I guess I could have listed Terry Scott Taylor under every letter of the alphabet. I mean this guy steals the show when it comes to contemporary Christian music. He has been an integral part of legendary Christian rock bands like Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies, and Lost Dogs. He's done several albums under his name alone and produced or had some hand in many other albums. Let's face it--Terry Scott Taylor is one prolific dude.
And he's good too. His music reflects a variety of styles. His songs are smartly written. Every project that he touches has something that appeals to someone out here in listening land. I would count Terry Scott Taylor in the top ten of my favorite rock artists--make that top 5.
Late one night in 1985 I was traveling down I-95 somewhere in Maryland or Northern Virginia. It was during the Magical Land of Oz tour with the World of Fantasy Players. We had finished a show and were making a night jump to our next town. I tuned in to some radio station and heard a song that caught my attention; a song that was identified as "Yield to the Spirit" by the English Band.
At the time I had recently began exploring Christian rock music. I had been peripherally familiar with Christian rock, but at that time did not realize the extent of it. The song I heard that night was as good or better as anything I had been hearing on the Top Forty stations so I wanted to find out more.
Since the album was a new release, I had no problem finding it in a store that sold Christian music. As I investigated further I found that Joe English had formerly been a drummer with Paul McCartney's Wings and then the Southern Rock band Sea Level.
For the next several years I developed a passion for Contemporary Christian Music and began seeking out as much as I could find about the topic and the artists. I've received much enjoyment and edification from listening to Christian music. The What You Need album by the English Band was one of the primary influences that began my Christian musical journey.
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stickis hosting her first ever blogfest in which we come up with some of our favorite songs that break our hearts. I have a difficult time resisting the pull of a blogfest of this nature so I decided to enter two of my blogs with songs of different natures. My other entry is at A Faraway View.
For those unfamiliar with this blog, A Few Words, this is usually a Sunday only blog that reflects on verses from Psalms and puts them into context with things that are on my mind. In hopes of bringing this blog out of its quiet corner of contemplation, in April I will be looking at Contemporary Christian Music from A to Z. If you aren't familiar with Christian music and think it's all a bunch of boring church hymns perhaps my A to Z series will shed some new light on the subject. I hope you'll give it a chance.
Today allows me to offer a preview of some of the music types that I'll be exploring in the upcoming month. Please at least sample the beginnings of the songs to let me know what you think of my choices.
There Forever -- Like most of the songs on my list, this song by the 77s has a message of hope within it, but seems to be confined in the loneliness, dejection, and despair of this often sad and confusing world.
I Wish We'd All Been Ready -- DC Talk delivers their version of the classic Larry Norman song lamenting those who have been left behind in the Rapture.
Love -- Matthew Ward who with his sisters performed as the vocal group 2nd Chapter of Acts released this poignant song on one of his solo albums. The story of the song reflects on the love his mother had for her children and how sometimes we realize things too late It's an incredibly powerful song by a truly amazing singer. This is a song that easily moves me to tears.
Don't Cry Performed by Adam Again, this song reflects upon the ache, the longing, and the sadness that we all feel at times. The song is particularly sad knowing that its singer / songwriter Gene Eugene died tragically, far too young.
Note to Anna The group Daniel Amos and the genius behind the music, Terry Scott Taylor, have been a mainstay of Modern Christian Music for over three decades. This song presented here is about a young woman who never received the message of salvation because nobody ever told her.
Frail Jars of Clay in a flawless live performance with orchestra performs a song about our weakness and fallibility which is why Jesus suffered in our place.
All I Ever Wanted This song by Margaret Becker reminds me of a very sad time in my life. I would sometimes listen to this song over and over hoping things in my life change--and things did change for the better eventually. Probably better classified as a beautiful song, it still sounds sad to me.
Who says Christian music has to be boring? I hope you enjoyed my picks here. Do you have any that you would chose in this genre? Do you have a favorite Christian artist?
