of The Sound led the debut artists, but they had a lot to crow about. Taking out the leader, the others had 34 entries between them. Rockers Veridia and Folk-Rock/Worship For The Fatherless were in second place with 6 apiece.

Though there is still no hardware and only a virtual venue as well (no pretty presenters or speeches), things are heating up and word is getting around. I give God all the glory for the growth of these awards, as I really am flying by the seat of my pants on this. And while all this is going on #PlatVnyl6 is halfway through the nomination period. Never a dull moment. 

I may be spotty on the blog. (Big Surprise) as it is my Birthday. No I won't tell you how old I am. So until next we meet, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Best of 2014: Modern Worship

In my last post on Gospel, I said only two posts remained. When I said that, I forgot about Modern Worship.  A lot of people do. It's kind of like Jesse's eighth son. Look it up. 1 Samuel 16 "Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel....So He asked Jesse "Are These All The Sons You Have?" "There Is Still The Youngest" (1 Sam 16:10-11). That makes eight. 1 Chron 2:15 reads, however "...and the seventh David". Somebody's missing.

There were four Perfect Modern Worship releases in 2014. In editing it down, two had to go, and one was a second Planetshakers release. This Is Our Time (Live) will have to wait another time, and know that it still is perfect and in the finals of #PlatVnyl6.  Also in the finals will be the other album left off the list, and that was I Must Find You by Young Oceans. When I heard their version of Oceans (Where Feet May Fall) by Hillsong United, I know they had owned it for themselves.

Two releases made the list, and perhaps I will be able to get by with this post without any disagreement, maybe on one.  That release is simply Majestic (Live) by +Kari Jobe. All you have to do is watch the video for Forever to see this is a truly special album. 

For a long time the feeling has been that the Modern Worship industry has had its headquarters in Australia. It is true, but the city has moved. No longer is the Headquarters at Hillsong Church in Sydney Australia. Maybe for some nostalgia buffs, but that's about it. A lot of the stuff coming out of there is pretty stale these days. The real action is coming out of Melbourne, 600 miles South. Planetshakers Church has been putting out a fresher worship for a new, younger generation, with a dance infused worship that would make King David proud. Endless Praise (Live) would have made him ecstatic. That's not saying they can't slow things down, that's easy, as Made for Worship and Kiss Towards prove. It just goes to prove that if your natural state is to rock out you can easily pull back, but it is really hard to go loud if all you know is soft.

Now we only have two left. Hard Rock is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Polar Vortex Polka: The 2014 2nd Quarter - Modern Worship

We conclude our wrap of the 2014 2nd Quarter entries with Modern Worship. They had a whopping nine entries, leading the pack. It seems everyone makes a worship album at some point in their careers, just like the mandatory Christmas album. Unfortunately that makes a lot of sameness in the genre, and we have a lot of work to do to find the best.

Modern Worship

• Elevation Worship - Only King Forever
• iWorship - iWorship Now/next 2014
• Jesus Culture - Jesus Culture Reconstructed, Volume 1
• Kari Jobe - Majestic (Live)
• Maranatha Music - Heart of Worship: 10,000 Reasons
• Planetshakers - Endless Praise
• Rend Collective Experiment - The Art of Celebration
• The Royal Royal - The Return of The King
• Various Artists - Wow Worship (Lime)

That finishes off our 2nd Quarter 2014 Wrap. We are on the 3rd Quarter. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply. 

Night Beat Rewind: March 2014

Taking A Break from the announcements of the nominees for the Video Award Category of the Platinum Vinyl Awards. We still have four categories to go, and they will be announced next Tuesday through Friday. I intend to have a regularly scheduled Music Video Monday on Monday. No Fooling.

Right now, it's time for some spring cleaning. The March edition of Rewind is upon us. March has been a very good month for releases. We begin, as always, with those releases, which PVA speaking:

Missed The Mark

• Big Daddy Weave - Love Come to Life: The Redeemed Edition 3.75 Emeralds
• Bread of Stone - The Real Life (Deluxe Edition) 3.75 Emeralds
• Hillsong United - The White Album (Remix Project) 3.75 Emeralds
• Samuel Lane - 252 Sessions, iTunes Deluxe Edition 3.50 Emeralds
• Robin Mark - Liberation Praise 3.75 Emeralds
• Scribbling Idiots - Invitation Only 3.75 Emeralds
• Michael W. Smith - Hymns 3.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - All The Saints: Live from the Centric Worship Retreat, Volume 1 3.75 Emeralds

Most of these just missed the mark. I was a bit more turned off by Samuel Lane, but I was most disappointed by Hillsong United. I gave it a pass for award consideration because it failed as a remix. Actually, I was most disappointed by Smitty. What happened to the big orchestration. This was simplicity pushed to the point of blah.

There is no blah in the next grouping.

Pure Platinum

• Christon Gray - School of Roses 5 Emeralds
• Kari Jobe - Majestic (Live) 5 Emeralds
• Planetshakers - Endless Praise 5 Emeralds
• Rend Collective Experiment - The Art of Celebration 5 Emeralds

I think it is a first to have three Modern Worship releases among the perfect albums. Kari Jobe put together a stellar release around the awesome Forever. Planetshakers Kissed Toward the Throne of God, and Rend. They blend worship, folk, rock, an almost infinite variety of instruments. They continue to amaze.

Finally, we go to the middle group, the

Semi-Precious Metal

• Audrey Assad - O Happy Fault 4.75 Emeralds
• Michael Boggs - More Like A Lion 4.50 Emeralds
• Erica Campbell - Help 4.75 Emeralds
• Capital Kings - Remixed EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Demon Hunter - Extremist 4.75 Emeralds
• Peter Furler Band - Sun and Shield 4.75 Emeralds
• Future of Forestry - Piano and Strings Sessions 4.75 Emeralds
• Jason Gray - Love Will Have The Final Word 4.50 Emeralds
• Jars of Clay - Inlandia: The Remix Collection EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Jesus Culture - Jesus Culture Reconstructed, Volume 1 4 Emeralds
• KB - 100 EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Kings Kaleidoscope - Live In Color 4.75 Emeralds 
• Lights of Day - Lights of Day 4.50 Emeralds
• John Mark McMillan - Borderland 4.50 Emeralds
• Memphis May Fire - Unconditional 4.75 Emeralds
• The Overseer - Rest and Let Go 4.50 Emeralds
• The Royal Royal - The Return of The King 4.75 Emeralds
• Satellites and Sirens - One Noise 4.75 Emeralds
• Shonlock - A Night to Remember 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - God's Not Dead: The Motion Picture Soundtrack 4.25 Emeralds
• Various Artists - WoW Worship (Lime) 4.50 Emeralds
• Various Artists - WoW Worship Deluxe (Lime) 4.50 Emeralds

I'm not holding out much hope for Jesus Culture's chances here, but they were slightly better than Hillsong United in the remix department. Kings Kaleidoscope was the big winner on this list. It might have been a 4.50 Emeralds releases, but Felix Culpa is a 20+ Emeralds song. Still I had to take off that the rest of the album wasn't as jumping, so 4.75 it is.

I am going to forgo links for now, and update it when I have time. I will return with a regular Music Video Monday and finish the announcing of the Video Nominees for this years Platinum Vinyl Awards. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply. 

 

 

Music Video Monday: Forever

Welcome back everybody. We had some personal problems leading to our first missed Music Video Monday. I may have missed one due to a holiday but I do not remember. Either way I will make sure it doesn't happen again.

We begin with an event. Some videos just make you go WOW. This is one of them. Kari Jobe and this is Forever. I'll be here when you finish. It's over twelve minutes long, but well worth it.

We're back. I hope you agree, WOW. Sometimes you just have to spend a while in worship before the throne. Right now everything else seems window dressing but we must go on. We move on to Rap/Rock. First up is KJ-52 (five-two). This is Tonight.
It's about time that we created a ruckus. Rapture Ruckus, that is. They team up with Soul Glow Activatur. It's really freeing when you're not in The In Crowd. 
Goth Girl's got some moves. Know who else does? Sarah Anthony of The Letter Black.  Rise Up From The Ashes.

That concludes this edition of Music Video Monday. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

 

Night Beat Rewind: July 2012

To all my new readers and fans coming from various places including online sweepstakes, I welcome you to the latest edition of Night Beat Rewind.A little later than I would like, but at least it's within the first ten days. As readership continues to grow, this introductory note becomes more and more important.

Night Beat Rewind is my monthly quick hits rating column for the releases of the Previous Month (the August column is for the July releases, how could it be otherwise since August is in Progress). I split the releases into three categories:

1. Those Releases which failed to make the initial bar for consideration in the annual Platinum Vinyl Awards.
2. Those Releases GUARANTEED to make the final 7 nominees vying for PVA consideration by virtue of being awarded a PERFECT 5 EMERALD RATING
3. The rest of the releases which met the minimum threshold of 4 Emeralds to be included in the PVA Judging Pool.

Now a word regarding category one. As I say every time, this is award worthy releases I am talking about. However, as regarding enjoyable listening is considered, unless those that missed the mark were under 3 Emeralds, you shouldn't be concerned about wasting your money on a bad album. With that being said, we begin with those albums which

Missed The Mark

• Clint Brown - Release 3.75 Emeralds
• Kari Jobe - The Acoustic Sessions [+video] 3.75 Emeralds
• Capital Lights - Rhythm 'N' Moves 3.75 Emeralds
• Your Memorial - Redirect 3.75 Emeralds

As you can tell by the rating of 3.75 Emeralds these releases just missed the mark. You can be secure knowing that these four are all solid albums, just not award worthy.

This month none of the releases blew me away, so NONE of the releases fell into the second category. There were no PURE PLATINUM releases.

Semi-Precious Metal

• A Bullet For Pretty Boy - Symbiosis 4.75 Emeralds
• Anchor & Braille - The Quiet Life 4.75 Emeralds
• Myesha Chaney - Take Him to the World 4.25 Emeralds
• Flatfoot 56 - Toil 4.50 Emeralds
• Future of Forestry - Young Man Follow 4.50 Emeralds
• Gideon - Milestone 4.25 Emeralds
• Hillsong Live - Cornerstone (Live) 4.25 Emeralds
• House of Heroes - Cold Hard Want [+digital booklet] 4.50 Emeralds
• Andy Hunter - Glow 4.50 Emeralds
• KB - Weight & Glory 4.50 Emeralds
• Cheri Keaggy - So I Can Tell 4.50 Emeralds
• P.O.D. - Murdered Love 4.50 Emeralds
• Petra - More Power to Ya: 30th Anniversary Edition 4.50 Emeralds
• Petra - This Means War: 25th Anniversary Edition 4.50 Emeralds
• Rhett Walker Band - Come to the River 4.75 Emeralds
• Je'kob Washington - Faith 4.50 Emeralds
• Wolves at the Gate - Captors 4.75 Emeralds

That concludes this edition of Rewind. You can click on the links and purchase from Amazon. When you do, you will support The Night Beat at the same time. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

 

Music Video Monday: Rebuild The Kingdom

Welcome once again to our ongoing Monday segment here at the WENC Night Beat entitled Music Video Monday, where we share the best in Music Videos. (Didn't see that one coming. No one ever said there was originality in entertainment). We have moved into the second quarter 2012 Videos that ended in March. We will begin with an extremely difficult musical composition artistically performed by two pianists. A Sort of Official Music Video from Kari Jobe is next. This is We Are from Where I Found You We have shared this one earlier, but it gets a second chance. This is second chance by the Rend Collective It's no secret that I find Worth Dying For one of the best new Rock and Worship bands out there today. To think this started as Youth Group Music. Lucky kids today. And finally we conclude with the Canadian Band Starfield. They released an album entitled The Kingdom, this is the title cut.

That concludes this edition of Music Video Monday. Next week we will have a special Memorial Day Edition. We will return with the regular Music Videos in two weeks. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Frozen Chosen: Modern Worship

This has got to be the most oxymoronic title I have ever put on a post, since Modern Worship is supposed to be the answer to the Church Malady known as being "stiff" (aka Frozen Chosen) but I couldn't resist.

Modern Worship had a very good showing this quarter, with almost two dozen possible entries. Of course such a large pool means a lot of work next spring, but I would rather that than have to count the number of entrants on one hand (Do You Hear Me Children's Music?). Just as an aside, I am typing this post while listening to TFK's The End is the Beginning. I can see a very good recommendation coming for this release. It drops next Tuesday. Let's get on to the list.

Modern Worship

• All Sons and Daughters - Season One
• Jon Bauer - Forevermore
• Bethel Music - The Loft Sessions
• Andy Cherry - Nothing Left To Fear
• Cornerstone Church Worship - The Heart Revolution
• Gateway Next - Look Up
• Aaron Gillespie - Echo Your Song (Live)
• Kari Jobe - Where I Found You
• One Sonic Society - Forever Reign
• Parachute Band - Matins : Vespers
• Passion 2012 - White Flag
• Rend Collective Experiment - Homemade Worship by Handmade People
• Sanctuary - Reveal
• Michael W. Smith - Decades of Worship
• Starfield - The Kingdom
• Various Artists - Awaken My Soul: Songs of Redemption
• Various Artists - Maranatha Music: How Great is our God
• Various Artists - Mission Worship: Come People of the Risen King
• Various Artists - Worship Together: 25 Favorite Worship Songs
• Vineyard Music - I Love Your Presence: Live From Phoenix
• Worship Central - Spirit Break Out
• Worth Dying For - Live Riot

Whew! That was a lot. Like I said previously, too many is better than none. I will continue to dribble these out throughout the week. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: January 2012

This has got to be some kind of record. Here it is only the first week of February and the January tunes are done. Plus I have just finished the First Quarter Platinum Vinyl Awards announcements. Now that that is done, it is time for the January 2012 edition of Night Beat Rewind.

For the newcomer, let me explain. Having only limited resources at present for obtaining full album streams of new releases, the great majority of the new releases are quick-hits from Amazon samples. At the end of each month I compile all the releases, both those I have been able to fully review and those I have not, and put them into a "Rewind" column where I give a rating to each. Without further ado, the January Rewind.

Off Target

• Andrew Greer - Angel Band: The Hymn Sessions 2.25 Emeralds
• Theory Hazit - Thr3e 3.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Anchors of Faith, 100 Hymns 3.5 Emeralds

My opinion on these releases? For the most part they are OK. For the most part. Note the first one on the list. My advice - Avoid it. I take no responsibility if you buy it and then say "my ears, my ears". You have been warned.

Purest Platinum

• Blessed By A Broken Heart - Feel The Power 5 Emeralds
• David Crowder Band - Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass in C) [The Happiest of All Keys] 5 Emeralds

The Polar Opposite. These are the Perfect albums, at least as defined by The Night Beat. Anytime we can get over one in a month is a very good month. Most of the releases, however, fall short of perfection.

Semi-Precious Metal

• All Sons and Daughters - Reason To Sing EP 4.5 Emeralds
• Anthem Lights - The Acoustic Sessions 4.5 Emeralds
• Jon Bauer - Forevermore 4.5 Emeralds
• Bethel Music - The Loft Sessions 4 Emeralds
• Myron Butler - Worship 4.5 Emeralds
• Rachel Chan - Go 4 Emeralds
• Kirk Franklin - The Essential Kirk Franklin 4.75 Emeralds
• Scotty G - Real Life 4.5 Emeralds
• Group 1 Crew - Outta Space Love: Bigger Love Edition 4.75 Emeralds
• Fred Hammond - God, Love and Romance 4.75 Emeralds
• High Society Collective - Circa MMXI: The Collective 4.25 Emeralds
• Kari Jobe - Where I Found You  4.5 Emeralds
• Calvin Jones & Teresa Scanlon - Dueling Pianos: White Water Chopped Sticks - City of Peace 4.75 Emeralds
• Lindsay McCaul - If it Leads Me Back 4.5 Emeralds
• One Sonic Society - Forever Reign 4.5 Emeralds
• Parachute Band - Matins: Vespers 4.5 Emeralds
• Pioneer - Pioneer 4.5 Emeralds
• Rapzilla - King Kulture 4.5 Emeralds
• Rend Collective Experiment - Homemade Worship by Handmade People 4.75 Emeralds
• Sanctuary - Reveal 4.75 Emeralds
• Michael W. Smith - Decades of Worship 4.5 Emeralds
• Starfield - The Kingdom 4.75 Emeralds
• Tidewater - This Beautiful Life EP 4.25 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Seasons of Hope 4.5 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Seasons of Joy 4.5 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Seasons of Reflection 4.5 Emeralds
• Various Artists - WoW Gospel 2012 4.5 Emeralds
• Worship Central - Spirit Break Out 4.5 Emeralds
• Yancy - Little Praise Party: Happy Day Everyday 4.75 Emeralds

That ends the first edition of Rewind for 2012. Check out the new releases, and enjoy. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Siberian Summer: 2012 PVA 1st Qtr - Modern Worship

A little bit of a breather here. There were only four entries here. A nice pace, but while I crowed over four four Gospel, in the Modern Worship Genre it's kind of slow.

Two Churches and Two Solo artists made contributions. We'll start with the Churches. Pavilion Towers, a church in Metro-Detroit, released Crisis Worship back in October and got a Respectable 4.25 Emeralds. This is an up an coming MW Church and we shall see how things go as they release more material. It is a promising start.

From the newbie to the Veteran. Gateway Church of Southlake, TX, home to Worship Leader Kari Jobe released an EP in November entitled Great Great God. It also received 4.25 Emeralds. Speaking of Kari Jobe, she released a Solo CD entitled Where I Found You this Tuesday. More on that release as I check it out.

As to the solo artists, we have a newbie/veteran mix this quarter as well. The newbie is Keith Elgin. While the EP is his second release, he is barely on the radar among the Modern Worship circle. Fully in the Circle is Phil Wickham and Response. Both artists released their discs in October, and at the time, both received a respectable 4.5 Emeralds. Wickham also had a Christmas Release, but I wasn't impressed with that one. Just by way of note, for you already know Christmas releases aren't considered for a PVA.

That's it for Modern Worship. We will continue with the first Quarter rollout as well as continue the judging for the Second Annual Platinum Vinyl Awards. The Temperature May be Cold, but things are Heating Up at The Night Beat. Until Next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

God's Not Dead

That's the title of the Newsboys recent worship album, but I guess that was only chosen becuse "The Covering" was already taken (by Stryper). Of the Dozen Songs on the Album, 33% of them are covers (Your Love Never Fails, Mighty to Save, Forever Reign, and Revelation Song)


Now I'm nitpicking here, but what is it with Newsboys and Hillsong, especially Mighty to Save. On the original Born Again album it appeared. Then on the miracles edition it appeared twice, one of them a remix by Family Force Five. Now it's on GND. That's four times on three albums. Other CCM reviewers feel that MTS has been "covered to death" as it is. Perhaps Hillsong should voluntarily retire the song.

On to the album. Despite the Covers, the album shines. Newsboys are back to their pop sound with album. I kind of liked the DC Talk sound on Born Again. Part of My problem with the album is that, it could have been done by anyone. The covers sound almost like the original. Okay, since Kari Jobe doesn't sound anything like Michael Tait, but other than that. Part of what made the original Mighty To Save cover (which is on here) is the screaming guitars, which is not on the Hillsong version.

I'm a rocker, and Skillet Worship is my favorite worship album out there. Beside MTS, all that gets my blood pumping is I am Second to None. It's not enough for me. They should have ratcheted it up.

I'm Sorry. God's Not Dead, but this album is on life support. My final rating 3.75 Emeralds. There are going to be so many good albums coming out in the next eleven months. It's not worthy of a PVA. That hurt, just to say. Next time guys. Until next time I am Awaiting Your Reply.

More than Amazing Guitar

I love guitars.  It's not my favorite rock instrument, that would be the synthesizer, but it's a close second. A well executed guitar solo is a thing of beauty.  My introduction to Christian Music years ago came via Phil Keaggy, guitarist par excellence.  One of my criticisms of modern rock, both in CCM and in the mainstream, is a fear of all things instrumental.  Maybe it's the ego of the vocalist, but not every second of the song has to be filled with vocals.