CCM Links

Carolyn sent me an email request…her husband is in the US military, and serving in Iraq. He’s into hip-hop and rap and R&B, but isn’t familiar with Christian artists making that kind of music.

I’m not a big hip-hop fan myself, but I know that a lot of folks are. I’ve tried to add a lot of urban artists to CCM Links…and I need some help. Below are the links I sent to Carolyn to help her husband find some great, God-honoring music with thump. If your favorite artist isn’t listed, please leave a comment with their link. I’ll make sure Carolyn gets them.

If they’re not listed on CCM Links, I will (of course) add them to the Artist Pages.
Thanks!

WEBSITE FOR RESEARCH:
http://musicmoz.org/Religious/Christian/Styles/Hip-Hop/Bands_and_Artists/

ARTISTS:
http://tobymac.com/
http://johnreuben.com/
http://myspace.com/kj52
http://www.manafest.ca/glory.htm
http://www.sintaxtheterrific.com/
http://godstylerecords.com/
http://www.crossmovementrecords.com/

and I didn’t want to leave out the holy hip hop database:
http://www.hhhdb.com/

It’s not Christian music per se, but it’s very, very cool…

Mute Math is on the Transformers Soundtrack!
Not only that: they’re doing the THEME SONG!

Come on. Tell me that’s not incredibly awesome. It is!

If you go to Mute Math’s MySpace page, you can hear their version of the Transformers Theme! As a reward for your loyalty to CCM Links, here’s the video for Mute Math’s Typical…

One more thing: look for Mute Math on Letterman on July 17th!

Everlife apparently isn’t new, but they’re new to me. They’re a trio: Amber, 22…Sarah, 20…and Julia, 17. They’re self-taught, and appear very talented. They’re a popular part of Disney Radio, which is good: it’s nice to see Christian artists being promoted to children.

In case you were wondering whether they’re really very talented, you might do what I did. I listened to one of their studio recordings on their website, and then listened to this non-studio unplugged version. They’re the real deal, for sure…it’s not studio magic makes them sound good, they’re good on their own.

Watch and listen:

After a [supposed] 10-year absence from the Christian music scene, Sandi Patty is back. Winner of 39 Dove Awards and 5 Grammies, Sandi’ career is a tour de force in Christian music. While she’s probably best known for singing the National Anthem, she’s also had three platinum and five gold records…and is a favorite of thousands around the world.

Sandi is also a favorite speaker on the Women of Faith circuit, and isn’t afraid to speak candidly about the affair and subsequent divorce that put her career on hold. Her new album, Falling Forward, sounds like some of her best work. Check it out!

Incidentally, I’m not thinking very highly of INO Records at the moment. The e-card link above takes you to a web page with a bio, media player, etc…and they titled the web page “sandipatti”. All of the graphics on the page say “Sandi Patty”. Her official website is sandipatty.com. The bio says “Sandi Patty”. Come on, guys…that’s certainly not your best work, and I hope you get it fixed right away.

Despite the fact that CCM Links is devoted to the online presence of Christian musicians, it’s not often I get to combine my love for web design and my love for great Christian music. Today is a little different.

Derek Webb has a new album coming out, titled The Ringing Bell. Derek’s press release includes the following:

Derek’s new project, ‘THE RINGING BELL’ comes out MAY 1ST everywhere. But you can hear it TODAY if you pre-order the deluxe edition of his provocative new record. Along with a copy of ‘THE RINGING BELL’, the pre-order includes a graphic novel which includes the complete lyrics and 96-pages of original artwork inspired by the new record.

You can listen to ‘THE RINGING BELL’ streaming in it’s entirety and sample images from the 96-page graphic novel at WWW.THERINGINGBELL.COM.

Portland Studios is doing the artwork, and has released the cover art. Portland Studios does a lot of stuff, and all of it’s high-quality. I wish I were as artistically talented. Nice job, guys!

I listen to music. A lot.

Some of you probably have more music than I do, to be sure…but, unlike most music fans, my 50-or-so gigabytes of mp3s are in constant rotation. I have only one playlist: PLAY ALL (SHUFFLE).

Some days I find myself ignoring the same mediocre songs, and some days I end up listening to the same really good songs over and over. With that much music, it’s pretty easy to lose a song for months. This morning’s really good song is All or Nothing by Chris Eaton, from Love Songs for a Lifetime.

I’ve had this 2-disc set for over 10 years, and it never gets old. I really like Chris’ song…and I suddenly realized how much more work I have to do here on CCM Links. I didn’t have a link to Chris’ website. I haven’t finished a single album review, and I feel terrible about it. A number of really great artists have sent me promotional CDs and I’ve been sitting on them, waiting for both the right time to do them and the inspiration needed to finally decide on a format for reviews.

Well, I’ve added Chris’ site to my list. I’d also like to apologize to those of you who’ve sent music but seen nothing in return. I’m sorry. I have a stack of albums ready and waiting, and I hope to get to them in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, please visit Chris Eaton’s website and think about your own music collection. If you have a favorite artist or band who isn’t currently listed on CCM Links, I hope you’ll take the time to let me know.

While none of the 10 songs Anberlin put on their new album Cities are currently available for download, all of them are available for your listening pleasure on their MySpace page.

If you’ve ever said “I wish I could hear this album before I buy it”, then this is a great opportunity. I haven’t heard much of Anberlin’s music, and I’m taking full advantage.

Go listen!

A new duo is hitting the stage: Chris Wilson and a punter.

Wilson and Hunter Smith, punter for the Super-Bowl-winning World Champion Indianapolis Colts (go Seahawks), has been leading worship at his church for several years. They’ve formed a group called Connersvine, and their EP is now available.

After a quick listen on their MySpace page, I like what I hear. They’ve impressed others as well…they’ve apparently signed a contract with INO Records, joining the likes of Derek Webb and Anthony Evans and Chris Rice and The Afters and Mercy Me.

I’m looking forward to hearing more from them. Congratulations on your big win, Hunter!

As a web designer, I spend most of my days in front of my computer. That gives me plenty of time to listen to all of my music…I generally just play my “All Music” playlist on shuffle. Sometimes I’ll listen to an album at a time, for variety. Every once in a while I’ll log into my Yahoo account to listen to something new. Today, I’ve been listening to the website belonging to Phil Wickham.

While it’s becoming more common, very few artists will allow you to listen to a full album on their website. Some are worried that you’ll rip their music onto your hard drive with a streamripper program and never buy their disc. Others simply don’t have the technology at their disposal to create a Flash player to stream their music. In my opinion, those who offer more on their websites will likely sell more discs, gain larger concert audiences, and create greater buzz than those who appear stingy.

I’m glad that Phil decided to let me listen to a few songs. He’s saved me the trouble of standing in the bookstore, wondering whether I should risk his album or buy something I know I’ll like. Instead, I know what to expect…and I like what I hear, so I’ll probably end up owning one or more of Phil’s musical treats.

If you’re an artist with a website, I’d like to know what you want to do about offering free or streamed music. If you need some help getting started, I’ll offer a song or two for download. I’m even willing to stream some songs from CCM Links, if you’d like that too. Just contact me and we’ll talk.

Added Another Dream to the CCM database. Go check ‘em out!