In our special WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS editorial series, members of the NRT staff have a back-and-forth discussion about this year's nominees.

In Part 4 of our series, NRT Associate Editor Mary Nikkel and Lead Contributor Kevin Davis talk about the high-art albums that have found a home in our brand new Freebird Award category.
 
KEVIN: 
I enjoy the name of this category and the independent music style of these five artistic artists, which includes my number one album in any genre this past year: All is Not Lost by The Brilliance (David Gungor and John Arndt). All of these artists create art that is moving and thought-provoking, which is my favorite overall type of music. I affectionately call it "gourmet." When you look up the word gourmet in the dictionary, it gives examples: "like regular coffee... only better." That's a great way to start our discussion about these five artists. 

A lot of the traditional naysaying about Christian music isn't applicable with these five releases. They have all made good art, and they are believers, which affects their lens in how they view the world but doesn't mean they are making songs for CCM radio.

MARY: 
This is definitely a greatly-needed category that I'm glad we've added this year, epitomizing your "gourmet" term. For me this is an important category because there's never been a category for artists like The Brilliance or John Mark McMillan, who released another of my favorite unconventional worship releases this year with Mercury & Lightning. What I enjoy about this category is that thematically, it's quite varied. We have the slightly unusual worship artists (The Royal Royal would fall into that category as well), but then we also have some pop. Aaron Sprinkle's album was one of the biggest happy surprises for me this year. 
 
KEVIN: 
Yes, that's a great point about the category itself. It helps highlight deserving releases that don't fall into traditional award recognition categories or any traditional CCM radio genre. Because of that, they are making songs based on their personal passions and messages, which for me is a biblical way of "letting your light shine" as these are all very accessible albums and messages that appeal to various viewpoints and preferences. 

For example, I have shared the music video (and my behind the song devo) about "See the Love" by The Brilliance with many different people, some of whom are believers and some aren't. Everyone can watch that video and agree with the sentiments in the song, like "every day we go to war again, we assume we know so much more than them, before we hear what they have to say..." One of the most powerful lyrics I've ever heard.
 
MARY: 
You make a really good point that these songs really transcend barriers; each album is so quality that they easily reach beyond just Christian listeners. I heard one of the John Mark McMillan tracks in a Nashville Starbucks recently! And that's one of the most important things about artists who really focus on the artistry like that. Their excellence carries them across walls. 

It sounds like The Brilliance would be your personal pick for the winner here; John Mark McMillan would probably be mine. Do you have any predictions on who might actually earn the most votes in the end?
 
KEVIN: 
You are right that I've clearly made my case for The Brilliance as my own personal favorite, and I love the John Mark McMillan album as well. For name recognition and fan voting, my guess is the most votes will go to the name that people know the most. Sadly, I'm guessing most people haven't generally heard these five albums because as we've discussed, these aren't traditional radio artists. 

Based on name recognition, I think The Royal Royal (because of connections with Vertical Worship and Hillsong), John Mark McMillan (because of "How He Loves") and Aaron Sprinkle have the best chance to win, and they would all be deserving. What do you think of the other albums we haven't discussed?
 
MARY: 
I think the clear underdog here is David Baloche. He has the name recognition as Paul Baloche's son, but his project Labyrinth was unusual and complex and flew way under the radar. I have hope that even if it doesn't take the win, even its nomination will inspire more listeners to dig into it. It's one of the most unique takes on crafting a worshipful atmosphere that I've ever heard, and it was incredibly refreshing for me as someone who does not connect to most mainstream church music. It's kind of similar to The Royal Royal's album to me in that regard; it might take a few extra listens for most people to really connect to, but it's worth the extra time. 
 
KEVIN: 
Yes, those are great points, and I wholeheartedly agree. The best thing about this category is the chance to introduce people to these artists and provide alternatives to people who are generally naysayers about CCM and traditional church worship, and instead are looking for "organic" ways to connect with singers of faith who are expressing what is important to them. I often equate that to how David wrote the Psalms in such an accessible and emotional style, and for me, these albums all provide companionship for believers and those seeking truth. Any closing thoughts?

MARY: 
I think I'd just like to echo that and say that all of these artists are really seeking to create Psalm-like songs unlike any other corner of our industry. These are all albums I could comfortably recommend to my fellow 20-somethings who are tired of the over-produced, over-processed, thematically simplified musical sound that has become so prevalent. Whoever takes home the win in this category, I'm incredibly grateful to each and every artist here for striving for excellence in how they present truth. 

Now, you get to determine the winners! Head over to www.weloveawards.com and click "Vote Now" through Friday, Jan. 26, to decide The Freebird Award and 23 other categories!