Night Beat Rewind: November 2015

We are just about done with 2015 folks. December looks to be a bit sparse, so we may get that rewind done before January. That's wishful thinking and we still have to get through November. Here We Go.

As it is the season, we begin with our:

Christmas Music (Non-Eligible)

• Copperlily - A Very Copperlily Christmas 5 Emeralds
• TaRanda Green - Spirit of Christmas 4.75 Emeralds
• John and Valerie Guerra - It's Almost Christmas 4.25 Emeralds
• Gungor - O Christmas 4.75 Emeralds
• Vernon Hill - Great Joy 4.75 Emeralds
• Jaime Jamgochian and Tyrus Morgan - Christmastime 4.25 Emeralds
• Brothers McClurg - Goin Back To Bethlehem 3.75 Emeralds
• Justin McRoberts - Christmas Songs, Volume 3 4.25 Emeralds
• Various - Christmas Goes Gospel, Volume 2 4.75 Emeralds
• Various - Dream Christmas, Volume 3 4.50 Emeralds
• Various - Vital Christmas: Dance of Joy 4.50 Emeralds

The Singles Scene 

• Color Theory - OBE 4.75 Emeralds
• Fearless BND - We Lift You Higher 4.50 Emeralds

Now we move on to the non-seasonal album listings. I have decided to be scrooge this year, and I am branding a fairly good amount as 

Missing The Mark

• Bridge Worship Band - My Great Need 3.75 Emeralds
• Michael Bahn - Before Our King 3.75 Emeralds
• J Monty - Second Born 3.75 Emeralds
• NomiS - Socially Just 3.75 Emeralds
• TJ Pompeo - Pompeiion 3.50 Emeralds
• Promise - Falling Rain 3.75 Emeralds
• Talkie - Hablas 3.50 Emeralds
• Yaves - Prince Among Thieves 3 3.50 Emeralds

Most of the releases just missed, but a few either didn't impress at all or irritated me quite a bit. Such was the case with TJ Pompeo. One of the White Hip Hop contingent (or should I say Plain White Rapper), he seems to be buying into the Police Officers Are Hunting African Americans to Beat Up and Kill because it amuses them line that the liberals are slandering people with these days.  Fortunately that is only one song, but the rest of the album is only so-so. Yaves and Talkie were "meh", I believe the phrase is.

Our next group needs no excuses. It is simply

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Falling Up - Falling Up 5 Emeralds
• Kirk Franklin - Losing My Religion 5 Emeralds
• Sara Groves - Floodplain 5 Emeralds

Most of the releases fall between the two, they are:

Semi Precious Metal

• Alache - The Chronicles of The Mrs. 4.75 Emeralds
• Audile - Am I 4.75 Emeralds
• Benjah - Motives 4.50 Emeralds
• Casting Crowns - A Live Worship Experience 4.50 Emeralds
• Consumed By Fire - Lean on Me 4.50 Emeralds
• The Exchange - Compass 4.50 Emeralds
• Family Force Five - Time Still Stands 4.75 Emeralds
• Adam Layne Fisher - Live at Barnet Park 4.75 Emeralds
• Five Iron Frenzy - Between Pavement and Stars EP  4.50 Emeralds
• Gloriam Dei - The Covenant 4.75 Emeralds
• Natalie Grant - Be One 4.75 Emeralds
• GuvnaB - Secret World 4.50 Emeralds
• Deitrick Haddon - Masterpiece 4.75 Emeralds
• Kutless - Surrender 4.75 Emeralds
• Phillip LaRue - You 4.75 Emeralds
• MH Eternal - Songs For Tomorrow 4.50 Emeralds
• Dre Murray - 34 4.75 Emeralds
• Mutemath - Vitals 4.75 Emeralds
• Joshua Price - Elevate 4.50 Emeralds
• Puntin - Gold 4.50 Emeralds
• Seeker and Servant - You Alone Forever 4.75 Emeralds
• Vineyard UK - Hear The Sound 4.75 Emeralds
• Wilkes - Shells EP 4.75 Emeralds

That does it for this month. Until next time, 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.

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

The matchup begins. As we mentioned in our last post, the +We Love Christian Music Awards recently announced their nominee pool, and we here at the +The WENC Night Beat were pleasantly surprised to find we are pretty much on the same page. We go now to the actual nomination comparisons. We start with the Album Awards. One slight Caveat. We have not yet finalized our nominees yet, so I can only speak with possibilities except in the case of Perfect 5's, which are considered Automatic Qualifiers for the finals.

The Hook Awards correspond to our Pop Album of The Year. Our biggest problem with this bunch of picks is we seem to have a difference of opinion on our definition of "Pop". Their nominees.

• Blanca - Blanca 4.75 Emeralds
• Jonathan Thulin - Science Fiction 5 EMERALDS 
• Kevin Max - Broken Temples: Deluxe 5 EMERALDS
• Mat Kearney - Just Kids 4.75 Emeralds
• Ryan Stevenson - Fresh Start 4.75 Emeralds 

We agree with Blanca and Stevenson, and at 4.75 we shall see if they make the finals in Pop. Jonathan Thulin and Kevin Max, however are automatic qualifiers for Alternative, not pop, and Kearney is in the mix in Rock. I wish to suggest the following Pop Albums for Consideration. 

• Annie Moses Band - American Rhapsody 5 EMERALDS
• JJ Heller - Sound of A Living Heart 5 EMERALDS
• Plumb - Exhale 5 EMERALDS
• Kerrie Roberts - My Hearts Lifted 5 EMERALDS

The Softlight Award correspond to our Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Album of The Year. Again we seem to differ in our genre interpretation. Their nominees

• Chris August - The Maker 4.50 Emeralds
• Jeremy Camp - I Will Follow 4.75 Emeralds
• Lauren Daigle - How Can It Be 4.75 Emeralds
• Plumb - Exhale 5 EMERALDS
• Sidewalk Prophets - Something Different 5 EMERALDS

Of the five Daigle and August are in the right genre in our opinion, though August most likely wont get in the finals at only a 4.5. Plumb isn't her usual dance, but AC? Please. It's Pop. And Jeremy Camp and Sidewalk Prophets are both Rock. Only Two AQ's for AC from us for your perusal.

• Big Daddy Weave - Beautiful Offering 5 EMERALDS
• The City Harmonic - We Are 5 EMERALDS

The Prose Award, which they say is for Singer/Songwriter Album of The Year, would seem to correspond to our Folk/Folk Rock Album of The Year. You can check my latest rant to see what I think of the Singer/Songwriter label. Anyway, their nominees.

• Andrew Peterson - The Burning Edge of Dawn 4.75 Emeralds
• Cindy Morgan - Bows and Arrows 4.75 Emeralds
• Jon Guerra - Little Songs 4.50 Emeralds
• Josh Wilson - That Was Then, This Is Now 4.75 Emeralds
• Sara Groves - Floodplain 5 EMERALDS

We have a number of problems to sort out here. One is misplaced genre, as Wilson and Morgan are Pop. Guerra is AC/Insp. Except for Guerra's 4.50 I Think they would make a fine finals. Our biggest problem is the meshing of eligibility years. Ours run from Oct 1- Sept 30, so Andrew Peterson and Sara Groves, while excellent choices, are in the running for #PlatVnyl7, not the current #PlatVnyl6 year. Again, not much for Folk AQ's but here are ours.

• Jennifer Knapp - Set Me Free 5 EMERALDS
• The Vespers - Sisters and Brothers 5 EMERALDS

I can hear the peanut gallery screaming "Jennifer's Not Christian Anymore". I never heard her renounce Jesus. These two are in big time.

As to picking, here goes. I think Blanca should get the Hook Award, Daigle the Softlight and Sara Groves the Prose Award. We'll hit another bunch next time. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Does The Night Beat Love Christian Music?

Does a Bear.... Enough of that. One of the more enjoyable parts of our job here at Night Beat HQ is taking pot shots  making informed predictions of how the other Music Awards will go. Now with the industry giant The Dove Awards, which is quickly fading into irrelevancy, though at its size and longevity it still has klout, there is no guessing. Usually I wind up no better than a coin flip and sometimes much worse.

The newer Awards, mostly all blog based, are another matter. These seem to have a better finger on the pulse of the public, and while better staffing may mean that they find more artists than I do, on a lot of cases we are picking the same nominees.

Case in point. The +We Love Christian Music Awards . They are one of the grasshoppers to our sensei (I wish). They are in their 4th Year and we are in the roll-up to #PlatVnyl6 next year, so we have two years seniority on them. They are pretty much on the same page this year, which is going to make picking really difficult without tipping my hand. Fortunately for me it is a fan vote award, so I can say who I thing will win, but judging a fan vote is really like picking a needle in a haystack, so I should be safe.

How close are The Night Beat and +NewReleaseToday ? Let's do a quick recap of the nominees. 9 Album Awards, 1 EP Award, 50 nominees. Of That we have 9 they nominated which we consider Pure Platinum (5 Emeralds), we'll stick with 9 though it could be 10 but since one album is nominated as well for album of the year and another category we won't count it twice. Another twenty nominees are for my wiggle room 4.75 Emerald Rating, where I just can't hand out perfection, even though I want to. Only three times did they give a nominee to someone I thought Missed The Mark with under a 4 Emerald Rating. That's extremely close, as I would judge distance. 

In the upcoming posts I will go over the nominees and attempt to make an accurate pick. When they announce the winners next year we shall see how close the fan base is. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Night Beat Rewind: October 2015

The seventh edition of the Platinum Vinyl Awards is upon us, commonly known as #PlatVnyl7. Now they say that seven is a deeply spiritual number, the number of Perfection. I knew this was perfect from Day One. Now they recognize it. 

We begin with Christmas Music, which is way too early, but you can't fight city hall or the music industry. The only consolation is that we don't have a Christmas Music category in the finals, so this is all for entertainment (sorry) purposes only.

Christmas Music (Non-Eligible)

• Paul Baloche - Christmas Worship [Vol 2] 4.25 Emeralds
• David Britton - Christmas 4.75 Emeralds
• Steven Curtis Chapman - Christmas Hymns 4.50 Emeralds
• Gaither Vocal Band - Christmas Collection 4.50 Emeralds
• Keith and Kristyn Getty - Joy - An Irish Christmas Live 5 Emeralds
• Danny Gokey - Christmas Is Here 4.75 Emeralds
• Andrew Greer and Friends - Angel Band: The Christmas Sessions 3.50 Emeralds
• Mercy Me - Mercy Me It's Christmas 4.75 Emeralds
• Laura Story - God With Us 4.50 Emeralds
• Chris Tomlin - Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship (Live) 4.25 Emeralds

There was also a "release" from Rend Collective, but according to all the research I did it was simply a re-release this year, but its first release was for Christmas 2014. We were not fooled.

There were a number of Singles to kick off the #PlatVnyl7 Eligibility Year, so let's get right to it.

The Singles Scene

• Audrey Assad - Even Unto Death 5 Emeralds
• Crusoe - Captivate 4.75 Emeralds
• Satellites and Sirens - Wildfire 4.50 Emeralds
• Jeremy James Whitaker - Dreams 4.75 Emeralds

It's good to see Audrey Assad back. She was about to drop out of the scene, and that would be a great loss to Christian Music. And we have two new artists in Jeremy James Whitaker and Crusoe, which would be perfect to listen if stranded on a desert island.

We continue with a few items you probably wouldn't pack if you knew you were going to be stranded on that island.

Missing The Mark

• Manafest - Reborn 3.75 Emeralds
• Gordon Mote - Gordon Mote Sings Hymns and Songs of Inspiration 3.75 Emeralds
• Playdough and DJ Sean Patrick - We Buy Gold 3.50 Emeralds

Not much to say here, except that I was extremely disappointed in Manafest this time around. I was expecting Rap/Rock and didn't get it. Now in this next group there are no disappointments, only Pure Platinum.

Pure Platinum Perfection

• Capital Kings - II 5 Emeralds
• Demon Hunter - Extremist (Deluxe Edition) 5 Emeralds
• James Jackson and Atlanta Praise - Nothin But High Praise 5 Emeralds
• Kevin Max - Starry Eyes Surprise 5 Emeralds
• Salt of The Sound - Echoes of Wonder 5 Emeralds
• Stryper - Fallen 5 Emeralds
• Teramaze - Her Halo 5 Emeralds

WOW is all I can say here. Maybe not. Capital Kings abandoned synthpop for industrial and a darker sound overall and it really worked for me. James Jackson has an awesome Gospel Sound. Salt of The Sound continues to produce entrancing trance and Stryper. Trilogy, Smilogy. Let's go for 4. But of course the most pleasant surprise here is Kevin Max. We always knew he had a unique singing voice ("shimmering" voice), but who knew he could be the new "Ol Blue Eyes" (That's Sinatra fyi).

Update 12/21/16: Just recently discovered, but in time for the nominees is Australian Metal/Prog Rock band Teramaze. 3 Megasongs on an album (and a 4th just one second off the standard). And they are not afraid of long instrumental segments. A worthy successor to the Crown held by IONA.

As we always remind you, most of the releases fall somewhere in the middle, in a realm we at The Night Beat refer to as 

Semi-Precious Metal

• Alert 312 - The Upside Eternal 4.75 Emeralds
• Bri (Briana Babineaux) - I'll Be The One 4.75 Emeralds
• Crowder - Neon Porch Extravaganza 4.50 Emeralds
• Michael English - Worship 4.50 Emeralds
• Alex Faith - Bloodlines 4.50 Emeralds
• Jordan Feliz - Beloved 4.50 Emeralds
• Jon Foreman - The Wonderlands: Dawn 4.75 Emeralds
• foreveratlast - Ghosts Again 4.75 Emeralds
• For King and Country - Run Wild, Live Free, Love Strong (Anniversary Edition) 4.50 Emeralds
• For Today - Wake 4.50 Emeralds
• Gateway Worship - Walls 4.50 Emeralds
• Generation Unleashed - Come Alive (Live) 4.50 Emeralds
• Hillsong Worship - Open Heaven 4.75 Emeralds
• Hollyn - Hollyn 4.75 Emeralds
• Jenny & Tyler - Of This I'm Sure 4.75 Emeralds
• Kolby Koloff - Grow EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Lights Go Down - We Kept It Alive 4.75 Emeralds
• Lovelite - Hopeful Stranger 4.50 Emeralds
• Low and Behold - Uppers 4.75 Emeralds
• Jon McLaughlin - Like Us 4.50 Emeralds
• John Mark McMillan - Live at The Knight 4.75 Emeralds
• Monolog - Transparency 4.75 Emeralds
• Michael O'Brien - Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs 4.75 Emeralds
• Andrew Peterson - The Burning Edge of Dawn 4.75 Emeralds   
• Phillips, Craig and Dean - 20th Century Masters 4.50 Emeralds
• Cindy Cruse Ratcliffe - Edge of The Universe (Live at Lakewood) 4.50 Emeralds
• Rawsrvnt - Game Changer 4.75 Emeralds
• S.O. - So It Ends 4.50 Emeralds
• Sanctus Real - Best of Sanctus Real 4.75 Emeralds
• Ricardo Sanchez - Grand Symphony 4.75 Emeralds
• Seventh Day Slumber - Redline EP 4.75 Emeralds 
• Stars Go Dim - Stars Go Dim 4.75 Emeralds
• Tru Serva - Eyes Open 4.75 Emeralds
• Austin Stone Worship - This Glorious Grace 4.50 Emeralds
• John Tibbs - Dead Man Walking 4.75 Emeralds
• Tim Timmons - Awake Our Sould 4.75 Emeralds
• Transform DJs - Never Alone 4.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Blessed Assurance: The New Hymns of Fanny Crosby 4.50 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Holy Hip Hop Volume 20 4.75 Emeralds
• V.Rose - Hearts Up .450 Emeralds
• Vocal Few - The Dream Alive 4.50 Emeralds   
• Tyler Ward - Yellow Boxes, Day One 4.75 Emeralds
• Jean Watson - Steady My Gaze 4.50 Emeralds

I am finally finished. I am forgoing links, but for a different reason. I may put in links for Christmas music, but I am going to start linking the quarterly wraps. Since the releases are all there except for those that missed the mark, and they are spread out by genre, it is a lot less taxing. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.