Stacie Orrico leapt to fame at the age of 14 with two massive singles, the R&B flavored “Stuck”’ and “(There’s Gotta Be) More To Life.” She went on to sell 3.4million albums worldwide. If you liked those two tracks, you’ll enjoy the forthcoming surefire hit, “I’m Not Missing You” and the album it’s taken from, Beautiful Awakening, which arrives in January of 2007 (album delayed from previous Aug 28 street). The album charts her journey from newcomer to fully-fledged star. It features a variety of top-notch R’n'B producers including Dallas Austin, Dwayne Bastiany, Kaygee and co-writers such as Shekspear, Track & Field, Anthony Dent, and newcomer Novel. [ …read more | …preview here]

New artist Jaime Jamgochain has true testimony of how a relationship with Jesus Christ has transformed her life. Six years ago, while attending Berklee College of Music in the heart of Boston’s entertainment and cultural community, a friend introduced her to church and the years that followed saw Jaime leading her entire family to God. “It’s been like a revival in our household,” Jaime shares. [ …read more]

Two years after the release of Starfield’s debut album, brothers Tim and Jon Neufeld return with a collection of songs filled with more raw emotion than most of the year’s releases combined. Beauty in the Broken starts incredibly strong with the rising anthem, “My Generation” that calls for something greater than what the world has to offer. That audible ache for honesty and relevance resonates throughout the entire album – all the way to “Shipwreck,” where the yearning becomes more intimate in the album’s final, whispered line, “Your life in me, changing who I am to who I need to be.” […read more]

The barrage of new rock acts hitting stores this year is pretty astonishing. Earlier this year, CCM reported that over 40 new rock acts are coming out by the end of the year. I don’t care how much music you listen to, it’s going to be a tough job to consume it all. Typically, quantity and quality don’t play nice with each other, and what you get is a lot of sub-par releases trying to capture your attention with only a select few hitting the mark. Enter Fighting Instinct, whose debut project not only deserves your attention but crushes all other rock releases in its wake. [ …read more]

Just a few weeks after the national release of her third studio album, (her first new release in three years) Joy Williams took some time to talk to NewReleaseTuesday.com about the changes that have taken place in her life since we last heard from her. From marriage to greater spiritual realizations that come with a growing maturity, Genesis reflects a life that continues to evolve from the very beginning. For the first time, Joy has penned many of the songs, direct from her journal. The result is a personal and sometimes intimate look at one of Christian music’s emerging artists. So in the midst of a promo tour and whirlwind schedule, Joy took some time between bites of breakfast on her way to an early morning flight to discuss some of the inspiration behind on the year’s best albums and what she has learned so far. […read more]

Warren Barfield’s sophomore album, Reach, is the result of a grueling internal struggle with catastrophic events. Grounded in blue-eyed soul and rich melodicism, it’s a 10-song collection of engaging hooks and gripping vocal work that demands involvement from the listener. And the album grows stronger with successive hearings, as the complex emotions in the lyrics become ever clearer.

The artist certainly proved to reflect the work as Warren took some time out of his hectic schedule to speak with us about the process, his new album and where he’s been hiding out since his debut three years ago. […read more]

The interview with Sara had been set up well in advance, and I got an “feel” for this artist when I was told that she had to put her two children, ages 2 and 5, down for their naps before she could join me for the interview. Sara Groves in concert is a family activity, since she not only has her sons with her, she has her husband (of eleven years) with her as well. Troy “does everything but sing”, as she put it, and that not only includes all the business aspects of Sara Groves, it includes playing percussion when she is on stage. […read more]

I’ve never been to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. But some day, I’d like to make the journey, if for no other reason than to see the city I grew up in until my second year of high school. As well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. You see, I have a new incentive to go now that I’ve spent some quality time with one of the Inductees of that institution.

His name? Richie Furay. His band’s name? The Buffalo Springfield. And if you’re wondering what the year was when Buffalo Springfield came out huge on the music scene with “For What It’s Worth,” it was 1967. Where were you in 1967? Most of you, I have a hunch, weren’t even around. I was not only around, I was in my 20’s when that one single made it huge and put Buffalo Springfield on the map. […read more]

Hailing from the Northwest, it makes sense that the lead single from RKT Music’s debut artist Hyperstatic Union is called “Praying for Sunny Days.” However, the group has certainly found those sunny days in regards to their musical career, as they now have a national release under their belt, Third Day’s seal of approval and a lot of buzz surrounding them.

CMCentral.com took some time during GMA Week to sit down with the new band the morning after they performed at a midnight showcase. We talked about some of their musical influences, their goals as a band, and oh, yeah, their new album, Lifegiver. Below is that conversation in its entirety. […read more]

Debuting in 2001, downhere captured the Christian music industry’s ear with their self-titled debut that would earn them a nomination for New Artist of the Year from the Gospel Music Association among numerous other awards. The band followed up that success with So Much For Substitutes, another well-received effort for 2003 before they parted ways with Word Records.

Now, on the verge of releasing a long awaited third release as the headlining artist of a young label, downhere took some time out to chat with CMCentral.com about their time between albums, what they’ve learned, the new album and a whole lot more. What follows is that conversation. (Note: “1000 Miles Apart,” a song on the new album Wide-Eyed and Mystified includes the following lyric: “And we don’t ever have to talk, ’cause you like hip hop and I like rock”) [ …read more]

The second release from young RKT Music comes from a group known as The Turning. Learning to Lose hit shelves on 6 June 2006 and has already made an impact with listeners.

CMCentral.com sat down with The Turning during GMA Week to discuss the new album, their current single (”Out of My Hands”) , the process it took the band to get to this place, and more. [ …read more]

Kevin Gallagher, guitar-maker, musician and self-professed born-again Christian, remembers when religious friends first tried to push Christian rock music on him, in the 1980s. “They would say, ‘Hey, listen to this, and make sure you pay attention to the words, because that’s what’s important,’” Gallagher, 46, of Saylorsburg, Pa., recalled last week. “I always said, ‘I can’t get past the lack of quality and production.  
 
“But that’s changed now. There’s not a CD being produced by any Christian label right now that I’d be afraid to hand to anybody,” said Gallagher, once the lead guitarist for a now-defunct band called “The Suspects.” This Saturday, for the second straight year, Gallagher plans to attend the “Revelation Generation” concert on farm grounds in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County, which is expected to attract at least 8,000 people. His wife and four children will go with him. […read more]

Hot on the heels of 2003’s best-seller Collide, which launched SKILLET meteorically into the mainstream with the hit single “Savior,” touring with Three Days Grace, Salvia, Shinedown, and 12 Stones, plus a prestigious nomination at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, Atlantic/Lava and Ardent/SRE will unleash COMATOSE on October 3rd, 2006.

“We’ve been proud of where we’ve been in the past, but I feel like this is our strongest record,” notes vocalist/bassist John Cooper, citing the band’s recent completion of the COMATOSE sessions at Chicago Recording Company (Smashing Pumpkins, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly) with producer Brian Howes (from famed Canadian TVT band Closure and Hinder’s hit CD) and mix maestro’s Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Hoobastank, Bon Jovi, P.O.D.) and David Bottrill (Tool, Staind). “There are so many different influences where it won’t just be about rock audiences or metal audiences. I think there’s something here for everybody and it’s our most mass appeal record.” […read more]

With a passion for worship and a mission to share the Word of God, Jaime shares her thoughts on forgiveness and starting anew. “There’s a strong theme of ‘You’re forgiven and His mercy is new.’ I pray that people walk away and know that there’s so much hope and such a reason to live – a purpose to live. I hate when people have to feel like they walk around in guilt. I just want them to know that it’s a brand new day. That’s kind of my prayer as they leave.” […read more]

Being a teen can be hard. Just ask Krystal Meyers. On top of the normal pressures that come with life as a teenager, she also juggles her thriving career as a musician/songwriter. Touring with bands like Kutless, Hawk Nelson & tobyMac, she has made quite a name for herself in the US. To top it all off she is now taking on Japan with mainstream exposure. ccmBuzz recently had the chance to chat with Krystal about recent tours, her upcoming release and much more. […read more]

Nobody likes goodbyes. The fact of the matter, though is that our lives rotate through various seasons and sometimes that means leaving people who we love, places where we feel comfortable and things we enjoy. While these moments in time can be quite difficult to handle and manage, as God’s providence would have it, the ending of one season is always the beginning of another. While we may be sad to close one chapter of our lives, it’s exciting to see what this new beginning might bring. […read more]

Sometimes we are called to do things that we’d rather not. Moses didn’t want to go back to Egypt even if it meant being something of a savior for the Israelites. Gideon initially was uninterested in leading an army to deliver Israel from oppression. Time and time again, unlikely and unwilling individuals ended up swallowing their fear or pride and allowed God to use them to accomplish His greater purposes. Whether it’s fear or something else that holds us back from following God’s call in our lives, we need to obey His directives for our lives. […read more]

At 27, Tim Hughes has already reached great heights as a singer/songwriter and worship leader. His songs are sung worldwide in praise-and-worship gatherings and in church services. And Tim’s signature song, “Here I Am to Worship,” has been recorded by numerous artists.

Hughes, a citizen of England, grew up in a small town just outside London. “Since my dad was a pastor, I grew up in church,” he says. “I always kind of believed in God, but when I was 11 years old, I went to a conference and had the opportunity to observe people who were very passionate about singing. It dawned on me that they weren’t singing about someone or something, but they were singing to Someone. That really challenged me. I gave my life to Christ and my relationship with God changed from ‘knowing’ Him in my head to ‘knowing’ Him in my heart.” […read more]

From classical instruction to performances by award-winning musicians, area churches are using music to reach out to the community in new ways. For most churches, music is an integral part of the weekly worship services, and special holiday events, such as the Bellevue Singing Christmas Tree, have long been outreach ministries for local congregations. But recently, churches are expanding on that foundation and offering opportunities for voice and instrument instruction, top notch performances and even delving into the music industry through recording and producing. […read more]