Blog
Album Of The Day: Brothers by The Black Keys
Released 15 years ago today, this is the sixth studio album by rock duo The Black Keys. Dan Auerbach sings and plays instruments, and Patrick Carney does drums and percussion. They are known for a very guitar-heavy blues rock style, and pretty often Auerbach's vocals are a high falsetto. Their songs like "Everlasting Light" and "Tighten Up" are fun jams and I love the sound of their drums, bass, guitars and keyboards for some reason. Maybe there's something very stripped-down to this two-person band, or maybe I just love bluesy rock, and this is one of the few modern artists in that genre that got mainstream enough that I heard their music. There's also something about albums like this one that were recorded in the small southern town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA as well. I just love the vibe of this band and this album, though this type of midwestern garage rock may not be for everyone. Their last few albums haven't excited me as much, but this one of my favorite albums from The Black Keys.
Release Year: 2010
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots
"Honest, there's a few songs on this record that feel common." Released 10 years ago today, this is the third album from Twenty One Pilots, a duo that blends rap, rock, reggae, alternative and indie pop to make a very unique sound. Though singer/lyricist Tyler Joseph might not be too comfortable with his success, Blurryface keeps the listener guessing what is coming next and on a musical journey through very dramatic life events and sometimes dark places, though there are hints of hope. It's a wild ride with lots of energy, and I love it, though it might not be for everyone. This is still their best album to date, in my opinion, and worth a listen if you want to hear something unique.
Release Year: 2015
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Twenty One Pilots and Mutemath Sessions:
Album Of The Day: "Hello, Good Friend" by The Rocket Summer
Released 20 years ago tomorrow, this is the 2nd album from The Rocket Summer, the artist name of Bryce Avary, who wrote, produced, sang and played every instrument on this album. This album caught my fancy back when this came out, and I still listen to it from time to time. The Rocket Summer's music is performed with such passion and a bit of a reckless momentum. Bryce's vocals are sometimes so energetic he's screaming a bit, and then other times it's a whisper. His sound might be considered a bit "emo", but it's a mix of piano-based and guitar-based rock. It's a fun hour of poppy rock ruminating on life, love and relationships from this man who was young at the time. A few months ago, I got to see him play this entire album and it was fun to see him play live for the first time. He definitely talked about how feels that even 20 years later, these songs still resonate with him, and they do with me too. It's a fun album.
Release Year: 2005
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Mat Kearney by Mat Kearney
Released on this day one year ago, this is the 8th studio and latest album from pop singer/songwriter Mat Kearney. For over 20 years now, Mat has been making pop with tinges of hip-hop, reggae and more. Like his previous album January Flower, Kearney isn't doing music as heavily programmed as his 2010s albums or with as much hip-hop, spoken-word verses as his older music, but it's still beautiful, heartfelt pop to play on a nice day, a quiet evening, or whenever. Songs like "Drowning In Nostalgia", "Good Thing Going On" and "Headlights Home" are instant classics. And there's 9 more tracks with love songs to his wife or just reflections on life. It's maybe not yet my favorite Mat Kearney album, but these songs were fun to see performed live last fall, and with time it might become a favorite album from Mr. Kearney.
Release Year: 2024
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Unguarded by Amy Grant
Released 40 years ago tomorrow, this is the 7th studio album by Christian pop icon Amy Grant. By this time, Grant was now the queen of Contemporary Christian Music. She was mostly music my sisters listened to and I don't remember this album specifically being played on cassettes as a kid, but I'm not afraid to give it a listen all these years later. It's certainly very '80s pop, which is not at all surprising. I'm familiar with "Love Of Another Kind" because I'm a Rich Mullins fan—he co-wrote it—and have heard him sing that before. And I've heard "Find A Way" and "Everywhere I Go" because those were major singles and are on her hits compilation for this period. But it's a good album, I'm finding today. "Wise Up" is fun pop with a good '80s rock edge to it. I'm not sure if the album is timeless, but it's a great snapshot of the best Christian pop had to offer from the era. The album originally was released with four different cover artwork versions on LP and cassette, and the digital 35th anniversary release incorporates all 4 photos.
Release Year: 1985
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Beauty Has Grace by Jaci Velasquez
Jaci Velasquez is most well-known for Christian pop and Latin pop singles and albums in her late teen years in the '90s. It was music my sisters were more of a fan of than me, as it was definitely smooth pop/R&B and I'm more of a rock fan. But released 20 years ago earlier this month, Velasquez decided to try out more of a rock/alternative edge to her style on Beauty Has Grace and this is maybe my favorite album of hers, though I don't listen to it too often. Songs like "Something Beautiful" and "When You Hold Me" are definitely all-out, guitar-based pop/rock. Jaci Velasquez still does have some moments of beautiful, powerful singing, but also delivers a more subdued vocal performance that fits in well with the more Brit-pop style to the music. If you were a fan of Jaci Velasquez in the '90s, you might not recognize the artist on this album. But I enjoy it and find it interesting that she decided to make this change to bring out her rock side, at least for an album or two.
Release Year: 2005
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Family Nights, Vol. 1: All Your Heart by Mission House
Jess Ray and Taylor Leonhardt both are accomplished solo singer/songwriters, but they also lead worship together as Mission House. In this live recording from Dallas, Texas, USA, the duo sings some of their modern worship as well as some classic hymns. It sounds like a very simple, acoustic setup for the group on this album, with mostly just keyboards and acoustic guitars and no huge worship band, but the simplicity of this recording and their performance adds to the authenticity. Dee Wilson and Aaron Williams also join them for a few tracks each. It's great to hear their versions of "How Great Thou Art" and "I Need Thee Every Hour" as well as Mission House favorites like "If I Was A Bird" and new songs like "Seek And Find". It's a powerful session of communal worship and you can hear the community sing along on this recording. Listening to this music is a good way for me to start the week.
Release Year: 2023
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Iron Lung by Martin Smith
Released 6 years ago today, this is the 3rd studio album from Martin Smith, who is best known as the lead singer of the band delirious?. He is mostly known as a leader of modern church worship, but he also continues to define himself as an artist and push the boundaries of what modern worship is. For example, the opening, title track of the album is a six-minute telling of his personal story of his birth and committing his life to God. Songs like "Exalt", "Rise Up", and "Fire's Gonna Fall" are good candidates for church worship anthems. And more than any other Martin Smith album, this album rocks, maybe due to the help of his mates from Army Of Bones and Producer Gabriel Wilson. Songs like "Great And Glorious", "Runaway" and "Wonder Hearts" are pounding rock from a talented band with some Gospel vibes thrown in, and I love it. Martin Smith continues to blend artistry with praise and worship to Jesus, and I love that he keeps writing and recording new music like this album.
Release Year: 2019
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Child Of God II by Forrest Frank
I'll be honest. I'm not sure I totally understand the lo-fi, electronic pop that is so often made these days. Maybe it's just not my thing. But I'm willing to give it a try and see how it goes. Released today, this is the 8th album in only 7 years from Forrest Frank. Child Of God II finds the young man definitely has some talent for music, though he keeps the lyrical content pretty standard Gospel and feel good, positive lyrics. I like that the whole album doesn't sound the same; there's bits of Gospel, R&B, reggae, and hip-hop mixed into this for lots of good vibes. Apparently this is what the Christian kids are listening to these days, and it's not bad. (Maybe some of the non-Christian kids and the adults are listening too.) I'm not sure if it's something I'll listen to more often, but it's fun to hear a brand new release that is full of creativity and artistry.
Release Year: 2025
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify
Album Of The Day: Open Sky by Iona
Released 25 years ago today, this is the fifth studio album from progressive rock band Iona. This recording was I think my first ever exposure to the genre of "progressive rock", which mixes a lot of genres, often has long instrumental interludes or even whole songs, and doesn't really conform to radio pop/rock singles and other norms. This album is a beautiful collection of songs that are sometimes rock, sometimes very poignant, lush instrumentals as if from some unseen movie soundtrack, and sometimes is a Celtic folk jam. Joanne Hogg's vocals bring a very ethereal quality to the music and the musicians in the band are superb, playing normal pop/rock band instruments but also violins, e-bow, uillean pipes and so much more. Lyrically, on the songs there are lyrics, they speak of the beauty of nature and of a higher power that made this world. Though Iona has many great albums, I think this is still my favorite overall of their releases, and this is one of my favorite albums of all time, no doubt. Give it a listen and play it loud if you want a great musical experience.
Release Year: 2000
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify