The
Top Five Contemporary Christian Albums of All Time: Readers Talk Back
By Twila McBride
February 12, 2001
We
all love to pick favorites. Something
within drives us to pick and choose sports teams, foods, colors, and even
seasons that we like the best. A
few weeks ago I posted a list of my favorite
Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) albums of all time. After explaining my
choices and defining the music, I asked you to respond. Music lovers did just
that.
As
is evident from the responses, I think most listeners of Christian music will
agree that Russ Taff and Amy Grant have enormously impacted the CCM world.
Here are some of the letters we received in response to my list.
Josh
Lewis
Colorado Springs, CO
Here
are my Top 5:
5. Time To Believe by Clay
Crosse—Unique style, blue-eyed soul.
4. Age to Age by Amy Grant—Still enjoyable after almost 20 years.
3. Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch
by Various Artists—Updated
versions of classic songs.
2. Praise Celebration by Babbie
Mason—Great worship songs with infectious
energy.
1. Where Strength Begins by Philips,
Craig & Dean—Best songwriters in the
business.
Donald
Glenn
Jackson, TN
You
want the five best Christian albums? Here goes... in no particular order.
1.
Russ Taff by Russ Taff—You got the artist right, but picked the wrong
album. I was 18 when this record came out, and I owned Medals.
The first time through I hated it, but ended up playing the cassette so much
that I had to borrow a friend’s 10 years later. The first few bars of
the first song on the record "It's a long hard road/a lotta changes come,
hard changes." (I Still Believe) were very important to me in a
tough time of life. Many of the lyrics on the album suggest an uncanny
understanding of the Christian walk (from Walk Between the Lines, to
the words "It will not break, but I won't give up" in This Love Is
Strong). Good stuff, think I'll get the cassette out and annoy my
wife the rest of the night.
2.
Unguarded by Amy Grant—I
offer no defense for myself. I was a teenager, I liked pop.... man, that
was hard to say. But hey, it was the
big crossover album of the 80s (or at least had the
big crossover hit of the 80s). Being too young to know anything about the
likes of Van Morrison or Dylan's Christian records, I thought I was witnessing
something of a first.
3.
Much Afraid by
Jars of Clay—These guys are good. I toyed with their first offering
(Jars of Clay), but decided that it offered little outside of Flood
and World's Apart. This album is solid start to finish, and Crazy
Times is one of the best Christian songs ever. Hymn is also
an excellent effort, and I wish my home church would find a way to incorporate
it into worship. I strongly recommend you catch a JOC concert. My
wife and I saw them in Memphis and they were as advertised.
4.
Anybody Out There by Burlap to
Cashmere—I may be the only person in the world who would list this album.
Especially since it will be their only one (they broke up). This is a pop
record heavy in Latin and Mediterranean influence, not to mention that it has a
flair for the dramatic (my wife swears that Scenes
sounds like it is from a musical). There are 12 songs on this album, and I
liked 11 of them. Basic Instructions and Treasures in Heaven
were the hits, but as is often the case, the best stuff never hit the radio.
5.
Kansas by Jennifer
Knapp—Another great concert. We have seen her three times and she can
wail. Lyrics are strong ("point your finger and laugh if you choose, say
my beloved is borrowed and used. She is strong enough to stand in my
love..." Hold Me Now), and her voice is great. A passionate
and introspective records that rocks. Her second album isn't bad either.
A
Cleveland Indian fan makes no bones about his choice!
5. Walls
of Glass by Russ Taff
4. Russ
Taff by Russ Taff
3. The
Way Home by Russ Taff
2. Under
Their Influence by Russ Taff
1. Medals
by Russ Taff
“Russ Taff is the greatest singer in the history of the world.”
Fascinating
choices that I won’t argue over, though I’ll still stand by my list. Anyone
else want to join in?
ninetyandnine.com
©
2001, Twila McBride
--------
Twila
McBride resides in Nashville where she
is a staff writer at Spring Hill Music Group. She enjoys music, traveling and fishing in her spare time.
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