Released 10 years ago Thursday, this is the third in a series of "mixtape" albums from Lecrae that feature a bit less production and bit more freeform rapping than his normal albums. Lyrically, he does take a bit of time to defend himself from his critics, which is pretty common for an experienced hip-hop artist, but he also works to educate his listeners. "Gangland" features a verse from Propaganda and talks about being black in America and teaches some history. "Misconceptions 3" also features a few guest rappers and talks about why black America and the artists are misunderstood in a world of white, Christian music especially; it's a fast-moving dump of knowledge by some good rappers. This is a quick, 37-minute album full of raps from Lecrae and friends. Although I don't listen to it often and it's less memorable than his more produced albums, it's a solid listen of more underground-style rap.

Release Year: 2016
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"Well there's a lot of things working against me / But I know I can't lose." Released 40 years ago yesterday, this is the first solo pop/rock album from Rich Mullins, one of my favorite Christian singer-songwriters. The mid-'80s production definitely sounds very dated to my ears, but these are early songs from an excellent songwriter. Rich Mullins does a great job putting together lyrics that clearly speaks to the hardships of life but also points to God's grace and love in the same songs, plus he's got a great gift for putting those to melodies. "Elijah" and "Save Me" are probably the most well-known songs from this album, but songs like "A Few Good Men", "Live Right" and "Both Feet On The Ground" are also great songs about the life of a Christian trying to live a simple life as an artist. Rich Mullins recorded 8 more albums after this before his death in a motor vehicle accident in September 1997, and though this is not his best album, it's a promising start and still a good listen. I love the very simple, somewhat silly cover artwork too.

Release Year: 1986
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Held By Trees is an English post-rock band, and by that I mean it's a band that is somewhat rock in style, but also uses a lot of other musical elements and sounds in a bit of an experimental way. This release, Solace, is their first full-length album and it's mostly a laid-back, calm instrumental album. You can certainly hear the guitars, drums and bass, but there's bits of keyboard, organ, strings, reeds, and lots more sounds in there. I'm not sure if some of them just sound like nature of animals or if the musicians are making those sounds with their instruments at some points. This is one of those bands I've only heard of in the last few years and it's been such a pleasure to find this new, beautiful music. As it's instrumental, it's often something I listen to while reading a book, but it's also great for a more focused listen too.

Release Year: 2023
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Released 10 years ago yesterday, this is the eleventh and supposed-to-be final album from Showbread, a hardcore band from Georgia. It's a very unique mix of screaming, singing, tons of guitars, and even electronic elements. This is the first time I've listened to this album, though I've enjoyed their first few albums on Solid State Records released about 20 years ago a lot. This album is pretty similar to those "raw rock" sounds from their first major-label albums, and although I can't easily make out the lyrics sung and screamed on the first listen, I like their mix of religious themes, horror movie references or other macabre things, and even commentary on religious figures. It's clear they are being experimental in their musical and lyrical style so you never know what might come next while giving a Showbread album a listen. The band had retired after this album's release, but then played a few reunion shows and released one more album in 2021-2023. I'm glad I finally got around to listening to this album as it is better than some of their albums that preceded it. It might not be your cup of tea, though, and that's fine. Just find something else you want to listen to then—or maybe listen to this anyways and you might end up liking it.

Release Year: 2016
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