The latest part of the ongoing series chronicling, in no particular order, the greatest 1001 recordings made by Christian artists

Virgin Black

568. VIRGIN BLACK - DOMINE, 2007. From the album 'Requiem: Mezzo Forte', The End.
If someone had explained to the likes of Chopin or Wagner just how loud and intense music could get, they'd almost feel ashamed by their efforts. But they shouldn't; instead they should be proud that bands like Australia's Virgin Black didn't just want to make doom metal but they want to create something so big, something with such a richness and intensity that only with the accompaniment of a full symphonic orchestra and choir can it be realised. Luckily Adelaide's finest metal outfit and that city's symphony orchestra didn't just agree to collaborate on this CD but embarked on an ambitious trilogy of albums entitled 'Requiem'. "Domine" features towards the end of 'Mezzo Forte', the middle piece of the trilogy. To some the label of gothic doom/death metal would immediately put them off but that doesn't do justice to the range of emotions the album provokes; the depth of the quieter times, the eloquence of Susan Johnson's voice and the grandiose vibe that only a string-heavy orchestra and "death choir" can provide. In the midst of this near perfection Rowan London's growling vocals punctuate standout track "Domine" in an eerie and epic way. Virgin Black have a knack of expressing feelings of anguish, grief and a tortured spirit in a very genuine way through their music and lyrics. This stuff is far too good to be enjoyed simply by goths and nobody else!
Greg Sammons

569. REBECCA FERGUSON - GLITTER & GOLD, 2011. From the album 'Heaven', RCA.
So often TV talent searches have resulted in lukewarm albums but this wasn't the case for the Liverpudlian singer's debut. Wisely deciding to sidestep the temptation to record covers, Rebecca instead went for broke with a set of her own compositions and in the process made two of the most memorable pop radio hits heard for years. I marginally prefer this strident denouncement of consumerism and the search for fame to her soulful "Nothing's Real But Love" but either way, these tracks demonstrate that Britain has a quality R&B diva every bit as good as the top US stars.
Tony Cummings

570. THE WAY - COME ON DOWN, 1973. From the album 'The Way', Maranatha! Music.
If Neil Young had got himself converted he could have well recorded a track like this on 'Comes A Time'. Seldom has a country ballad sounded as wistful while the evangelistic lyrics make their point with the zealous simplicity of the new Christian. The harmonies of Dana Angle, Gary Arthur and Bruce Herring are sublime, right up there with Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Tony Cummings

571. THE SEVENTY SEVENS - YOU DON'T SCARE ME, 1984. From the album 'All Fall Down', Exit.
By 1984 the alternative rock pioneers The Seventy Sevens had their classic lineup - Mike Roe (vocals, guitar), Mark Tootle (keys, guitar), Jan Eric Volz (bass) and Aaron Smith (drums) - and their 'All Fall Down' album with its mix of vibey new wave and gritty Stones-style bluesiness was a seminal set. This gem throws down the gauntlet at the feet of the author of fear, "Go for a drive and hit a rock/You don't scare me/Lightning bolt give me a lethal shock/You don't scare me/I could fall down the stairs/Or get stabbed at the fair/I won't fear, I won't fear." Powerful stuff.
Tony Cummings

572. WOOKIE FTG LAIN - BATTLE, 2000. From the single, Soul2Soul.
For a while Wookie was a producer whose streetwise two-step was widely tipped for urban breakthrough and "Battle" was indeed a charting single. But, in truth, it was the vocal and lyric provided by ex-Nu Colours member Lain, rather than Wookie's funky minimalism, which made this track so memorable. The song is on a theme seldom heard in mainstream music - spiritual warfare - and its couplets still ring true ("Every day is like a battle but we'll overcome/When we get back in the saddle faith will bring us home").
Tony Cummings

The Bells Of Joy

573. THE BELLS OF JOY - LET'S TALK ABOUT JESUS, 1952. From the album 'The Bells Of Joy: The Collection', Acrobat.
This was the most popular gospel recording of 1952 and the Bells Of Joy, led by the soulful A C Littlefield, were the first gospel act to use both guitar and drums to aid the rhythm. The Bells, from Austin, Texas, had a style that straddled the old close jubilee sound with its emphasis on harmony, attacks and releases and the emerging hard gospel quartets with its dynamics and extreme range investigation. With the title chanted hypnotically by the group, "Let's Talk About Jesus" was an infectious romp and the big sales it enjoyed when released by Peacock Records got the Bells Of Joy travelling the gospel highway well into the '60s though it was the group's first hit with its chanted, joyful drive which remains their classic.
Tony Cummings

574. STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN - FREE, 1996. From the album 'Signs Of Life', Sparrow.
Quite a few barbs ("safe", "bland", etc) much used by keepers-of-the-cool critics have, down the years, been directed at Steven Curtis Chapman. The truth is that though Steven has written and recorded his share of dull tracks (not surprising in a career which has produced 20 plus albums) the CCM star has also penned some gems. This is one of them. Inspired by the lives of prisoners the songwriter encountered in his work with Prison Fellowship this is a narrative song in classic country style with lyrics that are poignant but avoid sentimentality. The song begins with images of the sun beating down "inside the walls of stone and razor wire" where he meets a man "whose face seemed so strangely out of place." Then comes the telling chorus, "But then his voice grew strong as he began to tell/About the one he said had rescued him from Hell/He said I'm free, yeah, oh, I have been forgiven/God's love has taken off my chains and given me these wings/And I'm free and the freedom I've been given/Is something that not even death can take away from me/Because I'm free, Jesus set me free."
Tony Cummings

575. GAVIN BRYARS - JESUS' BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET (TRAMP WITH ORCHESTRA), 1975. From the album 'Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet', Obscure.
If you don't know, Gavin Bryars is an English classical composer who has refused to fit neatly into any genre and down the years his music has been referred to as avant garde, new age, free improvisation, neo classicism, jazz and a whole heap more. Gavin is not a Christian but in 1971 he was to put together a recording which was eventually to top the Classical and New Age charts (!) and is still one of the most moving pieces of "Christian music" ever recorded. The composer himself explained the origins of his unclassifiable contribution to music history. "In 1971, when I lived in London, I was working with a friend, Alan Power, on a film about people living rough in the area around Elephant And Castle and Waterloo Station. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song - sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads - and one, who in fact did not drink, sang a religious song, 'Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet'. This was not ultimately used in the film and I was given all the unused sections of tape, including this one. When I played it at home, I found that his singing was in tune with my piano, and I improvised a simple accompaniment. I noticed, too, that the first section of the song - 13 bars in length - formed an effective loop which repeated in a slightly unpredictable way. I took the tape loop to Leicester, where I was working in the Fine Art Department, and copied the loop onto a continuous reel of tape, thinking about perhaps adding an orchestrated accompaniment to this. The door of the recording room opened on to one of the large painting studios and I left the tape copying, with the door open, while I went to have a cup of coffee. When I came back I found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much more slowly than usual and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping. I was puzzled until I realised that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man's singing. This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment that respected the tramp's nobility and simple faith. Although he died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as an eloquent, but understated testimony to his spirit and optimism." The origins of the tramp's hymn extract have never been traced though presumably it exists in some ancient hymnal somewhere. The power of that broken tramp's rasping voice and the lush string orchestra encasing it remains undiminished. Jars Of Clay recorded their take of the song - sung acappella - on their 'Who We Are Instead" album.
Tony Cummings

576. GROUP 1 CREW - (EVERYBODY'S GOTTA) SONG TO SING, 2007. From the album 'Group 1 Crew', Fervent.
The Florida trio's fusion of R&B, hip-hop and pop inevitably got critics unfairly suggesting the group had cloned Black Eyed Peas but in truth, Manwell, Blanca and Pablo, aided by some street smart production, had a good grasp on what sounds good on radio both mainstream and Christian. This hook-laden concoction is still a Cross Rhythms radio favourite and the life-affirming lyric of inclusiveness ("Everybody has a story/And it needs to be heard/So let it play and resonate/From the hood to the burbs") is surely needed at a time when millions have no voice."
Tony Cummings

577. ADMIRAL TWIN - IN MY VEINS, 2007. From the album 'The Center Of The Universe', The Pop Collection.
It remains scandalous that Oklahoma's purveyors of retro-tinged alternative rock have never reached the heights of popularity either in the mainstream or in CCM but as far as Cross Rhythms in concerned 'The Center Of The Universe' is a gem of an album and with its smorgasbord of influences from '80s Euro pop rock to psychedelia to Radiohead to Americana it's a continuous creative delight. The pinnacle is reached on this track. The Cross Rhythms reviewer wrote, "If there's one particular moment when the album reaches the sublime heights, it's the vocal harmony cut-away on 'In My Veins'."
Tony Cummings

Iona

578. IONA - MURLOUGH BAY, 1993. From the album 'Beyond These Shores', What?
One highly respected internet reviewer called Iona "CCM's best progressive rock band", which is not quite how I'd describe them. But he was spot on in picking out the epic grandeur of this track even calling it his favourite track ever. The deft fusion of uillean pipe, elegant piano, a shimmering synth wash and a huge bass drum swell to the climactic crescendo from Dave Bainbridge and his fellow Iona players. Equally stunning is Joanne Hogg's haunting vocals depicting the epic journey of Saint Brendan's voyage to the Americas. At the song's climax Brendan is overcome by the palpable presence of the divine. "Here we can bathe in a love that's divine/Here we can know I am yours, you are mine/Here in your arms that are faithful and strong/Here with you, this is where I belong." The cinematic mood of this song is utterly transcendent. Never before had Celtic fusion music reached such heights.
Tony Cummings

579. LOVEWAR - SOAK YOUR BRAIN, 1993. From the album 'Soak Your Brain', Pakaderm.
A short-lived hard rock band from Indiana, Lovewar intriguingly fused elements of the Seattle grunge movement (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) with the retro-tinged Houston rock sound (Kings X, Galactic Cowboys). Led by erudite lyricist Tim Bushong, the album title track, with punchy production from metal stalwarts John and Dino Elefante, took a full frontal assault on the syncretism and relativism of student life inviting sceptical listeners to "take a swim in the truth". Apologetics has seldom rocked harder.
Tony Cummings

580. CROOKED SMILE - WELCOME TO OUR DREAMWORLD, 1997. From the album 'A Million Things To Say'. Bulletproof.
Crooked Smile were a short-lived band from Georgia who had in Jonathan Hart an exceptional singer/songwriter and had a sound that at times echoed Toad The Wet Sprocket or even Jars Of Clay without cloning either. Their dreamy, emotive sound where acoustic and electric guitars intertwine behind Hart's smooth voice was captivating. Here the singer emotes lyrics of existential angst ("Welcome to our dreamworld/Where the truth's put on the shelf/I told about a thousand lies today/I told them all to myself"). Over seven and a half minutes long its subtle rise and fall keeps the listener gripped in its poignant portrayal of modern man's dilemma.
Tony Cummings

581. T-BONE, NATALIE LARUE, DJ MAJ - KING OF MY LIFE, 2001. From the various artists album 'Soul Lift', Flicker.
Unquestionably one of the most underrated talents in the entire Christian music scene is Nashville-based songwriter, engineer, producer and occasional artist Rick Altizer. In 2001 Rick was the creative driving force behind a set of astonishingly diverse artists (from Mike Rowe of the 77s to Southern gospel matriarch Vestal Goodman) performing Altizer's top rate worship songs. The tracks came on the 'Soul Lift' package complete with Bible studies. As it turned out, fusing such a wide range of styles into a dance and R&B-tinged selection was way too radical for conservative Christian radio and without airplay this groundbreaking album slipped the notice of Joe Public. But this gem, with a sinuous vocal hook from one half of that great LaRue duo, some gutsy rapping from The Man With The Mad Skills and a compulsively funky pop rock groove, got to take worship music into a whole new sphere. 11 years on "King Of My Life" still sounds great and more contemporary than much of the "modern worship" getting released today.
Tony Cummings