I know, it’s been a little while. Not much has been coming out and I’ve been less than motivated, but working on it. Anyway, my return is marked by two other returns, two newcomers, and a duo I love to listen to. There are some surprises here, which is cool and most of these have come out within a week and a half of today. Before we get to them, though, here’s how things work. I’ll give you my thoughts on the album in 25 words or less and then I’ll add 2 key songs and 2 other artists to consider. But that is not all. Oh no, that. is. not. all. For whimsy, I throw in a random comparison. And this week, it’s condiments.

Your part is to let me know in the comments if I’m on or if I’m on something. Yeah. Okay, now we’re ready to get to it.

Amy Grant – How Mercy Looks from Here
http://amzn.to/12gW11p | http://amzn.to/107cdkp (mp3)

Not a doppelganger, it’s the real deal. New pop music from this home-grown CCM veteran. She’s come a long way, baby (baby). Mustard.

DON’T MISS: Don’t Try So Hard, Free
SEE ALSO: Cast of Nashville, Susan Ashton

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Another week has gone by and I’m sure there are a good handful of things I wanted to get done, but didn’t. Maybe you feel the same way. Maybe it will be a productive weekend. For now, (depending on how you look at it) I’ll be productive and share my thoughts on five more albums. If you’re unfamiliar with the Music of the Day format, pay attention to the next sentence. For each album, I’ll give you my thoughts in 25 words or less, two key tracks to check out, two similar artists, and a random comparison. Today, the I’ll pick from the teams in the NBA playoffs. Off we go.

Martin Smith – God’s Great Dance Floor
http://amzn.to/14Wyxoc (CD) | http://amzn.to/15XUi68 (mp3)

A voice that should sound familiar, a collection of songs that feel familiar, and a mostly cheek-to-cheek dance floor. Not delirious, but quite happy. Warriors.

DON’T MISS: Jesus of Nazareth, Fire Never Sleeps
SEE ALSO: Kristian Stanfill, Bluetree
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It’s been a stressful and serious week for many, so, hopefully a glance at some new music will be a refreshing break from the immediate reality. This week didn’t yield too many releases, but did provide us with The Afters. Iron & Wine also released a pretty exquisite album this week, but I’m not including that here. Sorry. Anyway, for the remaining four spots, I dug into the past month or so and found some nice albums to peek at. Before all that, however, here’s a reminder of how this works. In 25 words or less, I’ll summarize my thoughts on the album. You also get 2 songs to key in on, 2 alternate artists to investigate, and a random comparison (today, it’s from the top 100 longest-running Broadway shows). Got it? Okay, let’s get to it.

The Afters – Life Is Beautiful
http://amzn.to/17LUmFF (CD) | http://amzn.to/17LUqFj (mp3)

Hard not to like these guys. The album will put a smile on your face with whimsical melodies and palatable lyrics. Solid return. The Wiz.

DON’T MISS: Broken Hallelujah, What We’re Here For
SEE ALSO: Hawk Nelson, Sanctus Real
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Another week of music to explore and I’ve gone country. Since it is one of the biggest and most talked about releases of the week, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t include Brad Paisley’s new album in this edition. But that’s it, no more country after that… maybe. Anyway, if you’re new or if you’ve forgotten, here’s how it works. I pick five albums from this week’s release list (or thereabouts as necessary). Each album gets a summary of 25 words or less, two songs that stand out, two artists that you might consider exploring further if you enjoyed the album, and one random comparison. This week, for the comparison, I went with baseball team names and I don’t think it really worked out that well, but it’s Spring and the season is underway so I’m sticking with it. Okay, let’s get to it.

Josh Wilson – Carry Me
http://amzn.to/1115REh (CD) | http://amzn.to/153QU9u (mp3)

Pop music brilliance. A well-crafted collection of endearing tunes that will make you smile, sing along, whistle, and most certainly tap your foot. White Sox.

DON’T MISS: Pushing Back the Dark, Let There Be Light
SEE ALSO: Matthew West, Scott Krippayne
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Well, it’s been a few weeks now, but I’m back for another dose of Music of the Day. It’s not that I don’t think of you often, it’s just that some weeks work out better than others. This week, I’m making it work out and we’ve got some music from everywhere on the spectrum. I have plenty of other things to accomplish with today, so we’ll get right into it. As always, I’ve picked 5 albums that have released this week (or close to this week) and giving them the Music of the Day treatment. That is, a summary of my thoughts in 25 words or less, 2 “don’t miss” tracks, 2 similar artists, and 1 random comparison (that counts towards the 25 words). For the random item today, I’ll be assigning each album a team from the NCAA March Madness tournament (success of the team isn’t necessarily indicative of my thoughts on the album). Let’s dig in.

Kerrie Roberts – Time for the Show
http://amzn.to/10FaceD (CD) | http://amzn.to/XidxCI (mp3)

Familiar face in a typecast role. An album that fits its artist like a glove with its soft tone, poppy style, and well-produced sound. Indiana.

DON’T MISS: Finally Home, In Your Sight
SEE ALSO: Karyn Williams, Lindsay McCaul
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I have a lot of book reviews/write-ups that are way overdue. Here’s one, but expect more in the coming days.

Altared – Claire and Eli

It took me a long time to get through this book. I struggled with whether or not I should even finish it. If nothing else, it makes a clear case for the axiom of not judging a book by its cover. On its face (or cover) ALTARED appears to be a quirky little book by a trendy couple explaining how their marriage works and how you, too, can experience marital bliss with your fellow hipster spouse. (Well, maybe I’m overstating a bit.)

In reality, the book details the courtship of said couple, describing in great detail the path that brought them together, as well as the challenges presented by their background in the church and the “marriage or bust” subculture among Christians everywhere. And while their story does have its interesting moments, the book is more a study of dating than marriage. (Which is fine, except that – as previously mentioned – the title implies the opposite.)
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Moving from recording artist hopefuls to recorded artists by the shelf-full. Well, a small shelf. It’s time for Music of the Day and, after a week off without too many releases to talk about, we’ve got five worth mentioning. A few blasts from the past, an up and coming artist, and whatever is in between. Here’s how it plays out. I take each of these five albums and leave you with my thoughts (in 25 words or less), two key tracks, two other, similar artists, and a wacky, random comparison (this week, it’s classic toys). Without further adieu, off we go.

Audio Adrenaline – Kings & Queens
http://amzn.to/YgkEsh (CD) | http://amzn.to/ZbBkUj (mp3)

I won’t call it a comeback, but it’s definitely some “Get Back Up” rock and I’ll wax nostalgic of simpler times and happiness. LEGO bricks.

DON’T MISS: Kings & Queens, Change My Name
SEE ALSO: Newsboys, TobyMac
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In between American Idol posts, here’s a look at the music that’s really out there to listen to these days. Here are my takes on four albums from this week and one from the week before that I discovered late. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed each of these albums for what they have to offer. So, I won’t be bashing anyone. Sorry.

Here’s what to expect. A summary of the album in 25 words or less. A couple stand-out tracks. A couple other artists to check out. And a random comparison. Today, in celebration of Dr. Seuss, I picked a Dr. Seuss book. Yeah. That sounds right. Off we go.

Plumb – Need You Now
http://amzn.to/Y3Vegt (CD) | http://amzn.to/Ww8ZoO (mp3)

This album just gets me. Each track unfolds another layer of insecurity and washes it away with inexplicable acceptance and love. Horton Hears a Who.

DON’T MISS: Drifting, I Don’t Deserve You
SEE ALSO: Britt Nicole, Fireflight
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This should be fun. Today, we’re looking at five albums from artists (or groups) from which I’ve not previously heard a single song. At least to my knowledge. For some of them, I assume it’s because they’re lesser known, but that’s not true for all of them. For example, Buckcherry was apparently the top seller last week and that usually means they’re pretty well known. I also believe Elevation Worship to have a reasonable following, though I haven’t been among the crowds. One way or another, these have all escaped my ears prior to this point in time, so we’ll see how it shakes out.

This may also be a good time to explain that I don’t just listen to or comment on Christian music. Yes, Buckcherry is a tough album to recommend, considering the significant amount of curse words littering the lyrics. I’m not necessarily recommending it, but the combination of the band’s apparent popularity and the intriguing possibility that the title and track names presented made me want to see what they were about. (Thankfully, I can do so with minimal risk because of Spotify, which comes in very handy.)

That said, everything else is as to be expected. I’ll be summarizing the album in 25 words or less, drawing comparisons to other artists that are stylistically similar, pointing out two songs that highlight the album, and assigning a random object to each album. Today, I’ll go with methods of transportation. No particular reason. Off we go.

Elevation Worship – Nothing Is Wasted
http://amzn.to/ZvCkCc (CD) | http://amzn.to/XUri9s (mp3)

It’s nice to hear some worship music that’s not too commercial, not too clean, and not too bad. Live worship concert experience captured well. Bus.

SEE ALSO: Skillet’s Ardent Worship album, Jesus Culture
DON’T MISS: Be Lifted High, I Will Trust in You
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So, technical glitch plus busy long weekend equals delayed posting of this Music of the Day. Sorry.

We’re back with another one. It’s the Music of the Day and we’ve got a couple albums that released just this week and a few that released a little bit earlier. It’s a good mix as I always try to put together and they certainly won’t all appeal to everyone. Actually, I try to be somewhat impartial when I write them up, but I’ll probably only listen to 2, maybe 3 of these albums after this week. One is a lock, two are pretty enjoyable, and two don’t compel me much at all. I’ll let you guess.

Anyway, here’s how we do it. In 25 words or less, I summarize the album. Then, I pick out 2 key tracks and point out 2 similar artists. Finally (and whimsically), I compare each album to something random. Today, it’s amusement park rides. And that’s how we roll with the Music of the Day. Off we go.

Jeremy Camp – Reckless
http://amzn.to/XDUIFH (CD) | http://amzn.to/XDUw9D (mp3)

Sure to be popular album from popular artist. Here, you’ll find everything you expect from a Jeremy Camp album. Nothing more, nothing less. Nilla Wafer.

SEE ALSO: Casting Crowns, Third Day
DON’T MISS: Without You, Come Alive
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