Dove Songs in an Open Field

I am going to try to cover both the Recorded Song of the Year and General Field Awards in a single post. It may be long, but I don't think a third post would be worthy.


Let's begin with the General Field. I think the GMA really blew it this year. Jason Crabb ARTIST OF THE YEAR!!?? With Casting Crowns, Laura Story and Lecrae in the mix. Then you let him double dip as Male Vocalist when Tomlin and SCC would have been far better choices. Not sure on Kirk Franklin for MV. Never thought the award should go to someone who can let a choir do the heavy lifting. Or a band frontman either, unless they do ALL the vocals. Female Vocalist went to Natalie Grant. No, wrong. Based on pure power I would have gone Mandisa.


New Artist went to Jamie Grace. It was a good pick though I would have went with The City Harmonic. Group of the year went to Needtobreathe. Again, a goog, but not perfect, pick. Definite would have gone Crowder Band here.


Now, to the Song Awards. Urban Song went to Kim Burrell and Sweeter from The Love Album. Personally, this should have been a no brainer. Window by Canton Jones.

When I originally looked up the nominees Rock Song looked unusually long, and it was called Rock/Contemporary. Considering they pulled two winners out of the list I think it was an error on their part. The Dove Judges went with Switchfoot and Dark Horses from Vice Verses and Slumber by Needtobreathe from The Reckoning. It's hard to argue against Switchfoot here but I will try. Just being contrary I will go with Invisible by Disciple on Power, but it's a weak argument. Excellent Choice here. On needtobreathe and the softer rock. One out of Two ain't bad. The Obvious Choice here would have been Lucy by Skillet.

Now to the rest of the awards:

The General Field Awards

• Artist of The Year - Jason Crabb (Complete Fail)
• New Artist - Jamie Grace (B+)
• Male Vocalist - Jason Crabb (Complete Fail)
• Female Vocalist - Natalie Grant (C)
• Group of The Year - Needtobreathe (C-)

Recorded Song of The Year Awards

• Song of The Year - Blessings, Laura Story (C)
• Rap/ Hip Hop - Hallelujah, Lecrae (C)
• Pop/Contemporary - Blessings, Laura Story (C)
• Urban - Sweeter, The Love Album, Kim Burrell (C)

That concludes the Night Beat Coverage of the Dove Awards. Until the next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Heart of A Child

Welcome to the latest edition of Music Video Monday, where we at The Night Beat endeavor to bring you the best music videos from among the CCM (at least how I define it) world. We begin with a concept video by Close Your Eyes entitled Carry You off of their album Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts. It's a reminder that Love Survives All, Even Death. We move on to a Live Concert Video. Thrash Fans rejoice. This is As I Lay Dying and Paralyzed, off of their album Decas.
This one goes down as a Hybrid Live/Concept, but we keep it hard. This is Righteous Vendetta and John The Revelator off of Lawless

Back to Concert Video, though done outside, so I guess it goes as Hybrid as well. Beware the Wolves at the Gate and their Heralds. This is off We are The Ones.


We finish with a Concept Video, though I would say it is interesting. Their was an old Minolta Camera ad campaign that said "From the Mind of Minolta". Let's just leave this as "From the Mind of A Plea For Purging". This is Heart of A Child off of The Life and Death of A Plea For Purging. I had originally planned to combine Hard Rock and Rock into One Post, but as I started looking I found too many videos to make that feasible. Next Monday we will continue with Rock. Among other things, it will be Amy Lee time once again. Until then I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Frozen Chosen: Rock

Well this is it. The Winter Announcement of the qualifying Platinum Vinyl Award nominees in Rock. This finishes the announcements for the Winter. There were a lot of Rock nominees this time.

• Dave Barnes - Stories to Tell
• Jeremy Camp - I Still Believe: #1's Collection
• Evan Craft - Giants
• David Crowder Band - Give Us Rest (A Requiem Mass in C) [The Happiest of All Keys]
• Fireflight - Now
• Hawk Nelson - The Songs You've Already Heard
• Kiros - Lay Your Weapons Down
• Kutless - Believer
• Cory Lamb - Safe In Your Arms
• Nine Lashes - World We View
• Samestate - The Alignment
• Sent By Ravens - Mean What You Say
• Worth Dying For - Live Riot
• The Wrecking - So Much For Love

That finishes it. David Crowder Band goes out with 5 Emeralds and a place in next years PVA's. It stands on its own and wont be a lifetime achievement award. I will return with another edition of Music Video Monday. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Flashback Friday: She Has Her Father's Eyes

Sometimes all you need is one name. Rihanna, Madonna, Tiffany. Christian Music doesn't traditionally have that kind of star power. Not usually.


There are a few exceptions. We have our own Tiffany, but she records under the moniker Plumb (Tiffany Arbuckle Lee). There is Smitty (Michael W. Smith), but that is a last name nickname. There is only one Eowyn, however.


Then there is Amy. Officially there is only one, but when I hear Amy my mind goes straight to Amy Lee of Evanescence, but she was kicked out of the kingdom so there is still only one.

To start things on a note of absolute Irony, Amy Lee Grant was born November 25, 1960. Do I sense a conspiracy here. Naaah. Couldn't be. A Georgia Girl who moved to Nashville at an early age, she became the first true star of Christian Music. Of course it probably isn't a surprise that a southern belle has the middle name Lee, just the last name Grant is bad enough. It could have been worse, Amy Sherman Grant would have been way worse. Any way, long before Leigh Nash took the music world by storm by asking for a kiss or even before an Australian teen screamed "It's God" there was Amy hoping "She has her Father's eyes".

Amy Grant to most people is Christian Music personified, and who can argue. 6 Grammy Awards and 25 Dove Awards kind of solidify that. Age to Age was the first Christian album to be certified platinum, and Heart in motion went 5x platinum. Of course the other Amy Lee took her debut to over 7x platinum, but we won't talk about Fallen, will we.

Her first album, which was self titled, was released back in 1977. My Father's Eyes was released two years later. 1982 brought us Age to Age, and with it the timeless song El Shaddai. This video of a live performance of El Shaddai and Thy Word, another Grant Classic from 1984's Straight ahead, has accompaniment by fellow music legend Michael W. Smith.

The nineties brought Amy to the Big Time, as far as crossover potential at least. She was a Superstar in the Christian Music world already. Heart in Motion was released in 1991 and with it the Radio Hit "Baby Baby". The Official Music Video for Baby Baby Follows.

With Success came controversy. Never mind Baby, Baby. Crossover appeal started with the Peter Cetera/Grant duet "Next Time I fall in Love". Amy sings a duet with someone other than her husband Gary Chapman. It was a kerfuffle. Never mind she had never done a duet with Chapman. It was a beautiful song nonetheless.

Of course when Chapman and Grant Divorced in 1999 they knew the seeds were started here, even though Grant would later marry Vince Gill, not Peter Cetera.

Amy Grant was the first Christian Artist to deeply bond with her audience. She will always be "Our Amy", just like she was a member of our extended family. Rebecca St James has come close, but not to the level that Amy Grant ever did.

That concludes the Night Beat look into the life of Amy Grant. It also, for the most part, concludes our look into the 70's. I will begin the 80's next Friday. I don't think I will start with Smitty, but you never know. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

On The Wings of a Dove

Treasure that title, SG fans, it's as much as you're ever going to get from The Night Beat.


The Dove Awards have been long ago handed out, the TV show is over, and we at The Night Beat missed it. Since I never made a prediction post in time I declare that no picks were wrong. I do reserve the right to comment on the GMA picks, however.


Album of The Year Awards


One of the best evidences that there is in fact a God is that Martha Munizzi was shut out of both AOY genres that she was nominated in. From my perspective, the album started out Gospel but then ran out of gas midway through and sounded like a tame modern worship project. The powers that be at the GMA nominated each half. Contemporary Gospel and Praise and Worship Album of The Year. More sensible heads prevailed and Chris Tomlin got the MW nod and the Contemporary Gospel went to Kirk Franklin. Now while the PVA's were not impressed with Mr Franklin's work this time around we'll say it was a better pick than Munizzi would have been. , and none of the other nominees made our list either. As to Tomlin I will only say that he is a PVA contender this year, so good choice bt the GMA here.


If there ever was a no brainer it was Children's Music. Denver and the Mile High Orchestra made a Children's Music Album that will have parents grooving to as well. Will they bring home an Elpy as well? Time will tell.


Finally we will comment on Rock Album. The Dove went to Switchfoot for Vice Verses. I think it was a tossup beyween them and Red, and right now I'll say Switchfoot deserved it. Tomorrow I may say Red was robbed. One thing is certain, they may both win an Elpy because they are nominated in different genres. Here's to both.


The rest of the AOY winners, with just a little comment

• Rap/ Hip Hop: Rehab: The Overdose - Lecrae (A+)
• Pop/ Contemporary: Blessings - Laura Story (B-) Would have went with Francesca or Mandisa, but that's just me.
• Rock/ Contemporary: The Reckoning - Needtobreathe (C). Would have went with Hawk Nelson here.
• Inspirational: Hope for the Broken World - Selah (B+) Really the best of the available picks, but a pretty weak field overall.
• Urban: Church on the Moon - Deitrick Haddon (A+)
• Traditional Gospel: Promises - Richard Smallwood (C) Due to the fractured Gospel listings in the Doves I didn't have any of the albums in this category nominated for a PVA.

By no way a full list of winners, I am only going with the categories which closely resemble my own. They had a country and bluegrass category. I don't. Nor do I have Southern Gospel, so I left a bunch out. They did a much better job here than last year. Things may be improving.

I will try to get both the General Field and Song of the Year done in a single post. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Frozen Chosen: Cold Steel

This quarter was a good one for Heavy Metal, and especially 80's Metal fans. Sure there were only seven qualifying releases this time around, but one of them was Feel The Power by Montreal Based Blessed By a Broken Heart. A Perfect Metal Album. Hair Metal is back, and none too soon.

Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

• Advocate - Trial and Error
• Before Their Eyes - Redemption
• Beware the Neverending - The Next Level
• Blessed By A Broken Heart - Feel The Power
• I The Breather - Truth and Purpose
• Impending Doom - Baptized in Filth
• My Children, My Bride - My Children, My Bride

Just one more post to the wrap-up. Rock is Next, and it is a huge one. Fourteen made the cut this quarter. Maybe I have to raise the bar. We'll leave that to the judging rounds next spring. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Voice: Overcome by Lara Landon

NBC recently came out with an American Idol like reality show called "The Voice". They need to rename the show before the subject of this review asks for her royalties. At the risk of ticking of the NAACP, she has Overcome.

Overcome is the Second release by one of the greatest voices in the Christian Music Community today, Lara Landon, and probably most of you have never heard of her before today. After Today you will not be able to forget her.

I was one of the fortunate to discover her from the start. Beloved was released in 2009 with little fanfare. Besides the gorgeous green eyed brunette on the cover, the voice was what you will remember. Closer was the radio single, and it included one of those parts which I absolutely love in a female vocalists. You know what I'm talking about, that "Crank up the music all you want boys, this voice will not be drowned out." Plumb has it, Amy Lee has it, and Lara has it in spades.

Brian Hill should be a lock for producer of the year. The album has literally been designed around her vocals. As such the instrumentation is simple. Stings, acoustic guitar, drums. It could be acapella and you would still be entranced. There is nothing to distract from The Voice. It is a work of genius.

The hardest song on the album "I See God In You" was the first music video from the new album. The Photo Collection Project is real Christian Music sites around the web are making the song The River available for free. This is the music video for that song.


This is one of those albums you put on auto repeat. My favorite, or at least my favoritist favorite, is the Middle Eastern Look East, though if Falling doesn't send chills up and down your spine, nothing will. And, even though the implied subject of The Storm is God, it's really not hard to accept an offer of shelter from Lara's lips as she says "Come to my door, you know I'll let you in". It makes the offer very inviting. I know, Get a room already. Thanks to Sound Cloud, I say in reply, listen to the album, then see if you disagree. She has already been compared to Adele. If you agree with me that this is definitely a 5 Emerald release, then I encourage you to click on the highlighted links and purchase Overcome through my site and help support The Night Beat at the same time. If you've ever wondered about what I mean by the "Wow Factor", just listen. I dare you to disagree. I am Awaiting Your Reply.