Top Tweets for #TPWB

@OnBeatMusic

over 1 year ago

Yoooo we got an “Honorable Mention” @nobigdyl❗️ Thank you @TGC 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 #TPWB

The Gospel Coalition

@TGC

over 1 year ago

Christian music had a banner year in 2024. It’s one of music’s fastest-growing genres, with surprising gains especially among younger listeners. I pondered possible explanations for this in a recent commentary article, including the fact that Christian music has simply gotten better in quality. More global and diverse than it’s ever been, it appeals to tastes across various genres, styles, and cultures. This has been evident as I’ve put together the lists below, which include wildly diverse styles from artists around the world, with one commonality: Each is a musical expression of Christ-loving, God-glorifying, Scripture-inspired faith. What follows are my picks for the best Christian music released in 2024: best songs, best albums, and best EPs. Undoubtedly, these picks reflect my tastes and won’t resonate universally. But as someone who loves celebrating and sharing quality Christian music, I commend these to you as musically rich and devotionally edifying works. Give them a listen. 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 You can find my picks for the best Christian songs of the year in a 100-song playlist on either Spotify or Apple Music. (A link to those playlists can be found at the bottom of this post.) 𝟖 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐬 Here are my picks for the eight best overall album releases under the broad umbrella of “Christian music” (plus 10 honorable mentions). 𝟭. 𝗦𝗸𝘆𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 Skye Peterson (daughter of Andrew Peterson) continues to be one of the brightest young artists in Christian music. Her debut album, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘴, made my list last year, and her 2024 follow-up, 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, is even better. Christian music needs more singer-songwriter music like this, with poetic lyricism that’s both personal and worshipful. With concrete imagery from everyday life, Peterson’s songs work through big ideas in life and faith. “Sound and Silence” stands out as a representative example: a song that explores the nature of music (which her choir director defined as “sound and silence”) as a way to understand suffering and seasons when God seems silent. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺, 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢, 𝙑𝙤𝙡. 𝟮: 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙊𝙣𝙚𝙨 Alabama-based Adam Wright (a.k.a. The Corner Room) has a knack for making Scripture sing with memorable melodies in various genres. He keeps churning out quality albums, year after year. His latest release, the second volume in the 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 series, is especially good. The album sets Scripture to song in fun ways that’ll appeal to kids. But make no mistake: It’s also highly enjoyable for grown-ups. My favorites include an ingenious jazz setting of 1 John 4:7–12 and a foot-stomping, whistle-happy, pop-folk rendition of Jeremiah 29:11–13. This is an album for family car rides, preservice church foyers, and everything in between. (@CornerRoomMusic) 𝟯. 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱, 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙣 I’ve been a fan of @AntoineBMusic since first hearing his song “Promises” in 2019. His smooth, soulful voice is consistently a vehicle for personal, devotional, honest lyrics that stir the heart in gratitude to God. His 2024 release, 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯, is his most musically and lyrically rich offering yet. Of many standout songs on the record, my favorites include “Find My Way Home,” “Carry Me,” “Living in the Promised Land,” and “Nothing I Can Do” (a collaboration with Tekoa’s Rory McKenna). This album has an inviting musical vibe and relatable lyrics about our desperate need for God in a fragile and faith-challenging world. 𝟰. 𝗘𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯, 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙮 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙨 I’m a sucker for Psalm-based songs that set the ancient biblical text to contemporary music. We’ve seen a welcome resurgence of this in recent years, from Poor Bishop Hooper’s EveryPsalm Project to the excellent Psalms albums of Sandra McCracken, Caroline Cobb, and others. This year, @EllieHolcomb added an offering of her own with 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴. It’s a beautiful collection of seven beloved and familiar biblical psalms set to beautiful folk-country melodies that make full use of Holcomb’s vocal talents. The album’s first three tracks, covering Psalm 23, Psalm 139, and Psalm 121, are among the best opening sets of songs on any Christian album this year. 𝟱. 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙈𝙮 𝙐𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙛 Some music features elaborate, “big sound” production and impressively clever lyrics yet still feels empty. Other music is sonically pared down and lyrically simple yet quietly pulsates with life and resonance. In this type, the emotion of the song’s delivery feels authentic and connects with listeners on a soul level. This is how I feel listening to Nick Smith’s debut album, 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘔𝘺 𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧. The Oregon-based artist has a soulful, almost lounge-music vibe. Applied to the simple melodies and devotional lyrics of songs like “He Is Lord” or “My Jesus, I Love Thee,” Smith’s style feels fresh and pure. The album comes across like an extended worship set in a living room: intimate, raw, and spiritually rich. 𝟲. 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸, 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙙 Though his reputation has been building for the last several years largely due to social media buzz, Texas-based Forrest Frank (@forresure) took mainstream Christian music by storm in 2024. The Baylor graduate was named the New Artist of the Year at the 2024 Dove Awards. He received ample attention in the secular music press because of his chart-topping album 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 and his role in Christian music’s rapid growth as a genre. But it’s not just hype. 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 is a really good album: joyful, vibey, God-centered, well-produced. If a Gen-Z-led revival is on the horizon (and there are rumblings of it), something tells me artists like Frank will be part of it. 𝟳. 𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘀, 𝘼 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚: 𝙃𝙮𝙢𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 Who knew Paul’s epistle to the Romans could be this musically fun? Leave it to @PsallosMusic to bring such rich theology to vibrant musical life. A more singable, popular-level companion album to Psallos’s 2015 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 album, 𝘈 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 is a great resource for any church going through a sermon series on Romans. Most of these songs feature old, less familiar hymn texts set to melodies designed for congregational singing. To help churches utilize these songs in their worship services, Psallos has chord charts on its website, along with explanatory videos unpacking the lyrics and how to best play the music. 𝟴. 𝗝𝗶𝗺𝗺𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗼𝗻, 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 Evoking Josiah Queen both in Appalachian-folk style and social media marketing savvy, @JimmyCliftonArt has carved a niche for himself in indie Christian music. The North Carolina–based Gen Z artist creates songs that are a refreshing mix of biblical, confessional, sometimes low-key, sometimes aggressive, frequently pastoral, and even prophetic. I’m impressed by his songwriting’s ability to traverse a range of emotions, all while feeling authentic and unpretentious—and ultimately worshipful. It’s all on display in his 2024 release, 𝘐 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: - Jon Foreman, 𝐼𝑛 𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑚; - Eliza King, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼𝑛; - Nobigdyl., 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑊𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒; - Josiah Queen, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑙; - Scripture Hymnal, 𝑆𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐻𝑦𝑚𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑜𝑙. 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑉𝑜𝑙. 2.; - Joshua Luke Smith, 𝐿𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑; - Starflyer 59, 𝐿𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑; - John Van Deusen, 𝐴𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑆𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟; - Young Oceans, 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝐾𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒; - Domas Žeromskas, 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑉𝑜𝑙. 1. 𝟗 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐏𝐬 EPs in the streaming era are a format in flux. They’re occasionally standalone concept releases, but increasingly EPs are simply avenues for artists to slow-drip new release songs from larger projects. Of the countless EPs released by Christian artists in 2024, these were my favorites. 𝟭. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗮𝘆, 𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙎. One of the most unique recording projects in Christian music this year, @JessRayMusic's trio of 𝘔𝘈𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘚 EPs can be experienced in audio but are even better on Youtube, where each can be experienced as a 30-minute devotional worship concert filmed at sunrise. 𝟮. 𝗝𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮, 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡. @IAmJonGuerra is a Dylanesque folk troubadour unafraid of speaking hard truths. He’s also one of this generation’s most lyrically talented Christian artists. It’s all on display in his election-year-timed new EP. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 (𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚).. The newest release from Sydney’s @CityAlight—the church-based worship group changing Christian songwriting—𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘺 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 offers four new tracks you should consider adding to your church’s worship repertoire. 𝟰. 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗸, 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙨. A brilliant concept for an EP, these three songs explore the theological virtues of “faith,” “hope,” and “love,” with the help of Jon Guerra and Tenielle Neda. Beautiful stuff. (@LiturgicalFolk) 𝟱. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗯𝗯, 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚.. A more vulnerable, personal collection of songs for @CaroCobbMusic, this lovely EP explores the textures of everyday life—friendship, death, vocation, anxiety—through a lens of gospel hope. 𝟲. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲, 𝙋𝙪𝙨𝙝 𝙄𝙩 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣. Bryan “Braille” Winchester (@BryanBraille) (of Beautiful Eulogy) has a new full-length album in the works (yay!), but in the meantime, we can enjoy this stellar collection of five new songs exploring gospel hope in a world of sin and suffering. 𝟳. 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙃𝙞 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙇𝙤.. Containing the first four singles from @JoshGarrels’s next full-length album (release TBD), this EP shows that the Michigan-based singer-songwriter is still one of the best talents in Christian music today. 𝟴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘀, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘. The three songs on this EP likely contain the first singles from @GrayHavensMusic’s forthcoming album. If these are any indication, we’re in for a treat when the next full album drops. 𝟵. 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙’𝙨 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧. The most famous prayer in Scripture gets fascinating musical treatment in this three-song EP. A musical triptych of sorts, the EP features three diverse interpretations of the Lord’s Prayer. ----- 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 by @BrettMcCracken. Get links to Brett's 100 Best Christian Songs, and the songs and albums featured in this post: https://t.co/nYM41nyqeo