My Best Album Of 2009
is a tie between
Identity Crisis (Tedashii)
Intelligent gospel-saturated Hip-hop delivered with passion and clarity
Buy It.
Read the review.
...and...
Armistice (Mutemath)
The Christian/Not Christian band for the Crowder generation stepped up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park. Then walked into the car park and hit the ball back into the park. Then did handstands on the piano.
Buy it.
Read my review - part one, part two.
Best Praise & Worship Album (by a mile)
Awaken The Dawn (Keith & Kristyn Getty)
Shame on me for not writing about this album before now. A great group of writers (the Gettys plus Stuart Townend) write theologically profound songs that real people can actually sing! But the killer one-two punch is Kristyn's beautiful voice on top of some incredibly 'right', gimmick-free arrangements. Stand out tracks - Creation Sings The Father's Song & Still, My Soul, Be Still.
Buy It.
Read a few recommendations. Soul Audio
William Chong
Jamie Brown (NB DO NOT judge the song Creation Sings on the awful Youtube version!)
Best Free Album
Thru You (Kutiman)
I have to give an honourable mention to Lyrycyst's Revolution, but this is why the Internet exists. Listen to it, ponder how it was made and then try and argue that copyright law doesn't need to evolve (if you dare).
Download it.
Read my original post.
I'm sure you disagree. I can take it.
Who would YOU put here?
Related Posts: Half birthday top 5 free downloads
Half birthday -Top 5 music videos
It's the best version on YouTube I can find! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy new year, Matt. Grateful for you.
Hey Jamie!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry if that came across as a critique of your musicial taste! I didn't mean it that way! It's just that the Youtube arrangement is not a patch on the album version - I mean a reggae guitar part in a 3/4 song??!! What were they thinking???
Anyway I love your blog - keep up the good work and all the best in the new year
BTW Jamie
ReplyDeleteWhat would be YOUR highlights?
Matt -- not at all. No offense taken! Not sure what they were thinking about the reggae thing. Bad enough with the electric guitar, but the fiddle too? Wow. Oh well. Still a great song. I like Stuart Townend's recordings of "Creation Sings..." the best - either on his studio album of the same name or on the live CD ("Have You Heard") from CCK Brighton. Most of the song is laid back in the key of A, then all of the sudden at the end they modulate to C and it just takes off.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to list some favorites from 2009. I'll post some soon.
The good thing about Getty's music is that he's tried to write in a 'style-less' way that will fit in with contemporary or hymn or acapella worship times. the downside is that such a blank canvas opens up the possibility of all kinds of stylistic train wrecks - like fiddle and electric guitar reggae 3/4 throwdown hoedown on Youtube.
ReplyDeleteTownend has a similar Frankenstein on his There Is A Hope album 'Every Promise Of You Word' lurches along with downhome fiddlin', an irish whistle, a brass band and a few gospel chords, before the brass starts doing the dreaded reggae off beats - it's like finding ice cream in your burger and fries in your coffee!
What amazed me about the Awaken The Dawn album
was how brilliantly they avoided that, with classy and yet creative arrangements.
Townend seems to be going for a big Irish folk tip at the moment which works nicely sometimes (sometimes sounds like a pub singalong) but I don't think his version of Creation Sings reflects the grandure of the lyrics as well the Gettys - it justs sounds too small and mundane. We'll have to agree to disagree I guess!
"Reggae 3/4 throwdown hoedown..." My new favorite phrase! Classic.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that someone else thought the "There is a Hope" version of "Every Promise" was Frankensteinian. The accordion joining in on the reggae off beats sealed the deal.
Have you listened to his version of "Gethsemane" on the "Have You Heard" CCK recording? Wow.
"Frankensteinian" is a close second!
ReplyDeleteGethsemane is one of the better songs on that album for sure