The year 2011 was a groundbreaking one for Christian music—a year that, in my opinion saw artists create music that not only matched the quality and styles of contemporary culture, but in many cases, they eclipsed the art of their secular counterparts.
From Gungor’s instrumental concoctions to Royal Tailor’s radio-friendly pop sensibilities to Switchfoot’s greatest effort to date, there was plenty to like in 2011—too much to list here. The following is my list of the top 10 of 2011. (Make sure you check out the Top 10 lists from our Senior Contributor
Kevin Davis and NRT Founder
Kevin McNeese.)
01. GUNGOR - GHOSTS UPON THE EARTH - SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
My pick for Best Album of 2011 is the
Gungor collective’s mesmerizing, defining release,
Ghosts Upon the Earth. There are few albums in existence today—Christian or secular—that are made with the precision, musicianship and lyrical wordplay of this record. Every song is a completely different journey, filled with instrumental wonder, vocal captivation and sheer excellence. One doesn’t listen to
Ghosts Upon the Earth with a passive ear; the intensely varied, stylistically ambiguous 12 tracks present something few recorded projects offer this day in age: music.
It's impossible to pick standout tracks on the album, so you might as well get started with tracks 2, 4, 10 and 11. That includes the oboe-infused track "The Fall", the dreamy and xylophonic Lisa Gungor-led "This is Not the End," the hoedown-friendly "You Are the Beauty" and the flute-whimsied "Brother Moon."
There is not a single obvious radio-friendly track on
Ghosts, but it’s by design. Michael and Lisa Gungor and their collective are decidedly unconstrained to commercial expectations/limitations, and thus have produced an unbridled expression of the Gospel of Jesus, and it’s not only the best Christian music to come out this year, but in many years.
02. ROYAL TAILOR - BLACK & WHITE - MAY 31, 2011
A very close runner up to the Best Album of 2011 is the multi-genre release from newcomers
Royal Tailor,
Black & White. Easily one of the most overlooked albums of the year,
Black & White offers 11 tracks that intelligently and aptly keep pace with the popular music of the day—without sacrificing a relevant Christian message.
From pop to rock to funk and soul, Royal Tailor pleases fans of Michael Jackson, Maroon 5, OneRepublic and more. Fantastic production quality and socially savvy songwriting put this album high atop the pile of releases this year. Royal Tailor says it best in their single, "Control" regarding secular music and their place in the industry: "It's all plastic, and I can't be fake. It's all static, every word that they say. We won't let them take control."
03. SWITCHFOOT - VICE VERSES - SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
It was a great year in Christian music, wasn’t it? So great that it was a struggle to decide which of these top three albums was the best of 2011—because they’re all that good.
Switchfoot’s September release,
Vice Verses, brought us an album that’s easily one of the band’s all-time bests. With powerhouse songs like “Dark Horses” and “The Original”—coupled with anthemic ballads like “Restless” and “Souvenirs”—Switchfoot has again put together a collection of timeless, artful gems fueled by the passionate singing and songwriting of frontman Jon Foreman.
Vice Verses has something for every Switchfoot fan. It has the introspective, pleading ballads. It has the gritty hard rock riffs. It has the song that inevitably will find its way onto ESPN. It has the song that could've found its way onto
The Legend of Chin or
New Way to Be Human. It experiments some, and the experiments pay off.
But beyond the stylistic elements comes an album that tells a tremendous story of the tension of life. It captures the sometimes schizophrenic, sometimes manic-depressive roller coaster of life we all go through as Christians trying to figure out what this walk of faith means. It deals with action and paralysis, searching and meaning, boldness and insecurity, underdogs and conquerors–all supported by perfect instrumentation and vocals.
Now free of label pressures–both from Christian and secular interests–Switchfoot finally has taken off the training weights of expectation and is creatively sprinting into a new era.
Vice Verses, it would seem, is the combination of the best of everything Switchfoot has played, written, learned and become in the past decade and a half. This is career defining material, and stories to which people can relate.
04. THE CITY HARMONIC - I HAVE A DREAM (FEELS LIKE HOME) - SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
Step aside, Coldplay. These Canadian rockers have the heart, the soul and the voice, but even better--the Gospel.
The City Harmonic has really raised the bar musically, creatively and stylistically with their high-quality, well-produced Brit-pop debut,
I Have A Dream (Feels Like Home).
From the passionate declaration of “Yours” and the rallying cry of “Spark” to the soundtrack friendly “Wake Me Up” and the tear-jerking tale of the divine romance with “Holy (Wedding Day),” there are few albums that match the complete pleasing package of this amazing debut album. Elias Dummer and Co. show that you can sing about the life of faith—even sing the words of ancient Christian creeds—and do it in a culturally relevant way. The City Harmonic’s five Canadian Covenant Awards are well deserved, and I hope they make a strong showing at the American Dove Awards.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again: The album is worth more than just a casual listen, as the band has gone to great lengths to produce a record of exceptional songwriting, musicality and style. At a time when many albums are mass-produced and stylistically homogenized, The City Harmonic stands apart for their authenticity and art.
05. BECKAH SHAE - DESTINY - AUGUST 16, 2011
What The City Harmonic has done for Brit-pop,
Beckah Shae has done for R&B-infused pop music. Shae caught the attention of the Christian music world with her breakthrough single, “Here in this Moment,” and with her latest album,
Destiny, she has waged a full-on invasion into radio- and club-friendly tunes.
It sounds cliché to say the entire Destiny album is worth a listen, but it truly is. If you’re looking for instant Rihanna-like sounds, check out the Caribbean-influenced “Show Me”—a song about standing firm for Jesus in the midst of ever-darkening times—and the rallying call “For Such a Time as This.”
Other exceptionally danceable tracks include “Supernova,” which invites people to shine brighter than galaxies with the light of Christ, and “We Are” which declares: “We are the revolution; this is a love revolution.” Instead of focusing on tainted love, as Rihanna does in "We Found Love," Shae focuses on restoring God-borne love in "#putyourloveglasseson." Pounding bass drums, ambient synths and pure, passionate vocals abound.
Beckah Shea says that if she had her way, she’d be making soulful worship songs. But she knows that while she’s here on Earth, she’s called to reach this generation. And the way to do that is to see what’s tickling people’s ears, and then doing it better with the Gospel of Jesus.
06. HILLSONG UNITED - AFTERMATH - FEBRUARY 15, 2011
Is there a limit to how much ground
Hillsong United can break? After 11 albums that redefined for a generation what constitutes worship music, Joel Houston and his team return for their second non-live studio album. The result is, as always, a fantastic surprise. The theme of
Aftermath is one of response, as we are all living in the aftermath of God’s amazing grace shown through Jesus Christ.
Far from the kangaroo-hop music of albums past, Aftermath is a collection of expressions of awe of the upside-down, seemingly backwards love of God, evidenced immediately with the unconventionally subdued opening track, “Take Heart,” which sounds more like a closing track. “Like an Avalanche” and “Bones” have many characteristics of past Hillsong hits “Hosanna” and “Lead Me to the Cross.” Marty Sampson makes his United return on the soothing title track. “Awakening” is inspiring and momentous. While most of United’s albums have been recorded live, the question immediately surfaces: Can a recorded album still have the level of anointing and passion as a live one? The answer, most overwhelmingly is yes. Released in February, this is the worship album of 2011.
07. DANIEL BASHTA - THE SOUNDS OF DANIEL BASHTA - SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
Worship leader
Daniel Bashta seemingly came out of nowhere with his
The Sounds of Daniel Bashta, providing the church with an album equal parts soaking songs and congregational choruses. Most famous for his song “Like a Lion”—covered by David Crowder*Band and Newsboys—Bashta’s passionate vocals and unconventional songwriting go far beyond one hit. From the entrancing opening track, “Dreamers,” to the simplistic “Heaven” (featuring Mac Powell) to the surprisingly radio-friendly “With Everything,” this album is a unique rock worship experience from the Georgia-based Bashta. If there’s a theme message to this album it’s this: Wake up and embrace the love of God. The music paints inspiring soundscapes of a revolution of worship.
08. MATT REDMAN - 10,000 REASONS - JULY 12, 2011
When you first hear the song “10,000 Reasons,” the title track of the
album of the same name, you feel like you’ve heard the song before. It’s not that it’s cliché; there’s just something very organic in its design and flow. Such is the pattern of songwriting set by the very talented and anointed
Matt Redman, who recorded his latest album at Louie Giglio’s Passion City Church in Atlanta.
Just when you think the writer of “Blessed Be The Name” and “The Heart of Worship” couldn’t get any better, he unleashes another 11 singable choruses for the global church. Highlights include the praise-through-hard-times anthem “Never Once,” the awestruck “Magnificent” and the centering “Here For You.” The heart of worship is still very much with Matt, and he continues to write well thought-out, singable, moving songs that can stand the test of time.
09. NEEDTOBREATHE - THE RECKONING - SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
They got oohs, they got ahhs. I finally see it. Just like Kevin mentioned in his Top 10, I too am late to the
NEEDTOBREATHE party. But upon hearing their latest album, I’m amazed I hadn’t loved them before now. I remember their first big hit, “Signature of Divine (Yahweh),” but that was about all I knew of them.
I was amazed at the haunting vocals of Bear Rinehart and the superior musicianship evident immediately on
The Reckoning, starting with “Oohs and Ahhs.” Fans of the Grammy award-winning Southern rockers Kings of Leon will hear similarities, although NEEDTOBREATHE’s lyrics are infinitely more hopeful, intelligent and pensive. NEEDTOBREATHE’s subject matter allows them to go places their secular counterparts simply cannot, creatively.
The Reckoning--an album full of passionate, crackly vocals from Bear Rinehart and smooth Southern rock instrumentals. It’s nearly an hour ride full of tempo and stylistic ebbing and flowing, providing song after jaw-dropping song. Highlights include the aforementioned “Oohs and Ahhs”, “Drive All Night” and “Devil’s Been Talkin’.”
Passion wins the day in this album, and tremendous musicianship carries the message. NEEDTOBREATHE was looking to make an “important” album, and they’ve certainly succeeded.
10. ICON FOR HIRE - SCRIPTED - SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
There has been something of an explosion of female-fronted rock bands in the last year--especially on Tooth & Nail Records--but at the top of the mountain stands newcomers
Icon For Hire, who exploded on the scene this year with their debut album,
Scripted.
Listeners automatically begin to make Paramore comparisons, but I compare them more to the intelligent and exciting labelmates Capital Lights. The truth is, Icon For Hire is better than Paramore. The Midwestern band’s songs are far more radio-friendly and interesting than their chart-topping contemporaries. From the dramatic and in-your-face “Theater” to the ballady “Only A Memory” and the hit single “Make A Move,” there’s plenty to love. Each track has serious single potential, and serious crossover potential. Great production quality, fantastic guitar riffs and smart lyrics make for one of the best rock records of 2011.
