Justified In Light: The 2020 Platinum Vinyl Awards 1st Quarter - Pop

Break out the Bubblegum, it's Pop Music Time. This quarter was a good one for the pop tart crowd with a double finals worth of entries (that's 14 for the newbies, and perhaps Iowa Dems can count that high). Sorry, couldn't resist. Let's get to the syrup.

Pop Music

• Jared Anderson - The Whole Landscape EP
• Jeremy Benjamin - WonderLove
• Citizen Way - Love Is A Lion
• Clay Crosse - Freewill Offering EP
• For All Seasons - Side A EP
• Hollyn - Bye, Sad Girl
• Coby James - No trouble EP
• Coby James - Happier EP
• Coby James - Coby James EP
• Chuckie P - Faith Hope and Love
• Reba Rambo - Lady (Released 1976: Digital Debut)
• Courtney Ramirez - Amada en Verdad 
• Stillman - Let Go EP
• Stillman - Wherever You Are EP

Those in the know have deduced the winner. Modern Worship Wraps the Wrap with 20 entries. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Wolves Unleashed: The 2019 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Pop

Another tie. Two this quarter. This one is only two genres, a true tie. Pop Music is first.

Pop Music

• Building 429 - Fear No More 
• Hayden Everett - Hayden Everett
• Hollyn - Bye, sad girl
• Hannah Kerr - Listen More EP
• Jamie Kimmett - Prize Worth Fighting For EP
• Local Sound - Sunday Song
• Out of The Dust - Now More Than Ever
• Aaron Shust - Nothing To Fear
• Trinity (NL) - The In Between
• Matthew West - Hello My Name Is: Greatest Hits

Hollyn is just as good as ever, and Out of The Dust, WoW. Rock is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Reckoning: The 2019 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr - Alternative Instrumental Pop

We begin our Wrap of The 2nd Quarter Entries for PVX (or Platinum Vinyl 10 for those new to abbreviations). We begin, as always, with at least one megapost for those genres which fail to attain the minimum bar of 5 entries to get their own blog post. We will have three such posts this quarter. We begin with Alternative Rock, Instrumental Music, and Pop Music.

Alternative Rock

• Switchfoot - Native Tongue

Instrumental Music

• The Creak Music - Still, Volume 3
• Brady Novotny - Passions Collide

Pop Music

• Matt Hammit - Living Room Sessions
• David Leonard - The Wait
• Natasha Owens - Warrior
• Dave Pittman - Different Kind of Love

The Wrap Has Begun. Our next megapost awaits. I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Phoenix Rising: The 2019 Platinum Vinyl Awards 1st Qtr - Pop

The Penultimate Post this quarter is Pop Music, which has fourteen Entries, which means, if you are paying attention, that once again Modern Worship is the big winner.

Pop Music

• Francesca Battistelli - Own It
• Coyote Choir - Volume 1
• The Gray Havens - She Waits
• Jessica Johnson Garcia - JJ+Garcia
• Influence Music - Mistakes EP (ft Melody Noel)
• Carmen Justice - Quarter Life Crisis
• For King and Country - Burn The Ships
• Love and The Outcome - These Are The Days (Deluxe)
• TobyMac - The Elements
• Sarah Reeves - Easy Never Needed You
• 7eventh Time Down - Brand New Day EP
• Holly Starr - Human (Deluxe)
• Tenth Avenue North - The Things We've Been Afraid To Say EP
• Josh Wilson - Don't Look Back EP

Two finals worth of entrants in Just the first quarter. And still it isn't the big winner. Modern Worship is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Backmasking Number Nine: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Pop

Nine Numbers in Number Nine. Pop Music had nine entries this quarter. We get to it right away. 

Pop Music

• Austin Mark Adams - The Return EP
• Chris August - What You're Looking For EP
• Blanca - Shattered 
• Dan Bremnes - Wherever I Go EP
• Lauren Daigle - Look Up Child
• Jason Gray - The Kipper Gray Sessions EP
• Branan Murphy - Branan Murphy EP
• Nathan Sheridan - Broken With You
• Chris Tomlin - Nobody Likes Me Like You EP

3 Perfect 5 albums from one genre in a quarter. This is one tough genre. Rap is next up. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Backmasking Number Nine: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Adult Contemporary

Adult Contemporary (and Inspirational Music) are next up. From now on all the posts exceed a final genre of 7 entries. AC Music has eight entries.

Adult Contemporary/Inspirational

• Pat Barrett - Pat Barrett
• Aaron Boyd - Jericho
• Austin French - Wide Open
• Elvis Presley - Where No One Stands Alone
• Shane and Shane - Hymns, Volume 1
• Chris Sligh - A Modern Liturgy
• Aaron Strumpel - Mighty Refuge
• Phil Wickham - Living Hope

Three Perfect Albums are in this group this quarter. Of course the remastered reissued Elvis Presley may not make the final cut. A little snag regarding Mister Presley not being alive may make it ineligible. Hey, this isn't the Democrat Party. Next up is Pop with 9. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Don't Stop Believing: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 3rd Qtr - Pop

Three genres to go. We are in the final stretch. Remaining are Modern Worship, Pop and Rap, surprisingly enough. We are covering pop, so I'll leave it to you to figure out who is the winner. It will be revealed soon enough.

Pop Music

• Chris August - Seasons
• Jonny Diaz - Sweetness and Sorrow EP
• Tori Harper - Seasons EP
• Mat Kearney - Crazy Talk
• Mark Lee - Unshakable Heart
• Lovecollide - Tired of Basic
• Teresa Peterson - Faithfu EP
• Plumb - Beautifully Broken
• Plumb - Beautifully Broken (Remixes)
• Sarah Reeves - Easy Never Needed You EP
• Ryan Stevenson - No Matter What

11 songs for the bubblegum set. Mark Lee is a former member of Third Day. Kind of cements the breakup. Two releases from Plumb in this quarter by no means tips my hand. Modern Worship is next. Yes, they are only in second place. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Musical Industrial Complex: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 2nd Qtr (Jan - Mar, 2018) - Pop

We continue with our rollout of the 2nd Quarter of 2018 Pool Entries for the Platinum Vinyl Awards (#PlatVnyl9). A tie is next. Pop and Rock tied with 9 entries. Pop Music is first up.

Pop Music

• Dave Barnes - Who Knew It Would Be So Hard To Be Myself
• Leanna Crawford - Crazy Beautiful You (Deluxe)
• Jordan Feliz - Future 
• Jaxon - The Journey EP
• Marc Martel - My Way, Volume 1
• Mass Anthem - Through People Like Me
• Mercy Me - I Can Only Imagine: The Best of Mercy Me
• Nicole C. Mullen - Like Never Before
• Michael W. Smith - A Million Lights

Marc Martel (formerly of Downhere) did a cover album of Mainstream Classic Pop, sort of like Kevin Max Starry Nights. It is a very good album. All the rest are more "traditional" Christian Albums. Rap music is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Falling Rocks: The 2018 Platinum Vinyl Awards 1st Qtr - Pop

Our three way tie wraps up with Pop Music. Once again Pop Music had a very good quarter. And, as you can see, it is a nice mix of veteran and newbie. On to the entrants.

Pop Music

• Adam Agee - Paper Planes EP
• Francesca Battistelli - Greatest Hits: The First 10 Years
• Julie Elias - A Girl Like Me
• Brandon Heath - Faith Hope Love Repeat
• Plumb - God Help Me EP 
• Alexis Slifer - Famous For EP 
• John Tibbs - Heartland

Next up is Rock Music with 8. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Diamond Rain: The 2017 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr- Pop

We move on to the single genre posts. We begin with Pop music, which had nine entries, which gives you an idea about how many the winner has. Let's get to it. 

Pop Music

• Blanca - Real Love EP
• Life of Carter - Life of Carter
• Quinten Coblentz - Sahara
• Finding Favour - Farewell Fear
• Jamie Grace - 91 
• Jennifer McGill - Unbreakable
• Aryn Michelle - The Realest Thing
• Holly Starr - Human
• Matthew West - All In

This is the least of the single genre posts. When 7 genres exceed the final 7 entries, you know there will be a lot of judging, and that is a good thing. Next up is Gospel, which also had nine entries. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Venus and Mars are Alright: The 2017 Platinum Vinyl Awards 3rd Quarter - Pop Gospel

Sometimes I like tweaking my fellow Christians just a bit. It's so easy to get a rise out of them. Last quarter I did it by combining Alternative Rock and Gospel Music as "Alternative Gospel". Since Gospel is once again among the lower represented genres I will combine it with Pop Music this time to make Pop Gospel. I can just here it now "I will not accept a watered down Pop Gospel". Like I said, It is so easy.

Pop Music

• Lauren Alexandria - Victorious In Love
• Mandisa - Out of the Dark
• Mass Anthem - Through People Like Me
• Willow Stephens - Willow Stephens 

Gospel/R&B

• James Fortune and FIYA - Dear Future Me

Yes these are short, but that's the way it goes. Our final multi genre post is next, and then things start to pick up. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

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

We are done. The finish line is in sight. Pop Music tied with Modern Worship with 11 entries this quarter. Let's cross the line together.

Pop Music

• Tim Drisdelle - Depths, Part 2
• David Dunn - Yellow Balloons
• Out of The Dust - Out of The Dust
• Fireflight - Re-Imag-Innova
• Danny Gokey - Rise
• Grayson/Reed Walk EP
• Hollyn - One Way Conversations
• Mercy Me - Lifer 
• Kerrie Roberts - Boundless
• Root Road - Come Alive
• Ayiesha Woods - The Runway Project EP

And we are done. And the prize is.... We get to move on to the third quarter. Thrilling, I know. The third Quarter is underway, and we are there. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply. 

Siberian Siren: The 2017 Platinum Vinyl Awards 1st Qtr - Pop

We begin our single post genres with a tie, and the first up with 6 entries into the pool, is Pop Music. You wouldn't believe who they are tied with. They don't usually scrape the bottom of the barrel. They usually win the quarter hands down. Let's get to it.

Pop Music

• Dez Childs - Work of Art
• Consumed by Fire - Giving Over
• Meleana - White Walls
• Britt Nicole - Britt Nicole
• Ginny Owens - Love Be The Loudest
• B. Reith - Heart on my Sleeve

A nice mix of new and old. B. Reith went pop after a long residence at Rap. I think it was an inspired choice. Modern Worship is next. (I told you that you wouldn't believe). Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

A Perfect Scale: The 2016 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Quarter - Pop

The second of our beastly trio is Pop Music, which to some is really no better than Dance Music. Maybe so, but it isn't exactly the same. Enough soapbox preaching, let's get to the list.

Pop Music

• Tanya Godsey - Love Lines The Last Horizon
• Group 1 Crew - Power
• Love and The Outcome - These Are The Days
• Royce Lovett - Love Wins
• Beckah Shae - Mighty 
• Unspoken - Follow Through

This is a good quarter for Pop Music as well as both Beckah Shae and Love and The Outcome mined Perfect Platinum. This is shaping up to be one of the best Platinum Vinyl Awards ever, if not the best. I don't want to make such a pronouncement, however, since we are only seven years old, and things just keep getting better each year. The final of the beastly trio is up next, and it is Live Recorded Album. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Dove Wrap: 2016 Edition - Album Results

Well, this is one of those delayed posts I was talking about. I will progress through the results as I covered them. So that will be Album, Song and The General Field. I will link the prediction posts to save room here, and I hope that I can finish this in one post.

We start with the Album of The Year Awards. Like I said in that post, an album is more important than a song in that it is more difficult to make. We begin with Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Album of The Year. I shocked all of my regular readers when I picked Hillsong Open Heaven/River Wild. You see, I am a regular critic of the Church as it has spawned such a crop of copycats that it has almost wrecked the Modern Worship genre. Plus the fact that for the past few years the releases have had a "mailed in" quality, lacking fire. But I liked this one. It was the best Hillsong release in years. However the Dove Awards liked Amanda Cook and Brave New World better. (Score: 0/1)

Next up was Worship Album of The Year. I went with Let It Echo by Jesus Culture. The Doves went with Hillsong. Hillsong United and Empires. I panned the album for #PlatVnyl6 and it Missed The Mark. (Score: 0/2).

Moving On to Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album. I felt that the best album of the available choices by far was Kirk Franklin Losing My Religion and to my surprise so did the Doves. (Score: 1/3). I guess even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

The final Album Award that I made a pick for was Pop/Contemporary Album of The Year. They had a full slate of albums for this one, and it was difficult for me to pick. Of course they had Hillsong United here as well (a Miss The Mark for the PVA's) as well as This Is Not A Test by Toby Mac, an excellent album, though not particularly Pop. Perhaps Dance, Perhaps Rock, and Perhaps Rap, but not Pop. I went with Big Daddy Weave and Beautiful Offering. Well I may have felt that Toby Mac was miscast here, but not the GMA. They said This Is Not A Test. I guess I failed here. (Score: 1/4) 0.250 after the album portion of my predictions. 

Remember when I said I wanted this to be done in one post. Yeah, me neither. Wishful thinking. The Song Award recap will be next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The Seven Soundtrack: The 2016 Platinum Vinyl Awards 3rd Quarter - Pop

We are down to our final two single genre posts. That was quicker than I thought. The penultimate post is for Pop Music. It had eleven entries this quarter. If you have been keeping track of things as we go along you know which genre won the quarter. It usually does. On to the entries.

Pop Music

• Jon Bauer - The Light In Us
• Zach Bolen - 1001
• Jordan Feliz - The River
• Jason Gray - Where The Light Gets In
• Lights - Midnight Machines
• LoveCollide - Resonate: A Ripple to A Wave
• V.Rose - Young Dangerous Heart
• The Rubyz - I'll Follow
• Seth and Nirva - Never Alone
• Jamie Slocum - Safe
• Natalie Villa - Symphony

A nice mix this quarter, including a surprise entry by Dance Queen Lights. When a Dance album goes acoustic, it winds up pop. Modern Worship is all that is left. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The 2016 2nd Quarter - Pop

We are continuing with our announcements of the 2016 Second Quarter Pool Eligible Entries for #PlatVnyl7. All the genres until the end are greater than the Final Nominee 7. That means that there will be a lot of judging to get to that number. And that is a good thing. Pop had 9 entries this quarter alone. Let's get to it.

Pop Music

• Kris Allen - Letting You In
• Curt Anderson - Every Moment
• Annie Moses Band - The Art of The Love Song
• Dave Barnes - Carry On, San Vincente
• The Church Vessel - Rekindle
• Joy Enriquez - The Call
• Chandler Roberts - The Color EP
• Jordan Smith - Something Beautiful
• Mark Wagner - Love and Be Loved

Like I said, we are moving up to the big winner. Gospel is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Mistletunes: The 2016 1st Quarter - Pop

Moving on with our announcement of the 2016 1st Quarter Pool Entries. Pop Music is next with 8 entrants. We are in the final stretch. Just a few more to go. And there are a bunch of big ones here.

Pop Music

• Jordan Feliz - Beloved
• Natalie Grant - Be One
• Kolby Koloff - Grow EP
• Lovelite - Hopeful Strangers
• V.Rose - Hearts Up - EP
• Ricardo Sanchez - Grand Symphony
• Stars Go Dim - Stars Go Dim
• Tyler Ward - Yellow Boxes , Part One

Natalie Grant and V.Rose are the established artists in this genre, and our alliterative Koloff is one of the stars to look out for in the future. Only three more genres to go and Adult Contemporary is next. Until then, 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.

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

We have finally finished with the 4th Quarter Rollout. I know, the quarter ended September 30, and it's almost December. We had our sweepstakes running, the end of one year and beginning of the next, and a whole boatload of entries. So considering, I think we did make pretty good time.

The big winner for the Final Quarter was Pop Music, which is a big surprise. We just assume it to be Modern Worship every quarter because it usually is. Not that there aren't any Pop Artists in Christian Contemporary Music. There are plenty, but they are dwarfed by the sheer number of Hillsong Wannabees. Let's get to our final listing.

Pop Music

• All Things New - The Good News
• Annie Moses Band - American Rhapsody
• Building 429 - Unashamed
• Jonny Diaz - Everything Is Changing EP
• Colton Dixon - Storm EP
• Darrell Evans - Fearless
• JJ Heller - Sound of a Living Heart
• Crystal Lewis - Crystal Lewis
• Cindy Morgan - Bows & Arrows
• Nichole Nordeman - The The Unmaking
• Poema - Pretty Speeches EP
• Jeremy Rosado - Heartbeat
• Holly Starr - Everything I Need EP
• Ryan Stevenson - Fresh Start
• John Waller - Crazy Faith
• Josh Wilson - That Was Then, This Is Now

This was a big quarter for Pop. We had two Perfect albums in Annie Moses Band and JJ Heller, and some very solid entries from the others, including a Comeback to Remember from Nichole Nordeman. We are finished. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.