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Following two highly acclaimed and successful projects, Falling Up stretches the imagination to create their newest venture, a remix album titled Exit Lights (September 12), which morphs their sound from intense, urgent rock to electronic, vibe-focused renditions selected from their two studio releases.
“After Crashings, we had in mind that we wanted to do a remix album,” says Falling Up’s vocalist Jessy Ribordy. “It is something totally different from our releases and our live show, which is more rock based. Our goal was to expand on our style and show a different side—something more electronic with a stronger slant to programming and digital vibe-- a different picture on songs we really love. We wanted to give the fans a chance to hear some of our favorite songs from the past two releases in a more party, upbeat fashion.”
Hailing from Albany, Oregon, Falling Up transformed into a full-time musical project after graduating high school in 2002. The act quickly made its first impression in the national music scene with its Aaron Sprinkle-produced debut, 2004’s Crashings, which went on to sell nearly 100,000 copies. In October 2005, Falling Up came back with an astounding new studio release steering clear of the sophomore slump with Dawn Escapes, which has already surprised all expectations.
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Jars Of Clay were the breakout band of the alternative CCM movement of the ‘90’s, scoring an enormous mainstream hit with their debut single “Flood.” In the decade that followed the band continued their success, amassing 17 #1 hits and selling more than 5 million albums.
This month the band releases their highly anticipated seventh studio album Good Monsters. The advance praise for this album is unlike anything the Christian music community has seen before.
With one-third of the year still to come, CCM Magazine has taken the highly unusual step of declaring Good Monsters their “Album of the Year.” Editor Jay Swartzendruber writes on behalf of the entire editorial team that this is “the most profound album the Christian music community has released in years.”
Throughout the album, the music is tight and well produced. The songs range in style from ballad to dancefloor to moshpit, but the tracks are bound together by the edgy guitar work of Matt Odmark and the heartfelt lyrics and vocal delivery of frontman Dan Haseltine. It is a real testament to the band’s vision and talent that the album could bring together such diverse material into a satisfying unified whole.
There is a time for worship music that just makes one feel good in faith, but surely there is also a time for songs that make one think. Like so many of the all-time great albums, this work is driven by a thoughtful concept. These songs wrestle with the balance of good and evil within each of us and the listener comes away with a deeper appreciation for the divine grace that helps us find our way. As Haseltine says, “engaging people who are doing the hard work of laying their lives open to others, and avoiding isolation, has allowed me to see that there is both immeasurable evil and unfathomable good mixing under my own skin and it is grace, mercy and freedom that allow me to not simply be a monster, but to be a good monster.”
This is one of those rare albums that brings together great music and great lyrics under the roof of a thoughtful and important message. All the hallmarks of a classic album are here. Maybe CCM isn’t being unduly rash after all - this is a very special release.
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Every Moment: The Best of Joy Williams releases September 5th and is expected to be a great compilation of favorite songs from Joy’s previous albums. Emerging on the Christian music scene at the age of 17 in 1999, Joy has developed great depth and maturity as an artist and her experience over the last seven years comes together in Every Moment. This new release includes songs from her debut album Joy Williams, as well as hit songs from By Surprise and Genesis. Listeners will hear number one hits ‘Hide,” “We,” and “Every Moment” and a brand new track entitled “Anymore Sure.”
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 Between the Dreaming and the Coming True is a landmark album for Bebo Norman in more ways than one. This new studio album, due for release on September 19, is a brand new direction for the popular singer/songwriter.
Bebo's albums to date have showcased voice and songwriting, with tracks accompanied only by acoustic guitar. On this album, for the first time, a full band with occasional horns and strings joins Bebo. Of course, Bebo's vocals are still earnest and intimate, with many moments of revelation and vulnerability. The full band allows for a broader range of emotional expression in music in this album and Bebo manages to give voice to more emotions than ever before without losing the familiar quality of his voice. Jason Ingram joined Bebo in songwriting and production and this partnership seems to have pushed the music farther. The album strikes many moods as it unfolds, much like a story. The result takes listeners on a musical journey.
Another important difference has been in the personal life of the artist. The loneliness and turmoil of Bebo's early career have given way to a season of greater peace and contentment. Themes of solitude and trouble have not left the artist's music, but they are tempered now with a fuller sense of acceptance and balance. Says Bebo, "Life is beautiful one moment and tragic the next. But we seem to spend all our time trying to separate the two - to somehow weed out the bad moments and highlight the good. We forget that all these things flow into one another."
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The Christian pop group Casting Crowns began as a student worship band in Daytona Beach, FL in 1999 and has become one of Pollstar Magazine’s top 100 touring bands in the U.S. The band’s new CD/DVD combo, Lifesong Live, releases October 3rd and includes 6 songs on DVD as well as 7 live songs on CD from the 84 market Lifesong Tour. The Lifesong Tour impacted sell-out crowds from Fall 05 through Spring 06.
The new CD/DVD release also features the new “Does Anybody Hear Her” music video and a behind the scenes making of the music video segment. Twelve bonus features complete with footage of a day in the life of band members and interviews are also included.
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After selling over 25 million albums worldwide, winning numerous GRAMMY Awards and countless other career milestones, Amy Grant is releasing her first live recording in 25 years with Time Again: Amy Grant Live. The follow-up to her GRAMMY winning album Rock of Ages - Hymns of Faith, Time Again: Amy Grant Live weaves a retrospective journey through a lifetime’s worth of Grant’s most treasured songs in her 30-year career. Her new release will not only be a live CD, but also a DVD, which was filmed and recorded live in the exquisite Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Texas – the city of her very first paid performance.
“I feel this project is marked by a longstanding relationship between a singer/songwriter and her audience, and I think you feel that,” remarks Grant. “That’s the unique quality of any artist/audience relationship that develops over a period of decades, because it’s not even about a particular song, it’s about the familiarity with something that’s been a part of your life for a long time.”
Time Again: Amy Grant Live offers 19 Christian and mainstream hits from the past 25 years including, “Lead Me On,” “Good for Me,” “Stay for a While,” “Simple Things,” “Saved by Love.” “Out in the Open,” Baby Baby,” and “Every Heartbeat.”
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Gospel worship leader Stephen Hurd is releasing a new 20-track album of dynamic praise & worship music. The album, entitled My Destiny, was recorded at Temple of Praise in Washington D.C. with renowned producer Steven Ford.
The album covers a wide emotional spectrum of worship from spoken word messages and the simple piano hymn “Morning Medley” to the powerful anthem “Great Praise (War Cry)” and the swelling orchestral arrangements of the title track. There is a compelling call here to raise one’s voice in worship, as Integrity A&R director Chris Springer says, “you can’t sit and passively listen to this project. Stephen won’t let you. He pulls you in at every turn.”
This album is a wonderful resource for worship leaders, with many songs that could prove popular in church services. The message throughout is the overwhelming sense of inner joy that comes from accepting God’s plan for us, even if it is not yet clear in our lives. Says the artist, “My Destiny means you know what you are here for. I hope it will impact and challenge people from all walks of life to get away, quiet themselves, and hear God.”
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Is there anybody out there who doesn’t know about Chris Tomlin? He only swept “best artist,” “best male vocalist,” and “song of the year” at last year’s GMA awards! It is safe to say that his new release, See The Morning, is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year. The first single, “Made To Worship,” is already a national radio sensation.
This album again finds Tomlin at the top of his game. Acoustic and electric guitar blend seamlessly with Tomlin’s smooth vocals to create an immediately recognizable sound that the listener can quickly embrace. As always, the inspirational message behind Tomlin’s music is straightforward and life affirming: worship is the gateway to a life of light and hope in this troubled and turbulent world.
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Krystal Meyers releases her second album Dying For A Heart September 19th. For fans who loved Krystal’s debut album, she takes things a step further on Dying For A Heart. “The rock songs on the record are a bit more rock then on the first one,” she says. “We made the guitars a little beefier and there are cooler drum licks and bass lines.”
Krystal started writing songs by age 10 and was playing the acoustic guitar by 13. Since the release of her self-titled debut album in 2005, Krystal has garnered a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year, had three Top 10 singles and has performed for more than 400,000 people.
On her sophomore release Dying For A Heart, Krystal grapples with issues faced daily by her peers. The ambitious project continues Meyers’ message of “Anticonformity,” encouraging young people to stand up for God’s plan for their life. Tracks like “The Situation” delve into the struggle for purity in relationships, while “The Beauty of Grace” reminds that there is forgiveness for all. Krystal explains the message further, “There are a few songs that are controversial, dealing with real issues facing young people today. I wanted to write those songs to challenge the youth of my generation.”
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