You can listen to samples of songs from all of these albums on the new Music & More Page.

#10 - Matt Maher - “Empty & Beautiful”
Ranking in 2008 - unranked

I love worship albums. I heard a song that was written by Matt Maher several years ago called “Your Grace is Enough.” It is a song that we use in our regular rotating worship set at ACC. Chris Tomlin used it on his album “Arriving.” But I never got the entire scope of Matt Maher until I heard this album. Matt has a unique talent for penning lyrics and his music seems to seep into the very core of your soul. Great tracks are included on this one such as the wildly popular “For Your Glory” which may find its way into the regular worship rotation at ACC. Hint-Hint. If you love worship music, definitely pick this one up.

#9 - Jeremy Camp - “Speaking Louder Than Before”
Ranking in 2008 - unranked

When Jeremy Camp’s first album “Stay” was released in 2002, I knew I was going to have to watch this guy. Then, I had the opportunity to see him live and was finally able to put a label on him. I love Jeremy Camp’s music and his lyrics are phenomenal. His new offering - “Speaking Louder Than Before” is one of his better albums to date. Songs such as “Slow Down Time” and “Capture Me” continue the driving rock and roll that Camp has become famous for, but its the mellow offerings from “There Will Be a Day” that really captured me on this one. Jeremy Camp is always a good bet and if I had more time to listen to this one before this post (it just came out November 24th) it might have ranked a little higher on this list.

#8 - David Crowder*Band - “Remedy Club Tour”
Ranking in 2008 - unranked

Honestly, I should have seen far enough in advance to add this one to my top ten upcoming for 2008 - but being a re-release of most of their hits, (even though I knew it was going to be a live album), I should have put this one down because DC*B is my favorite worship band to listen to. This CD/DVD combo absolutely blew me away. I have seen DC*B enough times live to get the full effect of their concerts, but if you’ve never seen them live, you need to check out this album. Not only does it come loaded with over 15 songs including almost the entire “Remedy” album, but the DVD also has the live concert plus lessons from the band on how to play the songs and backstage footage. This one blew me away. I love it and you will too if you give it a listen.

#7 - Disciple - “Southern Hospitality”
Ranking in 2008 - unranked

Are you noticing that none of these albums that have been on the list so far were ranked by me in the 2008 post? Clocking in at Number 7, it’s Disciple’s latest offering “Southern Hospitality.” I have a soft spot for Hard Rock since I grew up listening to bands such as Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots. Disciple is pretty much the heaviest stuff I will listen to because I feel a need to be able to discern the lyrics when a band is singing. I was not as impressed with Disciple’s last outing “Scars Remain” as much as I am with their new one. I instantly rocked out with the song “3-2-1″ and the title track “Southern Hospitality” which is just pure vintage Disciple Music, but the biggest surprise for me was the song “Whatever Reason” which is a call for people who resemble the Prodigal Son. This song ended up in my top ten list of songs this year (which I will post at some point) and also it gave this album the number 7 spot on my chart. If you are a hard rock fan, you should not miss this album.

#6 - Anberlin - “New Surrender”
Ranking in 2008 - #5

Finally! One I predicted! Anberlin comes in at Number Six, even though I predicted them at Number Five. It wasn’t that their album didn’t do as well as I predicted, but there were just some better ones than this one. That being said, “New Surrender” is a solid outing from this band who has risen to a serious level of stardom lately. They have been featured on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and their single from “New Surrender” entitled “The Feel Good Drag” is being used to kick off major sporting events around the world, including the outdoor Hockey Game that was recently played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL. This album is not quite on par with “Cities”, or “Blueprints for the Blackmarket”, but it is very good. I have enjoyed listening to it and when it first came out, it didn’t leave my CD player for at least two weeks. If you enjoy U2, or Jimmy Eat World, give these guys a shot.

#5 - Lincoln Brewster - “Today is the Day”
Ranking in 2008 - unranked

Yes, I know - another unranked one. I must have been way off in 2008. Either that, or the bands I trusted didn’t put out good albums. Lincoln Brewster is God’s gift to guitar players. I had the opportunity to see him open for Third Day back in 1998 when he was fresh out of college and had just released his “self-titled” worship album. Having never heard of him before, I was instantly amazed at his skill with a guitar. Now, more than ten years later, you can’t call it skill anymore. Lincoln has a gift - not only for playing the guitar, but for owning it. I listen to the solos and riffs that he puts out now and after picking my jaw off the ground, I find myself exclaiming “No one should be allowed to do that…ever!” His guitar skills are just plain sick. And I mean that in the best way possible. I love his songs. His worshipful lyrics speak to me and are songs that I use in my own personal time of worship with God. This one wins 2nd best worship album of the year for me and overall, Number 5 on my chart. It is well worth the $13.99 you’ll pay for it.

#4 - Kutless - “To Know That You’re Alive”
Ranking in 2008 - #4

Hey! Not only did I get another one right, I drilled it in the number category also! Weighing in at Number 4 is Kutless with their Sixth Album - “To Know That You’re Alive.” With it, they bring the hardest material by this band to date. Their last album - “Hearts of the Innocent” could best be described as a “Wussie” album. Not that I didn’t like it, but it wasn’t the same kind of hard rock that I became used to from this band. Now, with their sixth album, they’ve finally listened to the fans and have brought their grunge feel back to the forefront. With gritty vocals and screaming electric guitars, Kutless’s new album is everything I had hoped that it would be. Songs like “The Feeling” and “The Disease & The Cure” remind me of Kutless’s first album while the song “Complete” feels more like the “Sea of Faces” album. Great songs and great lyrics combine to make this one a Tour-de-force. If they continue this trend, their next album will be even better.

#3 - Third Day - “Revelation”
Ranking in 2008 - #10

2008 saw a lot of change in the world of Christian music and one of those changes was the exit of Brad Avery from one of my favorite bands, Third Day. Avery had been a staple in the band since its inception back in 1994 and was known for his southern rock guitar solos and riffs. I thought that the band would head in a downward direction musically because of the loss, but I was dead wrong! Revelation may be my second favorite Third Day record of all time. (Nothing will ever surpass “Time”)
This album showcases the now four-piece band doing exactly what Kutless did this year - going back to their roots. This album features all of the southern gospel rock you could possibly handle and it includes vocals from special guests, like Chris Daughtry and Lacey Mosely from Flyleaf. I love the songs “This is Who I Am”, “Slow Down” and the title track “Revelation” may be my favorite Third Day song in years. Pick this album up if you like Southern Gospel Rock and even if you don’t like that style of music, you will not be disappointed. Third Day has something for everyone.

#2 - Starfield - “I Will Go”
Ranking in 2008 - #2

Sweet! Another one I got exactly right! Starfield is an amazing worship band and their new album “I Will Go” is a call to all Christians to stand up and head wherever God leads them. Now, I need to clarify something. I wrote in my post last year that I thought this album could surpass “A Collision” as my favorite worship album ever, but sadly, it fell just short. (Apparently DC*B is just too much of a juggernaut.) That is not to say that this album didn’t come in at Number 2 though. There is not a song on this album that I do not like. Every time a song from this album shuffles up on my iPod, I will listen to it. It doesn’t matter which song. Oh and ACC’ers, you will be hearing from Starfield this year because there are at least three songs on this album that I would love to add to our regular worship rotation. Pick this album up if you’re a worship enthusiast, or if you’re looking to add some new songs to your own personal worship time.

So, did I get the number one album right?

Was it even on my list?

I have to tell you, this one shocked me.

Number One

For 2008

Was the album…..

….

…

..

#1 - Fireflight - “Unbreakable”
Ranking in 2008 - #7

Talk about your shockers! When I first listened to Fireflight’s album “The Healing of Harms” in 2006, it was because I loved the band Day of Fire and their lead singer, Josh Brown sang a duet with Fireflight’s lead singer Dawn Richardson on the song “You Decide” which became a big hit in Christian Radio. I decided to listen to the rest of “The Healing of Harms” and by all accounts, it was a mediocre album with a few good songs such as “Waiting” and “Attitude.” The band Evanescence was big at the time and it seemed like everyone was just trying to mimic their sound like everyone mimicked Creed when they first became popular, so I really didn’t give Fireflight the attention that they may have deserved. Fast-forward to 2008. Fireflight releases the single “Unbreakable” from their upcoming album and immediately, it goes to number 3 on all of the Christian Rock charts. I was intrigued and so I listened to it, remembering the band I heard in 2006. It was nothing like “The Healing of Harms” and nothing like Evanescence. It was a musical symphony that was so satisfying, it almost became visual music. I love every single track on this album, and my wife, Cara, who never really cared as much as I do for harder music, also loves this album. Songs such as “Brand New Day” and “You Gave Me a Promise” scream about hope and the song “The Hunger” will definitely make my top ten songs list from 2008. Great, great stuff. If you are a fan of hard rock music, but are tired of the depressive lyrics and melodies, but love its edgy sound, give Fireflight a try. Album of the year for me.

So what about the other albums that I predicted would do well? As far as they go, Family Force 5’s “Dance or Die” was the biggest letdown of the year for me. They completely changed their sound from their original album that everyone loved and now, they’re going to have to listen to the fans if they want to redeem themselves. Also, P.O.D. brought back their first guitarist Marcos Curiel on “When Angels and Serpents Dance” and their music went downhill as well. Pillar did what Pillar always seems to do with “For the Love of the Game”, but their songs are beginning to sound repetitive. And the one I thought might surprise this year was The Showdown, but they went back to their Death Metal roots with “Back Breaker” and I couldn’t understand half of the lyrics in the songs. It just sounds like angry noise.

What will 2009 bring? Next week, we’ll get to that as I showcase what I believe will be the top ten albums to watch in 2009. Will I be right again? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Make it a great week.
-Brian

I found a clip on You Tube that brilliantly makes this point for me and does it in a great way. See if you can get all 40 films in this monologue:

Here’s the transcript of the monologue:

Shame on you. This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re going to let it be the worst. And I guarantee a week won’t go by in your life you won’t regret walking out, letting them get the best of you. Well, I’m not going home. We’ve come too far! And I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause. A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day. The line must be drawn HERE. This far, no further! I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. You’re going to work harder than you ever worked before. But that’s fine, we’ll just get tougher with it! If a person grits his teeth and shows real determination, failure is not an option. That’s how winning is done! Believe me when I say we can break this army here, and win just one for the Gipper. But I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: you’ve got to get mad. I mean plum mad dog mean. If you would be free men, then you must fight to fulfill that promise! Let us cut out their living guts one inch at a time, and they will know what we can do! Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! You’re like a big bear, man! This is YOUR time! Seize the day, never surrender, victory or death… that’s the Chicago Way! Who’s with me? Clap! Clap! Don’t let Tink die! Clap! Alright! Let’s fly! And gentlemen in England now abed shall know my name is the Lord when I tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our Independence Day!

By the way, I got 11 out of 12. See if you can get all 12 on the first try.

Today, I ran across a game on miniclip.com entitled Quick Fire Pool

It involves a time limit of two minutes and you have to pocket as many balls as you can within that time limit. Here is the skinny on the game:

You get 10 seconds extra for a pocketed ball.
You get 20 seconds taken away for your first scratch.
If you scratch again on the following ball you get 40 seconds taken away.
Once you are down to one ball remaining, you get a new rack of balls.

Try and beat my high score of 11025.

You can play the game by clicking this link here.

“There is perhaps no one of natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it. Struggle with it. Stifle it. Mortify it as much as one pleases. It is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself….Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.“

How have you let your pride get in the way of what God wants to do in your life lately?

What can you do to avoid that?