TOP PICK:

Resurrection Letters Volume II
Andrew Peterson
Centricity Music (Word Distribution)
8-29619-10672-5

If there’s a better artist in Christian music, it’s unclear who it would be. Peterson is one of those indie musicians who flits around the edges of Christian music but somehow represents the best this genre has to offer. Resurrection Letters Volume II—his first with Centricity—will come as no surprise to those...

familiar with his other work or his yearly Behold the Lamb of God tour.
The songs here accomplish the seemingly impossible—they are sweet but never cloying, gospel-focused but never cliché. Perhaps most miraculously of all, these folk-pop tunes will appeal to both the jaded Christian and the blissfully naïve. There are plenty of things Peterson doesn’t do here, but like most great albums, that’s what makes it so good. There’s no rock, rap, reggae or overproduced pop.
Neither are there any huge anthems, fat guitar riffs or 100-voice choirs (well, maybe once). Just unvarnished folk-pop songs that are so sincere, so uncontrived, they’re almost painful. But they hurt so good. Indeed, Peterson’s music promotes tears of joy and thankfulness with surprising ease. Take a line like “love was teaching us a language we thought was lost”—a lyric that feels like a feather but hits with the force of a semi-truck.
The best moments come on “Hosea,” a song about the biblical figure of the same name. It’s arguably the best Christian song of 2008 (“you came to me like a silver moon with the saddest smile I ever knew”) and exemplifies this gracious album, which is staggering in its simplicity and power.

A pureNRG Christmas
pureNRG
Fervent Records (Word Distribution)
0-80688-73862-4
This reviewer gave pureNRG’s previous album—released earlier this year—a positive review. Unfortunately, this new Christmas album isn’t nearly as good, though tweens and young teens who like the group will most likely enjoy this holiday effort. PureNRG blows through a set of 10 songs in just under 30 minutes. The vocals are good, but the album is over-produced, with songs played at light speed and lacking that human touch.
There’s a predictability to pop songs made for the tween set, there’s no denying that, but that doesn’t mean the songs can’t be somewhat interesting (see the Jonas Brothers). But there is good news—the version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is solid and compares favorably to Mariah Carey’s rendition, not to mention the fact that a few other upbeat songs here will delight the whole family.
And, as always, pureNRG members are excited about what the group is doing, which is its strongest asset. Such youthful enthusiasm is hard to snuff out, no matter how heavy-handed the production.

O Holy Night: A Live Holiday Celebration
David Phelps
Word Records (Word Distribution)
0-80688-77742-5
Phelps has the purest voice in Christian music, and, to be honest, the competition isn’t even close. As in previous efforts, Phelps’ vocal tone is impeccable, as is his ability to hit all the right notes, emotionally and musically. This isn’t the best Christmas album of the year, though—it might not even be Phelps’ best Christmas album—but it’s still really, really good.
The biggest problem might be some of the arrangements. Phelps has a hard time restraining himself at points, and the end result is occasionally something that sounds like a marriage between Broadway and Las Vegas. The album sizzles, though, and when Phelps comments between songs that, “We’ve heard all our lives that it was a silent night, but I have a feeling that someone, somewhere, is making some noise,” he’s not kidding. Much of this album is better suited for a loud December dinner party than a quiet Christmas Eve dinner.
In fact, there’s a noticeable absence of Christmas sentiment on many of these songs, perhaps because there are fewer traditional carols than one might expect. But, oh, that voice. Phelps’ soaring vocals make up for any shortcomings this album might have.

Ring the Bells
Travis Cottrell
Indelible Creative Group (Word Distribution)
8-78207-00342-7
Cottrell has made the best Christmas album of 2008 with Ring the Bells, an elegant and emotive work that never falters and deserves to be a steady seller for years to come. Produced by Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) and featuring a guest appearance by reigning Dove Award Vocalist of the Year Natalie Grant, this album is a wonderful mix of gentle crooning and cinematic splendor notable for its ability to convey the significance of Christmas while still finding time to have a little fun.
The first track, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” is a rendition many a church choir director will wish he or she had recorded. It’s a light-streaming-through-the-windows take on the carol with a huge choral and orchestral sound that doesn’t seem canned. But just when listeners think that this album will only feature that sort of booming choral sound, they’re given “Ring the Bells,” a surprisingly pop-infused but not out-of-place tune that features Grant and begs for adult contemporary radio airplay.
Most of the songs are handled with similar aplomb, from “Let It Snow/Frosty the Snowman,” which transports the listener to a wintry December night in Central Park, to “O Holy Night,” which is the perfect arrangement for perhaps the most moving, majestic carol ever written.
Cottrell’s vocals are authoritative and intimate, depending on the moment, and the settings for these mostly classic carols are difficult to improve upon, making this album an instant classic and a highly recommended pick.

Building 429
Building 429
INO Records (Provident-Integrity)
0-00768-45072-7
Get out the triple-stacked speakers for this self-titled album from Building 429. With the exception of a handful of ballads and softer tunes, this pop-rock set is loaded with huge guitar riffs and heavy-handed production—which makes for a mildly frustrating listening experience. The songs aren’t that bad, but they too often form a wall of sound that will leave some listeners’ ears in need of a break.
The band finds its groove on “Shoulder,” which sounds less like a 21st-century version of Stryper and more like the rootsy pop-rock of Needtobreathe. There are other songs in this vein: “Your Love Goes On” brings to mind Jeremy Camp, and the lighthearted “Bring Me Back” is vaguely reminiscent of the praise & worship ballad “The Heart of Worship.”
Ultimately, this album has plenty of heart and should find a receptive audience from those who don’t mind drinking water from a fire hydrant.

Southern Hospitality
Disciple
INO Records (Provident-Integrity)
0-00768-45082-6
If this is what Southern hospitality sounds like, woe to he who encounters Southern aggression. Disciple wields guitars like weapons on its first major-label release, and while it doesn’t resemble sipping sweet tea on a porch, it’s mostly awesome. And aggressive. And loud.
If the new Building 429 album calls for a triple-stacked wall of speakers, this album from Disciple warrants a city of speakers, maybe with James Bond jumping off of them. Indeed, this album is ready for any number of action films, especially the track “3, 2, 1,” which seems to indicate something’s about to blow.
But these hard-rocking, explosive songs work in part not only because they’re true to who these musicians are, but also because the guitars sound live, not like post-production add-ons. And while the tunes are loud and could be too much for some, the noise is mostly welcome in an industrial, get-your-adrenaline-pumping kind of a way. There are some surprisingly decent rock ballads here, too (“Whatever Reason” and “Right There”).
While Southern Hospitality sometimes sounds like kitschy, early ’90s L.A. rock, Disciple is good and will appeal to listeners who like their music fast and with a spiritual bent.

The Becoming, Volume 1  
The Becoming
Tooth & Nail Records (EMI CMG)
5-09995-17980-2-4
This melancholy rock album is aptly named Becoming, Volume I—fitting since this band is on its way to becoming a player on the Christian rock scene, but isn’t there just yet. There’s promise here, however.
“Our First Sunrise” hints at something different and offers a few almost-there hooks, and “I Cry” really moves and seems to be onto something. Same with “We’re Already Dead,” which, like so many songs here, has just enough cool moments to keep listeners interested, but too few to ever get them fully on board.
Bands like The Becoming know how to play a mean guitar lick; now if the boys could put together a set of songs that hold together tighter, they could be named The Became. Indeed, most fans of Tooth & Nail artists will appreciate this band as it is for its energy and experimental spirit; others may wish we could’ve started with Volume II.