Night Beat Rewind: February 2018

We are two thirds of the way through the Second Quarter of 2018, boy time sure flies quickly. We are quickly getting deluged in New Releases this year. If this trend continues we shall be judging #PlatVnyl9 well into #PlatVnyl 11 (I don't like the space, but I think it's the only way to make it readable. At least we have two years to figure it out).

The Singles Scene

• Lincoln Brewster - Here I Am 4.75 Emeralds
• Bradley Bridges - Jesus Is King 4.50 Emeralds
• Caves - More of You 4.50 Emeralds
• Circle of Dust - Contagion (Sebastian Komor Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Circle of Dust - Contagion (Sebastian Komor Remix Instrumentals) 4.75 Emeralds
• Jonny Diaz - Define Me 4.75 Emeralds
• Fireflight - I Wont Look Back 5 Emeralds
• Hillsong Young and Free - PEACE 4.75 Emeralds
• Lawren - Mood 3.50 Emeralds
• Toby Mac - I Just Need U (Capital Kings Remix) 5 Emeralds
• Derek Minor - It Is What It Is 4.50 Emeralds
• Nine Lashes - Breaking Out 5 Emeralds
• Smalltown Poets - You'r My Shepherd ft Mac Powell 4.75 Emeralds
• Scott Ralley - Way That You Do 4.25 Emeralds
• Sarah Reeves - Feel The Waters 5 Emeralds
• Scandroid - The Veil (Synthatiger Remix) 4.75 Emeralds
• Scandroid - The Veil (Synthatiger Remix Instrumentals) 4.75 Emeralds
• Kaden Slay - The Mercy of Jesus 4.50 Emeralds
• Greg Sykes - No Greater Love 4.75 Emeralds

We sliced the single scene by over 50% this month. Still, this is shaping up to be quite the year. We turn to the albums, and once again begin with those that will not make the #PlatVnyl9 Pool.

Missing The Mark

• Listener - Being Empty: Being Filled 3.75 Emeralds
• Rockstar JT - Streets Signed Me 4.25 Emeralds
• Gerry Skrills - Pray For Me 3.75 Emeralds

Only three entries missing the mark makes my work a bit tougher, but overall it is a good sign. On to the perfect.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Audrey Assad - Evergreen 5 Emeralds
• Brad and Rebekah - Sound of Heaven 5 Emeralds
• Elevation Collective - Evidence 5 Emeralds
• Charlie Peacock - When Light Flashes Help is On The Way 5 Emeralds
• Michael W. Smith - Surrounded 5 Emeralds
• Zealand - Liberated 5 Emeralds

I am always pleased when the Pure Platinum and Missing The Mark somewhat balanced. The Biggest category is always those in the middle.

Semi Precious Metals

• All Above Me - Return to The Battlefield 4.75 Emeralds
• Bee Ardoin - The Truth About Walking 4.75 Emeralds
• Paul Baloche - Ultimate Collection 4.50 Emeralds
• Dave Barnes - Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be Myself 4.50 Emeralds
• Pastor Brad - Highway 2 Heaven 4.75 Emeralds
• Chasing Victory - Friends, Volume 1 EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Elevation Worship - Do It Again EP 4.75 Emeralds
• EQ Worship - Push Out The Dark 4.75 Emeralds
• Eufaula - Between The Hills 4.75 Emeralds
• The Oh Hellos - Eurus EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Hillsong Young and Free - Love Wont Let Me Down The Remixes 4.50 Emeralds
• Jaxon - The Journey EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Samuel Lane - The Difference 4.50 Emeralds
• Off Road Minivan - Spiral Gaze EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Passion - Whole Heart Live 4.75 Emeralds
• Salt of The Sound - Lent, Volume 1 4.75 Emeralds
• Michael W. Smith - A Million Lights 4.75 Emeralds
• Social Club Misfits - Into The Night 4.75 Emeralds
• Swoope - Sonshine 4.75 Emeralds
• Various - The Cross Was Meant For Me: Worship Songs For Easter 4.50 Emeralds
• Various - Samson: Songs From and Inspired by The Motion Picture 4.75 Emeralds

That does it for February, and March has just begun. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply. 

Music Video Monday: Breaking Out A Million Lights

Welcome to an all New edition of Music Video Monday. Happy Presidents Day. This is a sham holiday created to kick off High School Winter Vacation. We used to have two holidays in February, which honored Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. In a rare move of contraction we have to honor all Presidents including U.S. Grant (great General, incompetent President, most corrupt administration of All Time. Sorry Libs, Nixon doesn't even come close), Hoover(Caused Great Depression) and William Henry Harrison (32 days). I think I like the old way better. And you get two days off with pay.

We begin our Music Tour with All Above Me, a Christian Female Fronted Metal Band. (With all apologies to Icon For Hire, it helps with the categorizing. And they should be honored. No one has accused all FFR bands of sounding alike, something that can not be said of Male Fronted Bands unfortunately. The Ladies know how to create their own unique sound. Maybe the guys should take a lesson.). The Calgary Band has released their first Full Length Album Return to the Battlefield. Featuring Kevin Young of Disciple, this is King and Crown.

Sometimes a band takes a wrong turn. Sometimes it is a fatal mistake, sometimes the ship of state can be righted. Such is the case with Nine Lashes. A promising start in the Hard Rock/Metal genre (can you get much more promising than to be nurtured by Trevor McNevan of TFK?) they put out three solid albums before careening out of control into pop boy band territory with Ascend (talk about an ironic title). They return with a new single Breaking Out. All I can say is You have found your way back home.

Finally, those of you who have been with us since our reboot began know that The Night Beat had its start as a Radio Show in the Mid to late 1980's. A staple on the radio those days was Michael W. Smith, who was a perfectionist in those days, pushing back release dates to absurd lengths. Time must have mellowed him, because while he still makes excellent music, he is releasing 2 Albums in Two Weeks. A Million Lights drops on February 16, Surrounded on February 23. This is A Million Lights.
That does it for this edition of Music Video Monday. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: March 2016

We are doing well here at Night Beat HQ. We have completed the March ratings, which means we will soon compile the 2nd Quarter, just as the third quarter is underway. We have also gotten the announcements of the #PlatVnyl6 nominees for the Video Music Awards announced. So we are riding high for the moment. We get underway with the song releases, or what we playfully call

The Singles Scene

• Fearless BND - Love Like Fire 4.50 Emeralds
• Deitrick Haddon & Big Boi - Sinners (Saved by Grace) (Remix) 4.50 Emeralds
• Icon For Hire - Here We Are 4.50 Emeralds
• Melissa Lischer - Color Explosions 4.50 Emeralds
• George Moss - Take On The World 4.50 Emeralds
• Union of Sinners and Saints - Christ The Lord is Risen 4.75 Emeralds
• Hezekiah Walker - Better 4.75 Emeralds

I am appreciating the return of Icon For Hire after their breakup with Tooth and Nail. For those not in the know, the Union of Sinners and Saints are members of Petra and Whiteheart in a new side project. Wonder which ones are the sinners? On to the releases which

Missed The Mark

• City Side Music Ministries - Christian Dictionary A1 3.25 Emeralds
• Joey Jewish - Beautiful Solitude 3.75 Emeralds
• Judah and The Lion - Folk Hop N Roll 3.75 Emeralds
• Kishon - Voices 3.75 Emeralds
• Tyson Motsenbocher - Letters to Lost Loves 3.75 Emeralds
• Nine Lashes - Ascend 3.25 Emeralds
• Tal - The Great Struggling 3.75 Emeralds

All that I will say about this grouping is I am really disappointed in Nine Lashes. I will not go into all that here. Click on the link to go to my full review. It brings to mind AD and the lyrics "Progress, we are marching backward". No snark for the next grouping.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Jonathan Nelson - Fearless 5 Emeralds
• Beckah Shae - Rest (Without Words) 5 Emeralds

Our final grouping is usually the largest, and it remains so this month. With over 35 releases however, I think it is one of THE LARGEST. Without further ado.

Semi-Precious Metal

• Austin and Lindsay Adamec - Austin and Lindsay Adamac 4.75 Emeralds
• Kris Allen - Letting You In 4.50 Emeralds
• Dave Barnes - Carry On, San Vincente 4.50 Emeralds
• Bethel Music - Have It All 4.75 Emeralds
• Beautiful Eulogy - Selected Songs 4.50 Emeralds
• Charles Billingsley - Right Here 4.75 Emeralds
• Steven Curtis Chapman - Worship and Believe 4.75 Emeralds
• The Church Vessel - Rekindle 4.50 Emeralds
• Citizen Way - 2.0 4.75 Emeralds
• Covenant Church Worship - All This Light 4.50 Emeralds
• Mr. Del - Love Noize 4.75 Emeralds
• 5ive - Flight 393 4.75 Emeralds
• Christon Gray - The Glory Album 4.75 Emeralds
• Gungor - One Wild Life: Spirit 4.50 Emeralds
• Hope For The Dying - Legacy 4.75 Emeralds
• Jarmone - Leap EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Dustin Kensrue - Thoughts That Float on a Different Blood 4.50 Emeralds  
• Twilight Meadow - The Worlds We Discovered 4.75 Emeralds
• Paper Lights - Great Escape 4.75 Emeralds
• Young Noah - Young Forever 4.50 Emeralds
• Pearl City Worship - We Wont Be Silent 4.75 Emeralds
• Planetshakers - Momentum: Live In Manilla 4.75 Emeralds
• Tommee Proffitt and Brook Griffin - Even So Come EP 4.25 Emeralds
• Propaganda - Selected Songs 4.75 Emeralds
• River Valley Worship - Edge of Heaven 4.50 Emeralds
• Jordan Smith - Something Beautiful 4.25 Emeralds
• Tedashii - This Time Around 4.25 Emeralds
• Temple Veil - Give His Love Away 4.50 Emeralds
• Thi'sl - Against All Odds 4.50 Emeralds
• Stuart Townend and Keith Getty - In Christ Alone: The Songs of Stuart Townend and Keith Getty 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - God's Not Dead 2 (Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture) 4.50 Emeralds
• Various Artists - WoW Hits 20th Anniversary 4.50 Emeralds
• Vineyard Worship - All The Earth Shall Worship: Live From The Vineyard Global Family 4.75 Emeralds
• West of Hope - The Journey 4.50 Emeralds
• Adam Young - RMS Titanic 4.75 Emeralds

That does it for the March releases. Next up, more #PlatVnyl6 announcements, and the 2nd Quarter Wrap. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.                 

Polar Vortex Polka: The 2014 2nd Quarter - Rock

We are almost at the end of the road. We move now to Rock. They had eight entries represented. So let's get on to the announcements.

Rock Music

• Carrollton - Breathe In Deep
• Colton Dixon - A Messenger Expanded Edition
• Peter Furler Band - Sun and Shield
• Jake Hamilton - Beautiful Rider 
• Nine Lashes - From Water To War
• Number One Gun - This is all we know
• Sumerlin - Runaways
• Veridia - Inseparable

No real surprises here, though I was very impressed by the strong debut of FFR band Veridia. They are going to be big.

The big genre of the quarter is next, and once again that is Modern Worship. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Night Beat 2014 Preview

Welcome to 2014 everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful New Year, didn't over indulge in "Adult Beverages", and if you did, I hope the after affect wasn't too embarrassing. Things have been quiet here at Night Beat HQ. The first snowstorm of the year kind of does that.

January is typically a slow month in Christian Music, and for that we are grateful. Other than a deluge of Christmas Music, things start to slow down in November and usually begin to pick up in February. Last Year we had an active start, but the way things appear for now, there is a bit of a breather. 

January has its fair share of releases, but a good deal of these are on the Icon label. These are a series of Sparrow releases designed to introduce new listeners to established artists. Anberlin, Kutless, Rebecca St. James, Underoath and Stryper are released this time around.

Other than the Icon releases, four releases dominate the landscape. Switchfoot releases its soundtrack album for Fading West on the 14th. This has been floating around the release charts for two months, I hope it finally comes out.

The following week we really rock out. Nine Lashes releases its Sophomore release on the 21st. Their self titled release was the 2012 PVA Winner for Rock Album of The Year.

January closes out on the 28th with Casting Crowns Thrive. I've got a love hate relationship with this band. Or maybe I should say hot cold. Some of the albums leave me cold and others I really love. We shall see. It should make the pool.

That finishes up the January Preview. After a month out things really get iffy in the music world. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Songs of The Mourning Dove

The 2012 +Dove Awards nominations will be announced on August 22. 2013. The Last time we had any contact with the Gospel Music Association was in April 2012, when they conferred awards for releases made between November 1, 2010 and October 31, 2011. That's fifteen months ago, folks. During that span of time we have seen the collapse of the "Christian Section" of the Grammy Awards to a two category joke. With the Dove's Offline, things would be really dark if it were not for the rise of independent award shows like our own Platinum Vinyl Awards, now in its fourth year of eligibility, and The +We Love Christian Music Awards of New Release Tuesday.

With three years under our belt, the Platinum Vinyl Awards are the undisputed king at the moment (how's that for self image). So, we're going to hand out some free advice to the good folks at the GMA's. Having these albums among the nominees this year will help people forget about your absence. 

The following albums won an award at the 3rd PVA's.

• A Little Heart Like You, Martha's Trouble
• Awakened, As I Lay Dying
• Burnt Offerings, Rekonciled
• Dead and Alive, +The Devil Wears Prada 
• The Fourth Wall, The Vespers
• God, Love and Romance, Fred Hammond
• Make It Right, Abel
• Overcome, +Lara Landon 
• The Quiet Life, Anchor and Braille
• Remembering You, Poema
• Rest, +Beckah Shae 
• World We View, Nine Lashes

Also, it wouldn't help if the following "perfect albums" were included.

• Current, +Sarah Macintosh
• Feel The Power, +Blessed By A Broken Heart 
• Give Us Rest, David Crowder Band
• True Defiance, Demon Hunter
• Wait For The Siren, Project 86

That concludes part one, my Dove Nominee suggestions from the 3rd Platinum Vinyl Awards, handed out back in May. In my next post I will, without showing too many cards, pass on a few nominations from the upcoming 4th pool. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Second Helpings

Welcome back to Music Video Monday. Today we have something a little different. Usually I try to share the latest in Christian Music Videos, but today we will be going back over some ground that has already been covered. Some of these artists had their album released back in the First Quarter (October-December 2011) and they just released a music video for another song. Here at MVM we tie the videos to their original album release, we do not put the video in the quarter in which the video was posted.

We begin with the sibling group from Minnesota Children 18:3, originally we shared the Music Video for Moment to Moment. They recently put out another Music Video from their album On the Run. This is We'll Never Say Goodbye.

New Tooth and Nail Rockers Nine Lashes take on the Alien Invasion in their latest video from their debut World We View. This is Get Back.

A bit more recent of a video. Lecrae released Gravity toward the end of the 4th Quarter of this just completed entry period and had released one video at the time Lord Have Mercy feat Tedashii. We featured it at the time. He has released another video featuring Mali Music. This is Tell The World.

One More from the First Quarter of this past year. Lights came out with Siberia this year and we have already featured Toes and Banner. This is Timing is everything.

That concludes this edition of Music Video Monday. We will return after Thanksgiving with hopefully an all new video edition. Until that time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Stay Close

Indecision wreaks havok with the schedule. Astute readers of The Night Beat will have already wondered "What happened to Flashback Friday?" All last week I was torn between two different Flashback Friday posts, and before you know it, Friday was Saturday.

Here is the amended schedule. We shall have Music Video Monday as usual. Tomorrow will be the post that should have happened Friday, and then we will have a special Independence Day Post Scheduled for Wednesday. After that we shall see.

Welcome to Music Video Monday. As promised last week, we finish with our 2nd Quarter 2012 Videos in the Rock Category. We begin on a soft note, with Kutless, and the Lyric Video for Carry Me To The Cross, from Believer.

Now we Crank it Up with new Tooth and Nail band Nine Lashes. This is the Anthem of The Lonely  from The World We View.

Next up is Sent By Ravens, who tells us to Mean What You Say. That can be hard to take when they say that We're All Liars.

Last year Worship Rockers Worth Dying For were out to Destroy. This year they know, what was destroyed, they must now Rebuild, from Live Riot.

And Finally we close with one of our favorite bands, Fireflight. Dawn and company urge us to Stay Close.

That brings this edition of Music Video Monday. Next monday we will start with the 3rd Quarter releases, and we will have a special MVM Style post Wednesday in honor of Independence Day. Fireworks (video style) will be provided for those whose communities have cancelled them. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.