LITTLE ROCK — We asked some Arkansas Christian radio personalities to pick the compact discs that they played and enjoyed most in 2009. Here are their picks, as well as Billboard’s lists of the year’s bestselling albums.
Top five albums Billboard’s Top Christian
Albums
1. Various artists - Wow Hits
2009
2. Mary Mary - The Sound
3. Michael W. Smith - A New
Hallelujah
4. Chris Tomlin - Hello Love
5. Casting Crowns - Peace on
EarthBillboard’s Top Gospel
Albums
1. Mary Mary - The Sound
2. Various artists - Wow
Gospel 2009
3. Marvin Sapp - Thirsty
4. BeBe and CeCe Winans
- Still
5. Hezekiah Walker and LFC
- Souled OutBilly St. James, program director, Praise 102.5 FM, Little Rock
BeBe and CeCe Winans - Still. It’s their comeback, their reunion CD. They have a song called “Close to You” that really came on real big in 2009. But it’s a good CD all the way through.
Fred Hammond - Love Unstoppable. It features the single “They That Wait” with special guest John P. Kee. It’s just a good, kind of a long-awaited Fred Hammond project. He hasn’t released anything in a couple of years and he’s just a super talent.
J. Moss - Just James. The first single is called “Restored.” J. Moss has actually admitted to some transgressions over the last coupleof years and he’s repented and all that. So “Restored,” certainly that single, is about getting back on his feet with the Lord. But the whole project is just great.
Smokie Norful - Smokie Norful: Live. Smokie Norful is a hometown favorite [he was born in Little Rock and grew up in Pine Bluff] and he really hasn’t done a live project before. His single, “Justified,” is still going strong on the charts.
Mary Mary - The Sound.
It’sa phenomenal CD. They present the gospel in a way that secular people, secular listeners, can get into it. They hear the beat, they hear the melody and before they know it, they’ve heard a message that really hits home.
Donald Lawrence - The Law of Confession, Part I. “Back II Eden” is the biggest hit, but the entire CD is very up-tempo, very positive. There are a lot of “you-can-do-it”- type messages on this album.
Mark Michaels, program director, KLRC-FM, 101.1, Siloam Springs
Kutless - It Is Well. Kutless found a way to take some of the classic hymns of the faith and give them a makeover that is refreshing and compelling.
David Crowder Band - Church Music. Church Music shows off the Crowder Band’s ability to create modern takes on songs the churchhas used to worship for so many years.
Mat Kearney - City of Black and White. Mat Kearney’s CD is once again the work of a compelling storyteller who finds a way to infuse his experience with timeless truth.
Casting Crowns - Until the Whole World Hears. One of the most anticipated projects of the year! Mark Hall and the crew have once again found a way to capture our hearts and move us to our calling.
Chris Tomlin - Glory to God in the Highest. In a way only Chris Tomlin can, this Christmas CD truly creates a worship experience that helps us all find a fresh perspective on songs we’ve sung for so many seasons.
Dave Burdue, program director and operations manager, Spirit 106.3 FM, Fort Smith
Francesca Battistelli - My Paper Heart. She is in her early 20s and this was her first major release on Word Records and she just blew everybody away. “I’m Letting Go” was the first single, but there’s not a bad song on the record. They’re all great.
TobyMac - Portable Sounds. TobyMac got a lot of hits off this album, but the song that really struck me is called “Lose My Soul.” Mandisa’s on there and Kirk Franklin’s on there doing a trio and it was a smash. TobyMac used to be with DC Talk and the lyrics to his songs are great. He’s truly sold out for Jesus. His head and his heart are definitely in the right place.
Jeremy Camp - Speaking Louder Than Before. I think this CD challenged Christian Adult Contemporary stations to play something that was a little harder than they’reused to. It ended up getting a Grammy nomination. The message of the title track is “Time is short, the world’s getting darker and we need to speak louder than before about Jesus.” Jeremy Camp lost a wife to cancer and he remarried and then he and Adie, Camp’s second wife, just lost a baby this [past] year. Camp had some tough bumps but keeps right on praising the Lord.
Phillips, Craig and Dean - Fearless. These guys have been around 18 or 19 years and they still continue to record great music and have great radio hits that lift up the Lord. They did “Revelation Song” and it just exploded on the air. Churches have been singing that song for a couple of years but there’s just something incredible about the way Phillips, Craig and Dean did it.
David Crowder Band - Church Music. David Crowder’s passion is leading worship. He’s from Texarkana, Texas, and he’s a very humble guy but his songs have been sung in churches all over the world. He travels all over the world and is well received everywhere he goes. He’ll get on the stage and if you’ll listen to his music, he’ll lead you right into the presence of God.
Religion, Pages 29 on 12/31/2009