Jesus Freak is the fourth studio album by the American Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk, released on November 21, 1995, on ForeFront Records. The style was a marked departure from the group's previous releases, incorporating a heavier rock sound and elements of grunge that was popular at the time.
Rebecca Jean Fink, known professionally as Rebecca Jean or Rebecca St. James, is an Australian-American Christian pop rock singer, songwriter and actress. She began performing in Australia in the late 1980s and released her first full-length studio album in 1991. She was signed to ForeFront Records in 1993, releasing her major label debut the following year.
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Chris Rohman, Mark Graalman (drums), and Dustin Lolli. The band is best known for their number one singles "Lead Me", "Forgiven", "Whatever You're Doing", "I'm Not Alright", "Don't Give Up", "We Need Each Other", "Everything About You", and "The Fight Song". Since 2002, they have released five albums through the Sparrow Records label, an independent EP This Is Love, and "Changed" on Framework Records.
Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian and Christian rock band started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall, who serves as the band's lead vocalist, as part of a youth group at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida. They later moved to Stockbridge, Georgia, and more members joined. Some members of the band currently work as ministers for Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia. The band has won a Grammy and a Dove Award.
The Beautiful Letdown is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Switchfoot, released on February 25, 2003, by RED Ink Records, and later re-released through Sony Music. It marked the band's first release on a major label and their first release with keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas. The album was produced by John Fields and Switchfoot and recorded over a span of around two weeks; all songs on the album were written either in part or entirely by lead singer Jon Foreman.
American singer Amy Grant has released 20 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, 5 live albums, and 84 singles. Considered one of the pioneers in the contemporary Christian music genre, Grant was also the first major Christian artist to successfully cross over into the mainstream.
MercyMe is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in Edmond, Oklahoma. The band consists of lead vocalist Bart Millard, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul.
Strong Tower is a worship album released by the Christian rock group Kutless and is also their third studio album. An enhanced deluxe edition of this album was released on March 20, 2007, with additional tracks and the "Strong Tower" live music video. The title track of this record, "Strong Tower", was once in the Top 5 on ChristianRock.net. The album peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Billboard Christian Albums. Five years later, in 2010, the album reached the Billboard Catalog Albums chart peaking at No. 39. The album was certified Gold by RIAA in 2009 and is Kutless's best-selling album to date. The official music video for "Strong Tower" came out on YouTube on February 27, 2009, and included lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall, guitarists James Mead and Nick DePartee, bassist Dave Luetkenhoelter and drummer Jeffrey Gilbert.
Portable Sounds, stylized as (portable sounds), is the third full-length studio album from Christian pop rock and hip hop artist tobyMac. Released on February 20, 2007, the album serves as a follow-up to his 2004 album, Welcome to Diverse City. The album debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. The album includes the singles "Lose My Soul", "Made to Love", "Boomin'", "I'm for You", and "One World (featuring Siti Monroe)". Portable Sounds took a slightly different direction than tobyMac's previous hip hop efforts, having more of a pop sound. When it was released on iTunes, users were able to download a behind-the-scenes making of the album video, a digital booklet, and an acoustic version of "Made to Love". "Ignition" was selected as the theme song to the WWE pay-per-view Elimination Chamber 2011.
Almost There is the first studio album by the American Christian rock band MercyMe. Produced by Pete Kipley, it was released on August 14, 2001, by INO Records. After releasing six albums as an unsigned band, they decided to pursue a record contract because it became too difficult to sell albums, book shows, and manage themselves. The band was assigned to work with Kipley, who had not produced a major project before. Four songs on the album had previously appeared on their self-released albums; the rest were newly recorded songs. Critics have characterized the music on the album as contemporary worship and pop rock, with a more radio-friendly sound than the band's self-released albums.
American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman has released 17 studio albums and 82 singles, in addition to 4 holiday albums, 3 compilation albums, and 3 video releases. He has sold over 11 million albums, and 10 of his albums have been certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
All That Is Within Me is the fifth studio album by American Christian rock band MercyMe. Produced by Brown Bannister, it was released on November 20, 2007 through INO Records. The album, intended by the band to be a worship album split between covers and original songs, was recorded following the band's tour with Audio Adrenaline in promotion of their previous studio album Coming Up to Breathe (2006). Although the band intended to write material for a new album during the tour, they had only written one song by the time they entered their recording studio, Cider Mountain Studio in Athol, Idaho. The band wrote so many songs at the studio that they decided not to include any cover songs; all of the songs on the album but were written or co-written by the band. The album was described as being a rock and worship album, being aimed directly at a Christian audience.
Revelation is the ninth studio album by American Christian rock band Third Day, released on July 29, 2008. The album was produced by Howard Benson, who had decided to work with the band after rock singer Chris Daughtry drew attention to lead singer Mac Powell's vocal ability. Although they were initially uncomfortable working with Benson, Third Day achieved a positive working relationship with Benson, who felt that their different religious beliefs made them challenge each other in a way reflected in the record.
What If We is the second studio album by contemporary Christian musician Brandon Heath. It was released on August 19, 2008 through Provident Label Group. The album debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard 200. During mid and late 2008, the album's first single "Give Me Your Eyes" stayed at No. 1 on R&R's Christian CHR format for 13 consecutive weeks, and was the second most played song of 2008 for the same format. The album received a Grammy Award nomination in 2009 for Best Pop Gospel Album.
My Paper Heart is the major label debut album from American Christian pop rock singer Francesca Battistelli, released on July 22, 2008. The album hit No. 182 on the Billboard 200 in March 2009 and peaked at No. 35 in August 2010; it has sold over 1,000,000 copies on United States. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on July 13, 2012.
Awake is the seventh studio album by American Christian rock band Skillet. It is the follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album Comatose. The album was released on August 25, 2009, by Lava Records, Ardent Records and Atlantic Records and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 27, 2010, and has since gone double platinum, selling over 2,000,000 copies to date. It was nominated for Top Christian Album at the Billboard Music Awards 2011 and won. This is the last album to feature guitarist Ben Kasica and the first studio release to feature drummer Jen Ledger. The singles "Awake and Alive", "Hero", and "Monster" are certified 2x Platinum, 3x Platinum, and 5x Platinum, respectively.
"By Your Side" is a song by contemporary Christian band Tenth Avenue North from their debut album Over and Underneath. It was released as the album's lead single in August 2008, and reached number 1 on R&R's Christian contemporary hit radio chart in January 2009. In 2010, "By Your Side" won the 41st Annual GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year. In addition, the song also appeared on compilation albums WOW Hits 2010 and WOW #1s.
Until the Whole World Hears is the fourth studio album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Released on November 17, 2009, the album was produced by Mark A. Miller and features a sound that has been described as 'pure American rock', 'soft adult contemporary', and 'CCM'. Lyrically, the album discusses Christian subjects such as God, Jesus, and salvation, with several songs being reinventions of classic hymns. Until the Whole World Hears sold over 167,000 copies in its first week, Casting Crowns' highest sales week to date, and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. In the United States, the album ranked as the 37th best-selling album of 2010 and the 137th best-selling album of 2011; it ranked as the first and third best-selling Christian album in those years, respectively. It has sold over 1.1 million copies and been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Move is the tenth studio album by the Christian rock band Third Day. Released on October 19, 2010, the album was the band's first after guitarist Brad Avery left Third Day. The band wanted the album to be a departure from the modern rock stylings of Revelation (2008), intending to show more of their southern rock roots. Third Day chose to work with producer Paul Moak on the album and recorded it at their own studio, feeling it offered them more creative freedom. Primarily a southern rock album, Move also has significant influence from gospel music.
The discography of MercyMe, an American Christian rock band, includes 11 studio albums, two compilation albums, two video albums, and 28 singles. MercyMe, formed in 1994, released six independent albums from 1995–2000 before signing with INO Records and releasing their major label debut album, Almost There (2001). Almost There peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. The band released Spoken For, their second studio album, in 2002; it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart and No. 41 on the Billboard 200. Its second single, "Word of God Speak", spent a record 23 weeks atop the Billboard Christian Songs chart. The album has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold over 550,000 copies. In 2003, mainstream radio interest in "I Can Only Imagine", the band's second single from Almost There, caused sales of the album to surge. "I Can Only Imagine" would peak at No. 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. Almost There was eventually certified triple Platinum by the RIAA, signifying shipments of over 3,000,000 copies, and has sold over 2.2 million copies in the United States.
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