Face the Music
I really like music! I buy something new almost every month. I have
links here to some of my favorite bands. Some are official sites and some are run by fans. They
are just a sample of the variety of artists and styles I like. About the
only thing I don't buy is country music. I just never could really get
into that. I even tried! At the bottom of this page are some links
to other sites of interest.
Favorite Artists
Really cool rock flavored worship music. They don't
appear to be making music anymore but you can still get it.
I've never run
across a more divers artist. He'll try anything. He's not
necessarily good at everything, but He'll try it. I like that.
From the funny to the provocative to the worshipful, there's something to like
about every album. Every one contains a mix of styles. Listening
to the old music brings back memories.
They finally got it right with their Rap CD, Free at Last,
then they changed! But, I still like everything they put out.
They've moved on to other things, but the individual members' solo projects
are all great! TobyMac is my favorite.
Their work ranges from dance to synth-pop to a little
alternative rock. I heard Defend Your Joy back in 1994 on KJAK in
Lubbock, TX. Truthfully, I wasn't all that impressed. I don't
remember now what eventually turned me on to the rest of their music, but now
I have it all, including the album for which the above is the title cut.
No one else in Christian music is doing this type of music so well. The
older albums are more overtly Christian.
He has
reproduced some of the old stuff that Word won't release. It doesn't
quite sound like the originals, but it still brings back memories. I grew
up listening to him.
I did say my tastes were eclectic. The first CD I bought
was bad. I think He was singing off key on purpose, but I still loved
it! It's all keyboards and funky sounds. It sounds like something
out of the 80's. I kept buying CDs. The sound
has changed now, but it's still some unique electronic music like you may never have heard
before. I like some things just because they're different. Joy
Electric definitely qualifies.
I'll eventually give these away, but every time I get ready
to, I listen to them again. When I do, I decide to hang on to them.
They do well known worship songs in a house style. It's not really all
that good, but it's cool to hear the songs done that way. I liked them
better before I got a hold of some other really good dance music.
NSOUL Records produces most of it.
On to RnB! I've enjoyed every CD and still have them
all. Their site is gone, so I guess they are too. As of this
writing there is stil a MySpace page, which is where the above link now goes.
Praise and worship from New Zealand in 31 flavors! A mix
of styles combined with fresh music that hasn't been done by everyone else at
least twice make this a great band.
No self respecting Christian rock fan my age can admit to not
having at least one Petra album. They go back all the way to 1974, and I
have just about everything they put out. They got old for
me, and there was one release, Double Take I think, that I could
hardly stand to listen to because of what they did to the old songs.
However, they have a glorious past, and every once in a while I break out the
CDs (or more likely the MP3s I made from them on my computer) and take a trip
down memory lane. I bought Jekyll & Hyde after sampling
it. I liked it after all and then came the farewell album.
I guess I can call him a local boy, though he's moved away now. He was
certainly here in the Dallas area a
lot longer than I have been. I found his music through our church.
This is great music that glorifies the Lord. His testimony has special
significance for me. Check it out.
Prodigal Sons is a one-man techno/trance band. The man behind the music is
Gregg Hobgood. You can buy his latest music directly from the above link,
but I recommend searching out his older stuff too.
At first I didn't really pay attention to what I was listening
to. I almost passed the CDs I had along to someone who might appreciate
them more. Then, I really started listening to them. Now I have
several more and he has become a fast favorite. This is wonderful,
intimate, modern worship. Matt is the source of many of the worship
songs that other artists have been reproducing.
Another foray into rap that looks like it will last a while.
Sometimes a little silly, but just enough old school sound to keep me
interested. He's grown a bit more serious over the years and I've grown
to like the music even more.
A legend! He has gone into producing and as far as I
know hasn't done an album of his own in over a decade. He was the king
of satire, and his influence can be seen in the music of the bands he has
worked with over the years. I discovered him when I was in the ninth
grade on a local radio station that played Christian rock for two hours on
Sunday morning. I never had enough money or much opportunity to purchase
music of my own, so I didn't get a tape until years later. I probably
still have that cassette, and I ran across the Now the Truth Can Be Told
collection about three years ago. More old memories were evoked, and
the songs are still great!
I got an early exposure to this group through my church. I really liked
the first CD. I didn't like the second as well but Risk is one of my
favorite songs. I see they have a new one out so maybe in a couple more
years I'll update this page with my opinion.
I was impressed with this band when their first CD came out several years
ago. I'm still impressed. I love the worship albums they do as
well. They are a mix of good old in-your-face southern rock, poignant ballads, and sincere
worship.
Euro-techno that is awesome! The only trouble is, some of the lyrics
leave you wondering what they are really talking about. I always
hesitate to recommend artists like this, but that said this is good stuff.
More from the world of dance music. I actually don't have the first
CD anymore, or what I imagine to be the first CD. I really like what I
have. The link above no longer points to their music, but I thought I'd
leave it in place because aparently the group or some remnant thereof is
involved in a charitable outreach to the youth of its community.
Honorable mentions
I couldn't find sites for these. Some are no more. others may
not have a web presence. Others I may have simply failed to find, but I
didn't want to leave them out.
 | Code of ethics put out several great
dance albums. |
| I have the last two albums from Guardian and was
disappointed to learn that there will be no more. It was good, slightly
heavy rock with great lyrics. |
| Miss Angie appeals to my taste for the
unusual. I never fully adapted to the second album, but if you can find
100 Million Eyeballs anywhere, get it! |
| In the golden oldies department,
I found the first two P.I.D. rap albums on one CD at
christianbook.com. I also
filled out my collection of Petra albums there. |
| I really wanted to find
a link for PFR. I found some fan sites and some places to buy the CDs,
but no official sight. What I found was out of date. I started
with Great Lengths, and it is still my favorite. |
| Rufus Troutman is one of a kind in the Christian music scene. I don't
think anyone else is doing the old talk-box funk that I used to like so
much. I've waited years for this! There is no longer a single site for him,
but it's worth your time to search out the No Compromise album if you like
this music. |
| I can't in good conscience promote him because he is not always as
squeaky clean as I would like, but I will confess that I own a couple of
Weird Al collections. |
| When I was 17, I discovered Whitecross. They were a metal band
that sounded a lot like Rat. I have everything they did.
|
