In our special 7TH ANNUAL 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 6 of our series, NRT News Editor Caitlin Lassiter and NRT Lead Contributor Kevin Davis discuss the nominees for Female and Male Artist of the Year categories.
Caitlin: Male and Female Artist of The Year–what a huge category! In every element of their work, these artists are the best of the best from this year, and I'm excited to talk about what makes each of them stand out!
Kevin: Yes, let's start with the Female Artists: Francesca Battistelli, Lauren Daigle, Plumb, Sarah Reeves, and Steffany Gretzinger. Wow, what a list!! I've been writing for NRT for 11 years and I've never experienced a stronger year for female artists. I ranked 7 out of my top 10 albums this year from female artists, with Francesca as my number one album of the year, and Lauren Daigle as my number two worship album of the year. Plumb, Sarah Reeves and Steffany Gretzinger also ranked high on my lists of top albums. What do you think of this field, Caitlin?
Caitlin: What a strong year for the women of Christian music, indeed! I love this list, and I think every single one of these ladies could easily take this category. The frontrunner, however, seems to be Lauren Daigle. She's had a year like none other, on both the CCM front as well as mainstream. She's shared the Gospel in such an inviting way through her music, and then released one of the most impactful sophomore albums I've ever heard with Look Up Child. She's raised the bar high for other artists this year, that's for sure.
Kevin: I've interviewed all of these ladies multiple times for behind the song devotionals and they all have eloquent ways that they express the Gospel in what they say and what they sing. Good points about Lauren Daigle. For impact alone, she's the frontrunner. I have a slightly different way I look at this and all of our We Love Award categories. For me, it's all about which project and artist moved me the most. For example, "Details" by Sarah Reeves is one of those songs, and so are "I'm Not Alone" and "Beautifully Broken" by Plumb. I can't watch Plumb's music video for "Beautifully Broken" without getting welled up. Especially as a dad of three daughters, the fact that all of these female artists released such edifying songs for women makes all of them winners for me. I'll vote personally for Francesca Battistelli, as I've been on the journey with her from the very beginning of her music ministry, interviewing her 14 times for behind the song devos, and I consider her new album Own It to be her "very best" album (quoting one of her song titles, "The Very Best"). Who is your favorite on this list this year?
Caitlin: Absolutely! In that regard, all of these artists have had remarkable projects this year. One artist that truly blew me away this year was Sarah Reeves. From pop to worship, Easy Never Needed You just hit the mark in every way. Another artist whose album I enjoyed a lot is Francesca Battistelli. I've been a fan of hers from the beginning, and I love seeing the direction her music has taken over the years. In addition to that, Plumb had a huge year with such an impactful record and book, among other things. And we can't forget Steffany Gretzinger–such a powerful voice in the worship community, and I loved hearing the pop influences that made their way on her Blackout album.
Kevin: Agreed! All of those women are worthy nominees! Moving on to male artists, we have another strong field: Jordan Feliz, Michael W. Smith, Phil Wickham, Ryan Stevenson and TobyMac. I personally ranked Jordan and Phil in my top 10 albums and worship albums lists, and I also ranked both of them in my top 10 favorite behind the song devos of 2018 for my discussions with them about "Witness" and "Song in My Soul." I wish we could give both of them the award. I'm rooting for a tie! How about you?
Caitlin: Such a great group of nominees! I have to agree–Jordan Feliz and Phil Wickham are my frontrunners for this category. Jordan is just such a strong artist, and he truly exemplifies everything I hope to see in new artists. Fans loved him from the release of "The River," and Jordan followed up an incredible debut album with this year's sophomore release of Future. His artistry just keeps getting better and better, and I think this is his category to win. I could also see Phil Wickham take the winner's spot though because he's been an incredible voice in the worship community this year. His album was a major homerun this year.
Kevin: Naturally, Michael W. Smith who released multiple albums this year and helped bring the song "Surrounded" to the forefront of worship songs, along with TobyMac's latest album and Ryan's consistently poignant songs rounds out a great list of nominees. My personal selection based on which artist created music that moved me the most this year is Phil Wickham by a slight nod over Jordan. I can't get enough of "Till I Found You," "Living Hope" and "Song in My Soul" in my personal and corporate worship time. He has such an enthusiastic and engaging worship style, with songs that get deeper with each listen and for me, as a longtime fan of his music, I think he knocked it out of the park this year with Living Hope. That's one of my top 10 worship albums of the decade, let alone in 2018! I like your thoughts about Jordan and I agree. As I said, I wish we could arrange a tie. Any closing thoughts?
Caitlin: I agree to all of that! These guys are all such strong nominees in their own rights, and all of them deserve this award. I love seeing the mix of pop and worship genres in this category as well. I hope to see Jordan or Phil take this award, but as we noted already, any of these guys have reason to win.
Kevin: Let's close this out by recommending a deep track from these nominated female and male artist that moves you from one of these releases that haven't been heard on the radio. I recommend "I'm Not Alone" by Plumb, and "Let the Light In" by Francesca Battistelli, along with "Breath Away" by Phil Wickham. One of the reasons "We Love" Christian music so much is how songs can minister to us in so many ways at the times we need them the most. It was great chatting with you, Caitlin, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results! God bless!
Caitlin: Love those! I'd recommend "Just Want You" by Sarah Reeves, "Rescue" by Lauren Daigle," "Blank Canvas" by Jordan Feliz, and "Eyes Fixed" by Phil Wickham. So many gems on these albums. Likewise, Kevin–can't wait to see which artist comes out on top this year!
NOTE: Voting is now open through Friday, January 25, 2019 at WeLoveAwards.com. Winners will be announced during our Facebook Live broadcast from Visible Music College's Memphis campus on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.
Assembled from the four corners of North America and many other corners in between, the NRTeam is comprised of staffers whose energy is equally dispersed towards loving music and writing about the music they love.
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