| On the Altar of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 23, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | January 2011 – March 2011 | |||
| Genre | Contemporary Christian music | |||
| Length | 47:06 [1] | |||
| Label | Centricity | |||
| Producer | Mark Heimermann [2] | |||
| Downhere chronology | ||||
| ||||
On the Altar of Love is the sixth official album release from contemporary Christian music band downhere. The album won the 2012 Juno Award for Best Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Christian Broadcasting Network |   [3] |
| CCM Magazine |   [4] |
| Christian Manifesto | [5] |
| Today's Christian Entertainment |  [6] |
| Christian Music Zine | [7] |
| Christianity Today | [8] |
| Cross Rhythms |   [9] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [10] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [11] |
| Louder Than the Music | [12] |
| New Release Tuesday | [13] |
| New Release Tuesday | [14] |
Christian Broadcasting Network's Hannah Goodwyn said the album "shows off the vocal talent of co-founders Marc Martel and Jason Germain." [3] CCM Magazine 's Andrew Greer noted that the album "finds the fellas' already superb songwriting advancing to challenge believers' complacency and break beyond the church's walls to spread spiritually-informed social reform." [4] Christian Manifesto's Lydia Akinola wrote that the album "testifies to the fact that it is still possible to create a full length album of solid tracks. As well as sharing the vocals between them". [5] In addition, she noted the album "is hook-laden, with fantastic drum lines, impressive riffs and impressive compositions which keep us interested." [5] Christian Music Review's (Today's Christian Entertainment) Jay Wright suggested this "is an amazingly creative album, featuring outstanding lyrics that build up Christians in their walk with the Lord." [6] Christian Music Zine's Elizabeth Hess wrote, "the lyrics are worshipful, deep and encourage reflection on the words with a pop-soul style." [7] She evidenced the album "describe[d] many of the characteristics of God, such as love, rest, faithfulness, goodness, creativeness and forgiveness, for example, becoming more of a worship album." [7] Christianity Today 's Kristin Garrett said the band "once again proves the group's vocal versatility and solid sound" and felt the music on the album "oscillates between poetry and over-sentimentality; however, the album's overall themes resound with the truth of divine love, redemption and healing in the face of brokenness." [8] Cross Rhythms's Ben Lloyd gave an illusion of the album being like a "journey through a number of different musical styles whilst retaining the Canadian band's use of worshipful lyrics." [9] He continued his praise with the band has "a reputation for being one of the most thought provoking worship ministries serving the international Church and they retain their creative standards with this set." [9] Jesus Freak Hideout's Jen Rose stated this album "marries elements of chamber pop, alternative rock, and even a touch of Americana folk for a sound more expansive than expected from a four-piece band. This isn't a highly upbeat record; with the exception of a few tracks, big ballads and serious moments dominate, but the building layers of sound are stirring. Words like "cinematic" or "theatrical" come to mind, but not in a cheesy, contrived sense." [10] Rose gave credence the album was "something more powerful and memorable than the average CCM pop record. While it may be a slightly different sound from Downhere, it's a wonderful addition to their catalog that only gets better with more listens and could be a late summer sleeper hit." [10] Jesus Freak Hideout's Alex "Tincan" Caldwell noted "the combination of clever musical choices and deeply poetic and thoughtful lyrics makes On The Altar Of Love one of the best releases of the year and earns Downhere another "A" on their report card." [11] Louder Than the Music's Jono Davies said "this record is very strong because this is a band who can write catchy songs that are good enough for anybody of any genre to enjoy. Taking influences from many different artists makes this a varied album, but a varied album of songs that will get played again and again. I'm sure if you get this your whole family will enjoy it, if you like soft rock, indie, pop, big rock ballads, then this album is well worth thinking about." [12] New Release Tuesday's Kevin Davis stated that "this album for me harnesses the best of what I’ve come to love about this band, sing-able melodies, songs filled with biblical truth and some of the best vocal combinations in any genre." [13] Furthermore, he noted the album "includes some of their most profound lyrics and every single song will have you singing along in praise and worship to our Savior." [13] Davis cautioned "don’t miss out on this gem, one of the absolute best albums of the year. All twelve songs are interesting, challenging and this is one of those profound listening experiences that you’ll want to experience again as soon as you’re finished." [13] New Release Tuesday's IronJedi called the album "a sacrificial offering of love of the highest order." [14]
All tracks are written by Jason Germain, Marc Martel
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Only the Beginning" | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Rest" | 4:09 |
| 3. | "Let Me Rediscover You" | 4:00 |
| 4. | "For Life" | 3:57 |
| 5. | "Living the Dream" | 3:34 |
| 6. | "Seek" | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Glory by the Way of Shame" | 3:52 |
| 8. | "Holy" | 4:32 |
| 9. | "For the Heartbreak" | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Turn This Around" | 3:53 |
| 11. | "The Altar of Love" | 3:15 |
| 12. | "Reveal the Kingdom" | 4:33 |
| Total length: | 47:06 | |
| Chart (2011) | Peak positions |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Christian Albums | 19 [15] |
| US Billboard Heatseekers Albums | 11 [16] |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christian | |||||||
| 2011 | "Let Me Rediscover You" | 35 [17] | |||||
| 2011 | "Rest" | Uncharted | |||||
Downhere is a Christian rock band from Canada. They have released six studio albums to date: Downhere (2001), So Much for Substitutes (2003), Wide-Eyed and Mystified (2006), Ending Is Beginning (2008), How Many Kings: Songs for Christmas (2009), and On the Altar of Love (2011) and have won several Juno and Covenant Awards.
Wide-Eyed and Mystified is the third official album release by Christian rock band Downhere. It is the 1st official album release through Centricity Music, to which the band was signed in 2005.
Stories is the second album from Christian rock band Addison Road. It was released on June 22, 2010, under INO Records. A music video for "This Little Light of Mine" was released by Addison Road on GodTube.com. The album received positive reception and commercial success.
The House You're Building is the debut album by Christian artist Audrey Assad. It has been met with positive reviews by critics. In late 2010, it was re-released for Christmas with two extra tracks.
The Reckoning is the fourth studio album from American Christian rock band Needtobreathe, released on September 20, 2011, through Atlantic Records. It is the last album featuring drummer Joe Stillwell. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Album chart, No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart and No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 49,000 copies in its first week. The song "Oohs and Ahhs" was used in a promotional advertisement for J. J. Abrams's drama television series Alcatraz.
Need You Now is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Plumb released on February 26, 2013. The album was preceded by the singles "Drifting", with Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay making a guest appearance, and "Need You Now ". A deluxe edition of the album was released on September 16, 2014 with six additional tracks.
Believer is the seventh full-length studio album by the Christian rock band Kutless. It was released on February 28, 2012. The first single, "Carry Me to the Cross" has seen success on the Billboard Christian Songs chart with a peak at No. 15. The album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Christian Albums chart and No. 42 on the Billboard 200. The album later peak at No. 1 on Hot Christian Albums and No. 36 on the 200 chart, becoming Kutless' highest position in the 200 so far.
The Road is the first studio album by Contemporary Christian-Worship musician Tricia Brock, released on June 7, 2011 by InPop Records.
The Hurt & the Healer is the seventh studio album by American contemporary Christian music band MercyMe. Released on May 22, 2012, the album was about the season that the band is currently in at the time of composing the music. Produced by Brown Bannister and Dan Muckala, the album met with positive critical and commercial reception. The album sold over 33,000 copies its first week and debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart. This is also their first album release without keyboardist and group co-founder Jim Bryson.
Come Home is the first studio album by the contemporary Christian music band Luminate, and was released by the label Sparrow Records on January 25, 2011. The album was nominated for the Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 43rd GMA Dove Awards.
Homemade Worship by Handmade People is the second studio album released by Christian contemporary worship music band Rend Collective Experiment on 10 January 2012, and the album was released and published under the Kingsway Music label.
Light Up the Sky is the third studio album and fourth album overall from contemporary Christian music band The Afters, which the producer on the album is Dan Muckala, and was released on September 14, 2010, by INO Records. This album has seen some commercial and critical success.
Run is the sixth studio album from contemporary Christian music band Sanctus Real. It was released on February 5, 2013 via Sparrow Records. In addition, the album producers are Jason Ingram, Seth Mosley and Christopher Stevens. The album has already garnered acclaim from the reviewers and has already achieved success from the lead single "Promises" on the charts. Furthermore, the album charted on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Christian Albums charts at Nos. 112 and 6 respectively in the debut week of February 23, 2013.
"Here Goes" is a song by contemporary Christian musician Bebo Norman from his eighth studio album, Ocean. It was released on August 31, 2010, as the first single from the album.
The One You Need is the seventh studio album by the contemporary worship duo Shane & Shane. The album was released on October 4, 2011, by Fair Trade Services record label.
1 Girl Nation is the eponymous debut studio album by contemporary Christian music girl band 1GN, which was released on the Reunion Records label on August 20, 2013, and was produced by Casey Brown, Jason Ingram, Joshua Silverberg, Jonathan Smith, Jon White and Kipp Williams. The album has been met with commercial charting successes and positive criticism.
The Good King is the debut studio album by contemporary worship music band Ghost Ship, and it was released on June 11, 2013, by the joint label partnership of BEC Recordings and Mars Hill Music venture. This album was commercially successful and critically acclaimed.
Royal Tailor is the eponymously named second and final studio album from Christian pop rock band Royal Tailor. It was released on October 22, 2013 by Essential Records, and was produced by Chuck Butler, Aaron Lindsey and Christopher Stevens. The album was well received by Christian music critics, and is Royal Tailor's highest charting release to date.
All This for a King: The Essential Collection is the only compilation album and greatest hits and twelfth and final album overall by contemporary Christian music group the David Crowder Band, released on May 21, 2013 by sixstepsrecords. The album was produced by the band. This album received critical acclamation and commercial viability.
Invisible Empires is the seventh studio album and tenth album overall from Christian singer and songwriter Sara Groves, and it released on October 18, 2011 by Fair Trade and Columbia Records. The producers on the album were Steve Hindalong and Stephen Leiweke. This release became critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help){{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)