Sandra McCracken

By Roy Hershberger • Oct 1st, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Sometimes the raw spontaneity of emotion that comes out in the writing of a song can be lost in the record making process. When the time comes to record the final vocal tracks, the layers of other musical elements and influences may take away or even change the original feel and concept of that first [...]


Group 1 Crew

By Roy Hershberger • Sep 8th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Group 1 Crew is a young group of street smart singers who bring an interesting mix of hip-hop, soul, rock, and pop to their latest recording project. The crew consists of Blanca Reyes, who gives us the majority of the pop melodies, as well as Pablo Villatoro, and Manwell Reyes (no relation to Blanca) who [...]


Klaus

By Roy Hershberger • Aug 5th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

One of my best memories of Christ for the Nations was the times of intense and passionate worship during morning chapel and other various gatherings during my two years of study there. In the early 80’s, I was personally involved in the music culture of the college, and I remember well the live recordings that [...]


Kutless

By Roy Hershberger • Jun 23rd, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Around the turn of the millennium, there was a myriad of Christian bands that appeared on the scene, bringing youthful energy and a high degree of professionalism into the field. As the number of these talented groups who openly proclaimed their faith has grown, it has had the cultural effect of breaking down some of [...]


Deluge

By Roy Hershberger • Jun 8th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Praise and worship has come a long way in recent years, aided in part by the fact that several musicians have emerged on the national scene that are sponsored and supported in a full time capacity by local churches. One such group of musicians is taking full advantage of the resources provided by not only [...]


Tenth Avenue North

By Roy Hershberger • May 20th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

One of the more interesting phenomenon’s taking place in music today is the many musicians who started out leading worship in local churches who end up becoming national acts. The music produced by some of these groups is making inroads into places never expected by the industry. Artists like Casting Crowns and Lifehouse have shown [...]


Justin McRoberts

By Roy Hershberger • May 15th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Justin McRoberts is an artist who seems focused on making simple, yet thoughtful music from the heart. Over the 9 year span of his career, this thirty-four year old from the San Francisco Bay area has been steadily building a reputation as an excellent singer, songwriter and musician. His latest album, Deconstruction, is a satisfying [...]


Ever Stays Red

By Roy Hershberger • May 7th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Ever since 2002 Ever Stays Red has been working hard at making a name for themselves in the music world. With up to 250 days a year on the road touring and two previous album releases, they have shown a deep commitment to putting everything they have into the creative process. Having just signed a [...]


Josh Wilson

By Roy Hershberger • Apr 30th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Josh Wilson is a skilled songwriter, as well as a talented vocalist and guitar player, and Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup is indeed a well-produced album with some good, solid musicianship throughout. One can’t deny that these songs all sound great through a high-end sound card and a pair of studio quality [...]


Shawn McDonald

By Roy Hershberger • Apr 24th, 2008 • Category: Album Reviews

Shawn McDonald is one of many new and upcoming Christian musicians who are making waves in the alternative acoustic/folk world. His new album Roots is an attempt to hold to that genre, yet add some originality and uniqueness to the sound. His efforts meet with some excellence and some mediocrity, but the overall result is [...]