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

596. OVER THE RHINE - ALL I NEED IS EVERYTHING, 1996. From the album 'Good Dog, Bad Dog', IRS.
Ever since I first heard the goose-bump inducing voice of Karin Bergquist I've been an occasional fan of Over The Rhine's work. Why occasional? Well, for me the effect of OTR's recordings sometimes falls between the positives - that sublime voice and accompaniments which, whether they range from the coffee house folk to progressive rock to night club jazz, always seem to fit with Bergquist's intuitive phrasing - and the negatives, lyrics which often leave me frustrated with their opaque obscurity. But this track wins me over completely. Artfully portraying our need for God yet alongside our continuing resistance to his will, "All I Need Is Everything" is a powerful musical moment.
Tony Cummings

597. THRICE - IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE, 2005. From the album 'Vheissu', Island.
Thrice, those post-hardcore rockers from Irvine, California, are one of several acts landed with the "Christian" tag and then accused of not being "Christian enough" by rock followers who want evangelism, not art. Ironically, this, the first single from Thrice's expansive 'Vheissu' album, has a title plucked straight from Colossians 1:15 talking about free will and our need to turn from evil with Christ being the image of the invisible God. With a great vocal from Dustin Kensrue and some state-of-the-art production from Steve Osborne this remains an utterly convincing slice of rock art.
Greg Sammons

Guardian

598. GUARDIAN - C'MON EVERYONE, 1994. From the album 'Swing, Swang, Swung!', Pakaderm.
Critic Mark Allan Powell summed it up very well when he wrote "'Swing, Swang, Swung!' took everyone by surprise. The group now severed all ties to metal and released a mostly unplugged blues album that remains one of the best Christian records ever made." The piece-de-resistance on the album was this joyful romp which had the same kind of singalong bonhomie which made "Jesus Is Just Alright" such fun and Tony Palacios and the band are clearly enjoying themselves immensely.
Tony Cummings

599. JIMMY NEEDHAM - CLEAR THE STAGE, 2012. From the album 'Clear The Stage', Inpop.
Ross King is a singer/songwriter whose brilliance the Church has been slow to recognise. In 2002 Ross wrote "Clear The Stage" and it was featured on his fine album 'And All The Decorations, Too'. But of course an independent release limits the number of people who get to hear a song and it wasn't until this year that another fine songsmith, Jimmy Needham, recognised the shattering power of King's song and made it the title track of his latest album. With a lyric which lays bare the modern Church's tendency to settle for entertainment rather than spiritual substance and which can make worship leaders into celebrities it pinpoints truth with unflinching directness. "Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze/If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols/Jerk the pews and all the decorations too/Until the congregations then have revival." Later in the song, sung by Needham in his high, soulful voice with a string quartet accompaniment, "Clear The Stage" reaches its epicentre, "We can sing all we want to/We can sing all we want to/And still get it wrong/Worship is more than a song."
Tony Cummings

600. WORLD WIDE MESSAGE TRIBE VS HOG - JUMPING IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, 1995. From the various artists album 'Jumping In The House Of God', Movation.
A quick studio experiment by production whiz Zarc Porter became the schools evangelists Tribe's biggest ever hit (even in the US!) which was a little ironic as it was HOG's blustering rap artfully edited into that unforgettable chant which made "Jumping In The House Of God" so compelling. HOG's Lee Jackson summed up the history of the dance-hip-hop-worship fusion classic succinctly, "HOG travelled a lot and we became the support act for a group of nutters from Manchester known as WWMT and by accident we wrote a song called "Jumping In The House Of God" while in the studio to write the song "Holy" (eventually released on 'Jumping In The House Of God II')." Whatever its origins, the track still retains its joyful exuberance and who can resist Justin Thomas' assurance that he's "gettin' busy"?
Tony Cummings

601. BREAKFAST WITH AMY - ICKY, 1990. From the album 'Everything Was Beautiful. . .And Nothing Hurt', Narrowpath.
The alternative rockers from La Habra, California made some innovative music which went from Echo & The Bunnymen dissonance to neo-psychedelic art rock before they disbanded in 1992. This was one of their signature tunes, a quirky, rather deranged track which recalled something of the weirdness of the Violent Femmes. Driven by prominent bass and drums vocalist David Koval whines, snarls and coughs his way through the song of modern alienation. It captures you with its off kilter vibe.
Tony Cummings

602. ERIC BIBB - NEEDED TIME, 1994. From the album 'Spirit And The Blues', Opus.
With his father Leon moving in the '60s New York folk circles and counting luminaries such as Pete Seeger and Paul Robeson as family friends, it's perhaps not surprising that that American-born folk and blues man Eric has had a wealth of musical heritage to turn to when creating his own unique brand of acoustic blues. Nowhere is this more clearly evidenced than on his 1994 album 'Spirit And The Blues' which sees Bibb and his Swedish backing band breathe new life into a whole host of African-American spiritual and gospel blues songs from yesteryear whilst paying homage to the musical giants of ages past. Arguably the most striking song of this hugely enjoyable album is "Needed Time" which portrays a gentle yet undoubtedly bold (this was a mainstream release, remember) statement of reliance on Jesus and a longing for his return. The attraction of this song lies in the sincerity of Bibb's delivery with his trademark warm vocal style never over-egging the emotion but making it clear that the singer longs for Jesus from the depth of his being. Add to this Bibb's effortless finger-picked guitar and the fact that he and his band gathered round one multi-directional microphone for the recording of the whole album and it's clear that is indeed a remarkable piece of work.
Lins Honeyman

Extreme

603. EXTREME - HOLE HEARTED, 1990. From the album 'Extreme II: Pornograffitti', A&M.
One could hardly have imagined that a mainstream album by a metal band based on the theme of a young man's encounters with pornography could have produced spiritual songs that quoted Jesus and the prophet Daniel and which had in this song one of the most effective power ballads of the era. But then Extreme had as their lead singer and songwriter believer Gary Cherone and the towering "Hole Hearted" fully deserved its US Top 10 singles success when the Boston-based Extreme were up there with the top metal outfits in the early '90s. The Cherone-penned song skilfully reflected that every one of us is born with "a God-shaped hole" that must be filled to be complete. Cherone went on to briefly replace Sammy Hagar in Van Halen.
Tony Cummings

604. RALPH STANLEY - O DEATH, 2000. From the various artists album 'From The Motion Picture O Brother, Where Art Thou?', Mercury.
When the Coen Brothers asked record producer T-Bone Burnett to provide the music for the film comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a modern satire loosely based on Homer's Odyssey, they couldn't have imagined that the soundtrack would prove more popular than the movie, with eventual staggering sales of over seven million and being a launchpad for a new wave of interest in early rural music. Burnett's new recordings of old, old country and blues were consistently compelling with this the pinnacle of them all, a goosebump-inducing acapella piece sung by the legendary remaining half of bluegrass pioneers the Stanley Brothers. As Dr Ralph Stanley recounted in his autobiography Man Of Constant Sorrow, Burnett planned to record the eerie hymn "O Death" with Stanley singing accompanied by his banjo, the way old timey legend Dock Boggs had recorded it back in the '20s. But though Burnett was pleased enough with Stanley's voice and banjo version the good doctor thought it would be better sung acapella. He said, "I wanted to take that song back even farther than Dock took it. I wanted to give it the old Primitive Baptist treatment." And that's exactly what he did as he put his crooks and turns on those unforgettable words, "Well, I am death, none can excel/I'll open the door to Heaven or Hell." Even the bizarre usage in the film, where the song is mimed by a Ku Klux Klan member swathed in white sheets doesn't distract from the other worldly atmosphere of Stanley's haunting mountain man vocal.
Tony Cummings

605. TAKE IT BACK - WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR, 2008. From the album 'Can't Fight Robots', Facedown.
Posi-hardcore doesn't get much more "posi" than this! This quintet from Arkansas burst onto the scene with a pop punk meets hardcore sound in the vein of Stretch Arm Strong and Comeback Kid, shouting lyrics that focus upon forgiveness and the grace of Christ. This track closed the debut full length. The band's vision was clear: to see the message of Christ spread into the lives of those who do not know it. All the way through this album gang vocals were deployed to full effect and by the time this closer came along you were gasping for a message to carry you home and boy did they deliver! Not since have Take It Back quite matched the youthful energy and optimism of "What We're Fighting For" and the repeated chorus of "Fill us with passion and burning desire. . .hearts that are holy" makes this a captivating punk anthem.
Greg Sammons

606. SOULJAHZ - LET GO, 2002. From the album 'The Fault Is History', Squint Entertainment.
Take one portion of raunchy rock pop recalling the best of Lenny Kravitz and one helping of simmering funk. Bring in a sistah who can take it to church with full on soul power and add a laconic rap where a laid back MC observes that "you have your problems, you have your issues" but they should all be let go of at Christ's feet. Then top the whole thing off with sparkling production and a memorable chorus. Brother and sister Je'kob and Rachael Washington ran into record company problems soon after the release of 'The Fault Is History' before re-emerging as The Washington Projects. This urban gospel classic remains their greatest moment so far.
Tony Cummings

607. CARRIE UNDERWOOD - JESUS, TAKE THE WHEEL, 2005. From the album 'Some Hearts', Arista.
As well as being an American Idol-winning country star who's sold millions of singles and albums since her emergence in 2005, Carrie is also another of those country acts whose profession of Christian faith is doubted by some internet bloggers (the main stumbling block for fans assessing the singer's spiritual state seeming to be the skimpiness of Carrie's shorts in a video!). Leaving aside the authenticity of Carrie's declaration of faith, few would deny that in 2005 Carrie recorded an exceptional spiritual song. "Jesus, Take The Wheel" was written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson (no doubt, somewhere on the web somebody is discussing whether THEY'RE Christians). The song tells the story of a mother who lives a hectic life and is driving with baby in the back seat evaluating her life. Suddenly her car hits a patch of black ice. As the car slews out of control the mother takes her hands off the steering wheel and calls out to Jesus to take control. The car spins safely to a stop on the road shoulder and the mother, finding her baby still asleep on the rear seat, decides to let "Jesus take the wheel" of her life. The single (which went number one country, number four Christian and number 20 pop) is a gem for those who don't mind their country gospel laced with melodrama.
Tony Cummings

Family Force 5

608. FAMILY FORCE 5 - I LOVE YOU TO DEATH, 2007. From the album 'Business Up Front, Party In The Back (Diamond Edition)', Gotee.
It's well worth getting the Diamond Edition of the 'Business Up Front, Party In The Back' album even if you already have the 2006 original release. The Cross Rhythms reviewer enthused that "I Love You To Death" is "a funny and outrageous metal love song to (I assume) Jesus, and is so funky it deserves to be played and remixed in clubs around the globe." The Olds Brothers' bombastic form of "crunk rock" remains one of the most invigorating sounds in modern music.
Tony Cummings

609. RICH MULLINS - AWESOME GOD, 1988. From the album 'Winds Of Heaven, Stuff Of Earth', Reunion.
The untimely passing of any recording artist adds a certain poignancy to their work. However, in the case of the late great American singer/songwriter Rich Mullins, it could be argued that his remarkable back catalogue would be as strong today even if he had survived the horrific road accident that caused his death back in 1997. This certainly rings true of his greatest hit "Awesome God" which still remains in a league of its own as a song of praise to God. Dramatic and bold, anthemic and quirky all at the same time, the song itself is memorable for non-conformist lines like "when he rolls up his sleeves, he ain't just putting on the Ritz" and references within one breath to Sodom and the cross as Mullins adds meat to the bone of the repeated refrain that our God is indeed awesome. And it's during this refrain that the song really soars - not least thanks to a crew of backing vocalists, some great orchestration and an effortless performance from Mullins himself but also the sheer God-given talent that Mullins had to turn an ordinary phrase into something magnificent. Ironically, Mullins always considered "Awesome God" to be one his more poorly crafted songs but it's this one that reaches the parts that other worship songs simply can't.
Lins Honeyman