Embracing Entropy in DiverseCity

Or is TobyMac trapped in a Circle of Dust. Sorry for the Rocky and Bullwinkle dual titles. I think I am fairly certain that the two will not be doing a single together anytime soon.

I do have a method to my madness. While Industrial Strength hip hop may not be appealing my point is. As I mentioned in my first post on the subject, there are many genres represented in Christian music. Now some of them may not release enough to fill a program director's playlist needs, others could possibly fill multiple years without a single repeat. But why should it have to be that way. The sin is that approximately 90% of Christian Music will never be played on over the air Christian Radio. The internet is a different tune altogether, as genre specific radio stations abound. OTA is an Adult Contemporary wasteland. How about we mix it up. We could have the AC/Worship going from 11pm to 9am and the rest of the time have music for people with a pulse. Just half kidding there. As a lot of Worship music has moved into the EDM zone it has offended the pillars (who are stiff as one), and that is fine with me.

Christian music is as diverse as the mainstream, and we should embrace it in all its glory. Musically definitely, but also theologically. If the musician says they're a Christian that's good enough for me. And I'm not going to throw them out if they sin. Only Jesus was perfect.

And maybe even some ethnic diversity. There is only one race, and that is human. There really isn't a reason why the same station couldn't play Southern and Urban Gospel music. Well maybe I should say a good reason. Why humiliate our Southern Gospel stick in the muds. White boys got no rhythm. I'm of Polish descent. I know of what I speak.

Until now I have stuck to the tunes. Beginning with my next post I will be meddling with Radio Station personnel. Preparing to defend against incoming missiles.  Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Chaotic Symphonies: The 2019 Platinum Vinyl Awards 3rd Qtr - Da Big Un

Or The Big One, if you must be grammatically correct. We have finally come to our third quarter wrap during eligibility year #PVX. Also those with me from the start know that I start out with a megapost, because I have a minimum bar of 5 entries for a genre to have a solo post. This quarter we ran into a problem. Four genres have only 1 entry, which even combined would not make the minimum bar, and then we have a three and a four. So here it is a 6 genre, 11 album post. I wont even try to come up with a cutesy title. Let's get to....the big one.

Children's Music

• Gateway Kids Worship - All of Me EP

Compilation Album

• FixT Neon - After Dark

Electronic - Industrial 

• Dear Gravity - The Pilgrimage Series: Departure

Instrumental Music

• Dear Gravity - The Pilgrimage Series: Departure

Rap/Hip-Hop

• Brinson - Reversing Tomorrow
• 5ive - Family Business 
• J-Heir - Headstrong

Remix Album

• August Burns Red - Constellations (Remixed)
• Jesus Loves Electro - Made To Be Remixes EP
• TobyMac - Scars (Come With Livin) Remixes EP
• Branan Murphy - Coming Home Remixes EP

And We are underway. We move on to our single genre posts right away. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Supposed To Be

Welcome back to another edition of Music Video Monday, where we share the best we find in Contemporary Christian Music/The Fringe Music Videos out there. And we put extra emphasis on best we can find. Sometimes we don't discover things as quickly as we should. And when we do, we sometimes miss the deadline, as is the case this week. Still, Music Video Monday on Tuesday is better than waiting til next week.

Everybody is screaming and marching for Justice. Well we've got your justice, as in +Carmen Justice. Her debut single in the Dance/Synthpop genre is Flaming Arrows. She's not running from her ghosts.

Flaming arrows thankfully are still unheard of in our streets. But bricks and other projectiles are, especially among Democrat Party affiliated groups. TobyMac takes on the issue in the music video for Love Broke Thru. A very powerful video.
Finally, one of the minuses of being a small time operator is the fact that sometimes you miss things. Like the independent release of Icon For Hire's third album, entitled You Can't Kill Us. The album came out in November, and I missed it, just discovering it a few days ago. I will give you my review as soon as possible. This is Supposed to Be.
That does it for a hastily cobbled together edition of Music Video Monday on a Tuesday. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

#PlatVnyl6 The Nominations Begin: Rock Video of The Year

This is it. What you have all been waiting for. Rock Video of The Year. After this all that remains on the Video Front is in the General Field: Video by a Male Artist, Video by a Female Artist, Video by a New Artist, and Video of The Year. They will be following in due time. First we Rock. The nominees are: Afterall by +Children183VEVO ; Darkest Part by RED; Memories by XXI ; Prodigal by +Sidewalk Prophets ; and This is Not a Test feat Capital Kings (live) by +Toby Mac .

And the playlist of the nominated videos.

Since we are finished with the nominees, I think I shall continue with the General Field Videos. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

#PlatVnyl6 The Nominations Begin: Dance-Synthpop Video of The Year

We continue with our announcing the nominees for this years Platinum Vinyl Awards. We are moving through the Video of The Year Nominees first. Our next bunch of nominees is for Dance/Synthpop Video of The Year. The nominated videos are: Brighter by +FEARLESS BND ; Dance Up ft Spencer Kane by +Abigail Duhon ; Feel It ft Mr. Talkbox by +Toby Mac ; Heaven by +Group 1 Crew ; and Verge ft Aloe Blacc by +Owl City 

The Nominated videos packaged in a nice playlist for your enjoyment:

Next up is Electronic-Industrial. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply

#PlatVnyl6 v. #WLCMA4 - The Album Awards, Part Two

Welcome back to our picks for the 4th We Love Christian Music Awards, as well as commentary on how it stacks up against the Platinum Vinyl Awards, more specifically, the current awards year, which is #PlatVnyl6. This is the third post, so check out the introduction and the first three groups of nominees by clicking on the appropriate links.

The next two groups of nominees are competing for one award in the Platinum Vinyl Awards. Let me explain. The Encounter Award (Worship Album of The Year) and The Chorus Award (Church Based Worship Album of The Year) are both competing for the Modern Worship Album of The Year at the Platinum Vinyl Awards. And I think it will stay that way for a while. It's the sound, not the location, that makes the difference for me.

The Encounter Award nominees are:

• Aaron Gillespie - Grace Through The Wandering 4.50 Emeralds
• Amanda Cook - Brave New World 4.50 Emeralds
• Christy Nockels - Let It Be Jesus 4.75 Emeralds
• Matt Maher - Saints and Sinners 4.75 Emeralds
• Matt Redman - Unbroken Praise 4.75 Emeralds

The Chorus Award nominees are:

• Bethel Music - We Will Not Be Shaken 4.75 Emeralds
• Gateway Worship - Walls 4.50 Emeralds 
• Jesus Culture - Unstoppable Love #PVA5 (2014 Release)
• Passion - Even So Come 4.75 Emeralds
• Vertical Church Band - Church Songs 4.75 Emeralds

I Don't know why NRT dropped the ball on this one by putting a 2014 album for best of 2015. Other than that we don't have too many problems. I wasn't that impressed with Gillespie and Cook in the first grouping and Gateway worship in the second, but other than that the choices were very good. As I said, however, I have combined all the Modern Worship Music into one award. The Automatic Qualifiers for #PlatVnyl6. I have six, which is 1 short of a full bracket without busting it open. They are:

• Bethel Music - Without Words: Synesthesia 5 EMERALDS
• The Katina's - Sunday Set 5 EMERALDS
• Planetshakers - #LETSGO 5 EMERALDS
• Planetshakers - This Is Our Time 5 EMERALDS
• Soulfire Revolution - Afterglow 5 EMERALDS
• Young Oceans - I Must Find You 5 EMERALDS

A much better grouping. There probably will be an expansion of the categories beyond seven to accommodate a few more worthy nominees, but there will be no ties.

The Hype Award corresponds to our Rap/Hip Hop Album of The Year, and personally I would say, don't believe the hype. Let's get right to the nominees.

• Alex Faith & Dre Murray - Southern Lights: Overexposed MTM
• Andy Mineo - Uncomfortable 4.75 Emeralds
• JGivens - Fly Exam MTM
• KB - Tomorrow We Live 4.50 Emeralds
• Roy Tosh - Death Before Love 4.50 Emeralds

It's an OK bracket, but you notice those two MTM's. That means I consider them to have Missed The Mark and awarded them a score under 4 Emeralds. That means they don't get into the nominee pool, and KB and Tosh would be a stretch in the pool at 4.50. Here our the Automatic Qualifiers for #PlatVnyl6

• Eshon Burgundy - The Fear of God 5 EMERALDS
• Flame - Forward 5 EMERALDS
• KJ-52 - Mental 5 EMERALDS
• LA Symphony - You Still On Earth? 5 EMERALDS
• Derek Minor - Empire 5 EMERALDS
• Skrip - Renegades Never Die 5 EMERALDS
• TobyMac - This Is Not A Test 5 EMERALDS
• Whosoever South - Come On In 5 EMERALDS

This one was a category buster. 8 Perfect 5's in one year. And others may get snubbed if I don't go higher. 

Finishing with my picks. I'll go with Christy Nockels for the Encounter Award and Bethel Music for The Chorus Award. For Rap and The Hype Award, I'll pick Andy Mineo. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Shemita Songs: The 2015 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Rap

We move on up to Rap and Hip Hop, which had eight nominees this quarter, still at the bottom of the list. A nice blend of established and new artists. I won't spend any extra time as I am already behind schedule in these announcements.

Rap/Hip Hop

• Brinson - Until We Meet Again
• Flame - Forward
• Andy Mineo - Uncomfortable
• Thi'sl - Heavy Is The Head
• TobyMac - This Is Not A Test
• Tony Tillman - Camden
• Reconcile - Catchin' Bodies - EP
• Rp Tha Chozen 1 - The Harvest

Flame put out a Perfect Album this quarter and TobyMac as well, though he is in multiple genres as his music spans several styles. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Shemita Songs: The 2015 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Metal Dance

Well I guess that's better than Safety Dance. No nasty email and letters, I kind of like the song, especially the version done by The Echoing Green. But that's for another time. We are finally returning to our announcing of the 2015 4th Quarter, and we have come to the final multiple genre post. We are combining Hard Rock/Metal and Dance/Synthpop.

Dance/Synthpop

• Abigail Duhon - More Than Gold - EP
• Owl City - Mobile Orchestra
• Toby Mac - This Is Not A Test

Toby Mac is Back! And that is a good thing. Personally I thought he was mailing it in for the last album. In fact it was the Remix albums that were the best. I think he figured that out as well, and he knocked this one out of the park.

Hard Rock/Metal

• Conveyer - When Given Time to Grow
• P.O.D. - The Awakening

While I liked the previous release by P.O.D., it was a little different. This one is too, but its going back to Satellite, and that is a very good thing. It's all single genre posts from here on in, so until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply

Night Beat Rewind: August 2015

Eleven down, one to go. Once September is done we can put the cover on the #PlatVnyl6 pool and open the #PlatVnyl7 pool for entries. 7 Years. God Is Good. There was one song released in August, and that was the Title Track for Stryper's upcoming album Fallen. It wasn't as good as Yahweh, but you would be very rarely have two perfect songs, even on a perfect album. I give it 4.75 Emeralds.

We begin our album coverage with those releases which, while pretty good (I haven't found a real stinker in years), just aren't platinum.

Missing The Mark

• Between The Trees & Ryan Kirkland - Wanderer 3.75 Emeralds
• Rend Collective Experiment - As Family We Go 3.75 Emeralds
• Jim Sonefeld - Love EP 3.50 Emeralds
• United Pursuit Band - Simple Gospel 3.50 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Top 25 Hymns: The Old Rugged Cross 3.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - War Room: Music From The Original Motion Picture 3.75 Emeralds
• Aaron Watkins - Chasing After You 3.75 Emeralds

I was very disappointed by Rend Collective, they sounded so ordinary. While I don't know much about United Pursuit, I do know that Michael Ketterer teamed up with Har Megiddo, so I had my expectations. The next group not only met my expectations, they smashed through them.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• JJ Heller - Sound of a Living Heart 5 Emeralds
• Toby Mac - This Is Not A Test 5 Emeralds
• P.O.D. - The Awakening 5 Emeralds
• Pillar - One Love Revolution 5 Emeralds
• Sidewalk Prophets - Something Different 5 Emeralds

All I can say to this quintet is WOW. JJ Heller burst out of her folk mold to be a certified Pop Star. Pillar reformed its original lineup and returned to the rap-core sound that I loved on Fireproof. P.O.D. likewise reached heights like a Satellite, and even Toby Mac has put out his best album in a while. I know, I didn't dote on the Sidewalk Prophets, but they were awesome as well. Now on to the ones in the middle

Semi-Precious Metal

• Brinson - Until We Meet Again 4.75 Emeralds
• Tasha Cobbs - One Place (Live) 4.50 Emeralds
• Disciple - The Best of 2005-2013 4.75 Emeralds
• Abigail Duhon - More Than Gold 4.50 Emeralds
• For A Season - I Will Wait 4.75 Emeralds
• Ghost Ship - Costly 4.50 Emeralds
• Geoffrey Golden - Kingdom Live 4.75 Emeralds
• Travis Greene - Intentional EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Gungor - One Wild Life: Soul 4.75 Emeralds
• Cheri Keaggy - No Longer My Own 4.75 Emeralds
• Bridgett Kern - No One Greater 4.75 Emeralds
• Nichole Nordeman - The Unmaking EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Natasha Owens - No One But You 4.75 Emeralds
• Jeremy Rosado - Heartbeat 4.50 Emeralds
• 7eventh Time Down - #GODISONTHEMOVE 4.75 Emeralds
• Aaron Shust - Doxology 4.75 Emeralds
• Thi'sl - Heavy Is The Head 4.25 Emeralds
• Tony Tillman - Camden 4.50 Emeralds
• Tony Tillman - Camden (Instrmentals) 4.50 Emeralds
• John Waller - Crazy Faith 4.50 Emeralds
• WARR Acres - Future 4.75 Emeralds

I am going to forgo links once again to get this out. I think I shall go back and do the old ones. If I don't they shall never get done. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: January 2015

2015, or as we like to call it here at +The WENC Night Beat #PlatVnyl6, is fully underway. The Christmas Releases are over and we are getting new material in every Tuesday. We got off to a brisk pace this January, and I'm not talking about the weather. All that did was wreak havoc with the blogging schedule. Looking for Spring.

We continue our tradition of leading off with Single releases, with, hopefully, an album or EP to follow. Tongue in Cheek, we refer to it, in a Valentines appropriate way, as

The Singles Scene

• Toby Mac - Beyond Me 4.50 Emeralds

Now normally we would go on to the releases which missed the mark. We looked and looked but couldn't find any. So there are none, barring any lost releases turning up. We almost thought that there were no Perfect Albums this month. Poor bookkeeping made it look like that, but one finally turned up hiding under the rubble.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Derek Minor - Empire 5 Emeralds

This is a month for the semi-precious metals, and truly that is the case most months. Usually we have a few more entrants in the other categories as well. But 19 releases here make this a very good month.

Semi-Precious Metal

• Bethel Music - We Will Not Be Shaken (Live) 4.75 Emeralds
• Blanca - Who I Am EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Sarah Brusco - The Woven Whisper 4.75 Emeralds
• Calling Glory - Life & Spirit 4.50 Emeralds
• The Gray Havens - Fire and Stone 4.50 Emeralds
• Armar'rae Hill and True Foundation - We Are Royalty 4.75 Emeralds
• Hillsong Young and Free - This Is Living 4.75 Emeralds
• Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors - Medicine 4.75 Emeralds
• I Am They - I Am They 4.50 Emeralds
• Love and The Outcome - Ocean Way Sessions Live 4.75 Emeralds
• Jason Nelson - Jesus Revealed (Digital Version With Booklet) [+digital booklet] 4.75 Emeralds
• North Point Music - North Point Music: Beginnings 4.50 Emeralds
• Rapture Ruckus - Invader Volume II EP 4.75 Emeralds
• Robbie Seay Band - Psalms LP 4.75 Emeralds
• Sixteen Cities - The Depth of Your Love 4.50 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Billboard #1 Gospel Hits 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - iWorship Now / Next 2015 4.50 Emeralds
• Vertical Church Band - Church Songs 4.75 Emeralds
• Brian Courtney Wilson - Worth Fighting For (Live) 4.50 Emeralds

Well that wraps up January. Love must be in the air. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Dissecting The Doves

I Think I shall finally do my annual wrap-up of the Dove Awards, though it seems that things have been reduced to the ridiculous on their own due to the 18 month eligibility year in order to switch from an April to an October Award. All that was fixed was the placement of the award, nothing else.

The +Dove Awards have always seemed to me to have been a popularity contest, more than any of them. Even the +Grammy Awards, when they had a Christian Category worth mentioning, which they don't anymore, had a better finger on the pulse of what people listened to. I used to call the Dove's the Amy and Smitty Show. Since they aren't really in the public eye anymore on a regular basis, that has abated.

Unfortunately, the process of block voting, as it were, has not changed. This year the favorites were Matt Redman and +Toby Mac. Both of them had perfect nominations. Now while I am accusing nothing, I am just saying that the Doves seems to be prone to sloppy voting practices. It's almost as if we say, this year we are going to give the award to X and, regardless of how the album actually is, they win. Now I usually expect such shenanigans from the Emmy Awards. Those are usually fraught with winners whose "turn" had come. Usually in a crappy movie, though, and for a less than stellar performance. But I digress. In this case Eye On It was far from Toby's best, plus it came out over a year ago. It was for the previously awarded PVA's and it didn't win. Same with Redman. He won awards for his song 10,000 Reasons, which came off an album from July 2011. It should have been dropped from contention due to age.

In addition to Redman's 5/5 Night and Toby Mac going 4/4, there were also a number of categories where the Song winner was from the album winner. Now I may have done that as well, but to my knowledge there is no rule that that must be the case. It was a hat trick at the Dove's, because it happened in Contemporary Gospel, Traditional Gospel, and Hip Hop.

One more gripe and I'm done. Demon Hunter's album True Defiance was one of my best albums of 2012 (#8), and all the Dove's liked about it was the Album Cover. Glad you recognized something about it guys, but it should have been nominated for much more.

The Awards came out back in October, and it's now November. It's an old, possibly irrelevant post. And I'm fine with it. If it's good enough for the Dove's then it should be good enough for all. Just Kidding. Here's hoping the next Dove's improves. Until then you always have the +The WENC Night Beat and the +We Love Christian Music Awards, which, despite adding a Southern Gospel and Country category this year, has a much superior field of nominees. I guess you can learn something from us young ones. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Flashback Friday: Jesus Freak

"What will people do when they hear that I'm a Jesus Freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true?
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus Freak
Cause there aint no disguising the truth."

(DC Talk, Jesus Freak)

If there ever was a supergroup in Christian Music, then DC Talk was it. Christian Music is itself a niche in the Music Industry, and Hip Hop is a small (though growing) niche in it. While Hip Hop and Rap have a lot of fans, I don't think, at least in the CCM world, any would deny they are a fringe group, compared to the vast AC/Pop/Country contingent. (Nothing against the fringe, Industrial, Techno, Metal, Folk. All of them are pretty much fringe niches.)

That being said, the thought that a rap trio from Jerry Falwell's Liberty University would rise to the top of the Music Industry would have been summarily dismissed as insane, but facts are stubborn things. Kevin Max Smith, Michael Tait and Toby McKeehan. To Millions of Christian music fans as DC TALK.

The name originally stood for Decent Christian Talk, and rap was originally the sound. The group (can't say band because none of them played instruments) released 5 studio albums in a career that stretched from 1989 until the turn of the century.

• DC Talk (1989)
• Nu Thang (1990)
• FREE AT LAST (1992)
• Jesus Freak (1995)
• Supernatural (1998)

Free at Last (1992) was the dividing point between phase one and two of the groups existence. Phase One: Rap Phase Two: Rock. I was introduced to the group at this point. They were headlining a tour where the warm up act was some group that never seemed to catch fire in the Christian World. I think their name was Audio Adrenaline. (Yes that was sarcasm). Also a warm act was East of Eden ( I believe that was their name). This is the video for Luv is a Verb from the album.

Jesus Freak (1995) launched the group into super stardom, and the hip hop laced rock group had their album go double platinum and got signed by Virgin Records. There is no better way to describe it than show it. This is Jesus Freak.

Finally we came to Supernatural (1998). The group went its separate ways after this, and hopes for a reunion are dead. Michael, Kevin and Toby all went into solo careers, though not much came of Tait the band, and Kevin Max was more of an artiste. Only TobyMac achieved solo stardom. This is consume me from the album.

The epilogue to the band. Michael Tait became the lead vocalist for Newsboys, and Kevin Max has signed on to a reformed Audio Adrenaline. As to the latter we shall see, because Audio Adrenaline's style doesn't exactly fit with the "shimmering voice" of Max. I hope you all enjoyed this edition of Flashback Friday. We begin a new rotation next week as we cover one of the bands mentioned in this post, that of the Australian Pop Rockers Newsboys. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Warm Tones: The 2012 4th Quarter - Rap

We come now to the final three. Hip Hop, Metal and Rock. All three of these genres made a great showing this quarter as well, able to fill out a complete ballot on their own.

We begin with Hip Hop and Rap, a category that, in my opinion is slowly becoming obsolete. I may be alone in this, but the genre seems to be shifting. There aren't many pure "rappers" or "hip hop" artists recording. Most of those that catch the public eye seem to be heading into the Dance (Group 1 Crew, Rhema Soul) or Rock (Manafest, Toby Mac). There are a few left, among them Lecrae and my personal favorite, Rekonciled.

• KB - Weight & Glory
• Jordan Lara - City of Hope
• Lecrae - Gravity
• Propaganda - Excellent
• TobyMac - Eye On It
• Je'kob Washington - Faith

Of the entrants this quarter, Lecrae's entry has the best chance of being the one to make the final group. The others are all tied with 4.50 Emeralds, and will have to fight it out. Heavy Metal is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: August 2012

Getting back to a somewhat normal schedule after an unexpected Music Video Monday Marathon, thanks to our friends at Satellites and Sirens. If you missed these posts you can catch Part One, Part Two and Part Three by clicking on the appropriate links.

Now it is time to get to the latest edition of Night Beat Rewind, our quick hits column for the previous months releases. August had a lot of releases and a lot made the cut, but a lot didn't. Also, surprising for late in the eligibility, we had one perfect album. One more caveat. A few releases this month were unavailable for preview and so I have not included them. So for right now the verdict on Heath McNease: The Weight of Glory; Derek Minor: PSA Vol 3: Who is Derek Minor?; Phil King (Self Titled); and Showbread: Cancer, are incomplete. Once I can get some samples to here I will check them out, and if they pass muster they will be grafted in.

As always, we begin with those releases which

Missed The Mark

• Jason Castro - Starting Line EP 3.75 Emeralds
• The Chariot - One Wing 3.75 Emeralds
• City of Peace Media - i Stand With Israel 3.75 Emeralds
• Covenant Worship - Standing 3.75 Emeralds
• Eleventyseven - Attack of the Mountain Medley 3.75 Emeralds
• Brian and Jenn Johnson - Undone 3.75 Emeralds
• Shelly Johnson - Power of the Cross 3.75 Emeralds
• Eddie Kirkland - Kings & Queens 3.75 Emeralds
• Letter to the Exiles - Make Amends 3.50 Emeralds
• Chris Lizotte - Power in Weakness 3.75 Emeralds
• Stan Whitmire - Seasons of Life 3.75 Emeralds
• Karyn Williams - Only You 3.75 Emeralds

I always feel compelled to point out that these are all good albums. Even Stan Whitmire (nothing against the album, but it was entirely instrumental piano, and got kind of monotonous after a while). From the misses to the home run. There was one release that was

Pure Platinum

• Project 86 - Wait for the Siren 5 Emeralds 

Of course most albums are somewhat less than perfect, and that is the case this month as well. As is usually the case, the longest list is for something I call

Semi - Precious Metal

• Abandoned Pools - Sublime Currency 4.75 Emeralds
• An Epic No Less - Echo Of Love 4.75 Emeralds
• Chris August - The Upside Of Down  4.50 Emeralds
• Avalon - Number Ones 4.50 Emeralds
• The Classic Crime - Phoenix 4.75 Emeralds
• Jeff Deyo - Moving Mountains 4.75 Emeralds
• Benjamin Dunn & The Animal Orchestra - Fable 4.75 Emeralds
• Israel & New Breed - Jesus at the Center 4.50 Emeralds
• Jordan Lara - City of Hope 4.50 Emeralds
• Luminate - Welcome to Daylight 4.50 Emeralds
• Toby Mac - Eye On It 4.25 Emeralds
• Mandisa - Get Movin 4.50 Emeralds
• Tamela Mann - Best Days 4.25 Emeralds
• VaShawn Mitchell - Created 4 This 4.75 Emeralds
• The Museum - My Only Rescue 4.50 Emeralds
• Owl City - The Midsummer Station 4.50 Emeralds
• Andrew Peterson - Light for the Lost Boy 4.50 Emeralds
• Mac Powell - Mac Powell 4.50 Emeralds
• Satellites and Sirens - The Covers 4.75 Emeralds
• Sixpence None The Richer - Lost in Transition 4.75 Emeralds
• Tenth Avenue North - The Struggle 4.50 Emeralds
• Tourniquet - Antiseptic Bloodbath 4.75 Emeralds
• The Wrecking - So Much For Love 4.50 Emeralds

No real surprises here. Except for Mac Powell. It was billed as a country album and I was very apprehensive considering I hate country. However, do not be disheartened Third Day Fans. He has not strayed far from Third Day.

You may notice the number of links increasing as time goes on. Due to the amount of eligible releases this month I am going to keep adding the Amazon links as the time goes on. I want to get this one out today. So, until tomorrow, when I start an entirely rebooted Flashback Friday, I am Awaiting Your Reply.