Phil Wickham

By Grace S. Cartwright • Nov 23rd, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Phil Wickham proved he was a force to be reckoned with his last album, Cannons, and continues to prove it with Heaven and Earth. You’ll find that he hasn’t changed up his formula much…this album still features his signature vibrato inter-mingled with soft techno beats and simple acoustic riffs. Musically, it stretches no boundaries, with [...]


Josh Wilson

By Grace S. Cartwright • Sep 10th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Most listeners may not know that Josh Wilson released an album called Shake the Shadow before his big-label debut Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup. Now, he returns to the excellence found on that early career album with this short but sweet EP.
It kicks off with radio single “Sing,” an engaging song that [...]


Bethany Dillon

By Grace S. Cartwright • Sep 7th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

With the 2008 marriage of Bethany Dillon to Shane Barnard of duo Shane and Shane, two of music’s acoustic giants became a family. Now the new Mrs. Barnard has released her latest effort, Stop and Listen, and it seems marriage has been a delightful contributing factor to the growth she shows on this project.
Songs [...]


Skillet

By Grace S. Cartwright • Aug 26th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

It’s sort of fitting that Skillet’s emergent, progressive album Comatose preceded the aptly titled Awake project. The pounding quartet woke the nation from Christian rock slumber with their 2006 effort that launched them to the top of their game. They even managed to sweep up a Grammy-nomination, and took home the Dove Award for [...]


Michael Robert

By Grace S. Cartwright • Jun 4th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Most artists work, pray, and toil over their albums, crafting them into works of art that reflect their heart and their lives. Never has this been more true than in the case of worship artist Michael Robert whose extensive resume (including opening dates for Skillet and The Kry) preceeds this, his debut release. Though he [...]


Third Day

By Grace S. Cartwright • Mar 30th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Ever since they gave their fans, The Offering’s Experience in 2001, Third Day has set the bar high for concert DVD’s. Well, congratulations. They set the bar even higher.
Both the DVD and the CD boast generous tracks, including favorites like “Cry Out to Jesus”, and old singles like “Thief” from the original Third Day [...]


Joy Lippard

By Grace S. Cartwright • Feb 16th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Joy Lippard has a few tough acts to follow. Brooke Fraser and Francesca Battistelli vaulted onto the female power-vocal arena last year, leaving hefty footprints to follow. But at just eighteen years old, Joy Lippard sure isn’t going down without a fight.
She comes out swinging, with vivacious first track “Hey There Stranger”, a stable [...]


VOTA

By Grace S. Cartwright • Feb 2nd, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

I was recently asked what I was most looking forward to in the music world for 2009. My answer? Watching VOTA take the music world by storm. This coming from a girl who is more inclined to listen to Matt Wertz and Brooke Fraser than the amped-up eclectic pop that VOTA churns out. And yet…they’re [...]


Jason Gray

By Grace S. Cartwright • Jan 6th, 2009 • Category: Album Reviews

Back in May of 2008, I sat down to dinner backstage at an acoustic show. I was to interview the headline artist, but it was the opener that truly caught my attention. An unassuming, soft-spoken man, Jason Gray lacked the oft-found arrogance in a particularly gifted singer. Instead, he was gentle, personable, serving, and funny. [...]


Rush of Fools

By Grace S. Cartwright • Dec 11th, 2008 • Category: Features

Frontman Wes Willis reflects back on the rising band’s whirlwind year.