Released 30 years ago yesterday, I think, this is the 8th album from Rich Mullins and the final studio album released before his death in 1997. Rich Mullins is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard, and songs like the title track, "Cry The Name" and "Let Mercy Lead" are so good. And wow, "The Breaks", "Hatching Of A Heart" and "Wounds Of Love" are just beautiful as well. It's not my favorite Rich Mullins album, and I feel it probably could have sounded a bit better had it not been self-produced, but like any Rich Mullins album, the songwriting and his performance is definitely worth a listen. Really, it's all good songs, even if I have some minor quibbles about the way it was recorded or that it started getting a bit more country than I prefer. If you've not given this a listen or if it's been a few years, I recommend you try giving this album a play, though I could say that for almost every album I mention here. Maybe I just can't wait to hear what Rich Mullins is writing in heaven, I guess.

Release Year: 1995
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify

I've only got time for an EP tonight, but it's a good one. Released 21 years ago earlier this month, this is the last EP from The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus, or maybe it's the first EP from The Listening? I'm not sure—maybe both. The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus was a band for a few years bringing rock with classic rock vibes (think The Beatles meets Pink Floyd) and lots of Biblical and spiritual references. But after this they became The Listening, a band more interested in a moody, vibe-y rock sound, for an album and another EP. This EP introduces the latter and still has a bit of the former. "(untitled)" is also featured on The Listening's self-titled album, and is the best sample of their new sound. The rest sound more like a continuation of The Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus's sound with some slight tweaks. "I Love The Rain" is a great song about feeling connection with God while standing outside in the rain and "Dead Man" is an epic closing track with religious lyrics and a spooky vibe. Sadly, this EP is not currently available on streaming, so it might be a bit hard to find if you don't have a CD of it on hand like I do.

Release Year: 2004

OK, I'm cheating a bit today because this is not an album, but it's an EP from one of my all-time favorite bands. In 2011, Jars of Clay had been playing music for over 15 years and had released 10 albums. On this EP, they recorded new versions of 5 songs from their previous albums, and they're definitely all different than the originals, but all just as good as the originals in their own way. My favorite thing is the version of "Crazy Times" sounds a bit more acoustic, and the guitar solo that is the bridge of the song seems to be performed by a keyboard, I think. (Or maybe it's a guitar with a keyboard-sounding effect on it? I'm not sure.) These interpretations are bit more keyboard-heavy, which is not a bad thing, though I do love guitars and there's still plenty of that here. In my opinion, it's always fun to hear a band do a new interpretation of a song. And Jars of Clay definitely don't disappoint in that area, as they've re-recorded many songs in acoustic, more electronic pop, or other variations over the years. Unfortunately, it looks like this EP is not available for streaming on Apple Music currently, though I guess you can buy it through iTunes for download. I, of course, have a CD copy of even this EP.

Release Year: 2011
Preview on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify

Matt Maher has been leading worship at church events and working as a songwriter/musician for at least 25 years, and this is his latest and 12th album release. Much of Matt Maher's early albums I didn't get into because it was a bit quieter and less rock 'n' roll than I liked my Christian music. But I really like this album because it's a mix of songs of praise and worship to God, but also songs of personal struggles and shortcomings and trying to understand what God is saying through them. And there's a lot of different musical styles here: "The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)" and "Burning Heart Of God" have a heavy Gospel bent, but other songs like "Leaning" have powerful vocals from guest vocalists and other tracks definitely have a rock edge to them guitar-heavy melodies and great drums and bass. The version I've been listening is the CD version, which seems to be tracks 1-9 and track 20 on streaming, which is a nice 37-minute, 10-track album of top-notch songs. But the streaming version is over twice as long and has some live versions of the same songs as well as six further new songs which I'm just listening to for the first time now. I'd definitely recommend giving the first part a listen as Maher is a talented songwriter and lyricist, and stick around for the rest of the streaming version if you're looking for more.

Release Year: 2022
Listen on Apple Music
Listen on Spotify