CD Review:
Go Newsboys
By Blair Sanders
After performing praise and worship songs for the past few years, The Newsboys have returned to their rockin' roots with their CD, Go. Go brings back the traditional Newsboys pop/rock sound that Newsboys fans have been missing. The single, "Wherever We Go", kicks off the disc. "Go (I Wanna Send You)" follows. Both of these songs are upbeat declarations of the Newsboys' passion for mission work. Their newest radio single, "Something Beautiful", has a techno/pop flavor to it. This song sounds like it came from the late nineties, but still has likability. The disc continues with the Adult Contemporary songs "The Mission" and "Let It All Come Out". The Newsboys did not let the fans of their worship music down. With songs like "In Wonder" and "I Am Free", they create music that praises God for everything in life. "Your Love Is Better Than Life" has frontman Peter Furler rapping the verses to an upbeat pop song. "Secret Kingdom" is candy for classic Newsboys fans. It showcases the band's ability to keep the fan smiling. The closer, "Gonna Be Alright", seems to take us back to the 60s & 70s. That may be because of the clips of Evie Tournquist's song, "Oh How He Loves You And Me" floating around in the song. Overall, Go goes well. It is a solid effort from Furler and Co.
Tracks: 11 Stars: 4 (of 5)
Genre: Pop
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
J.B. Talks About... Dove Award Nominees
J.B. Talks About...
2007 Dove Nominations!
The 2007 Dove Award nominations are here! There are some surprises, and some nominations that were predicted. Here's what I have to say about these nominations!
Song of the Year:
Bless The Broken Road (made popular by Selah)
Cry Out To Jesus (Third Day)
Drifter (DecembeRadio)
God's Still Good
Imagine Me (Kirk Franklin)
Made To Worship (Chris Tomlin)
Me & Jesus (Stellar Kart)
My Savior My God (Aaron Shust)
Nothing Left To Lose (Mat Kearney)
Praise You In This Storm (Casting Crowns)
J.B.'s Predictions: 4/10
Probable Winner: "My Savior My God"
Missing: "Everything You Ever Wanted"
J.B.'s Personal Pick: "Me & Jesus"
Surprise Nominee(s): About half of the nominations
J.B.'s Commentary: Wow! I am surprised with these nominations. I mean, Stellar Kart? DecembeRadio? Kirk Franklin? Those nominations caught me totally by surprise. However, not all of nominations shocked me. "My Savior My God", "Made To Worship", "Cry Out To Jesus", and "Praise You In The Storm", were nominated. These are the real contenders for the prize. I personally think it will be a battle between Chris Tomlin's "Made To Worship" and Aaron Shust's breakout hit "My Savior My God", with Aaron Shust taking home the award. I'm rooting for Stellar Kart's "Me & Jesus", but it will be a long shot.
Female Vocalist of the Year:
Christy Nockles
Krystal Meyers
Natalie Grant
Nichole Nordeman
Rebecca St. James
J.B.'s Predictions: 3/5
Probable Winner: Natalie Grant
Missing: Carrie Underwood
J.B.'s Personal Pick: Krystal Meyers
Surprise Nominee(s): Christy Nockles
J.B.'s Commentary: The past few years have been disastrous for female singers. You are lucky to find one on 20 The Countdown Magazine. Because of this, the Female Vocalist category is pretty limited. Yes, the list has big names like Natalie Grant and Nichole Nordeman, but also has Christy Nockles, the lead singer of Watermark. I'm not saying she's not a fantastic vocalist, however, I am just surprised because Watermark is no more. I think Carrie Underwood should have been nominated because of her popularity in the Christian market. I would like to see Krystal Meyers win. I think of all the nominees, she has had the best year in the music scene. In 2006, Krystal has released her sophomore CD, Dying For A Heart, spun radio hits, and has appeared in NBC promotions. I think she deserves the Dove award.
Male Vocalist of the Year:
Aaron Shust
Chris Tomlin
Jeremy Camp
Mark Hall
Mat Kearney
J.B.'s Predictions: 4/5
Probable Winner: Chris Tomlin
Missing: David Crowder
J.B.'s Personal Pick: Aaron Shust
Surprise Nominee(s): none
J.B.'s Commentary: This is going to be a heated competition. These are the biggest names in Christian music. However, no matter how hard the battle, Chris Tomlin will most likely be our winner. He won last year, which may give him an advantage.
Group of the Year:
BarlowGirl
Casting Crowns
David Crowder Band
Jars of Clay
MercyMe
J.B.'s Predictions: 3/5
Probable Winner: Casting Crowns
Missing: Third Day, Switchfoot, Sanctus Real, Hawk Nelson
J.B.'s Personal Pick: BarlowGirl
Surprise Nominee(s): none
J.B.'s Commentary: What? No Switchfoot? What is this world coming to? Oh well, back to business. Casting Crowns is the probable winner because of "Praise You In This Storm". If Third Day or Switchfoot were nominated, this catagory would be tougher to predict. However, since this is not the case, Casting Crowns is going to be a shoo-in. I was really hoping that the success that Sanctus Real and Hawk Nelson garnered throughout 2006 would give at least one of them a nod in the "Group of the Year" catagory.
New Artist of the Year:
Aaron Shust
Ayiesha Woods
DecembeRadio
Leeland
Pocket Full of Rocks
J.B.'s Predictions 3/5
Probable Winner: Aaron Shust
Missing: Family Force 5, Brian Littrell
J.B.'s Personal Pick: Ayiesha Woods
Surprise Nominee(s): Pocket Full of Rocks
J.B.'s Commentary: After an incredible year of radio success and multible nominations in other catagories, Aaron Shust is a likely candidate for this award. I am surprised to see the omission of Brian Littrell and Family Force 5. These artists had a great year with great popularity. Pocket Full of Rocks shocked me with their nomination. They haven't been radio studs like Aaron Shust or Brian Littrell, so how was I to know they would be nominated.
2007 Dove Nominations!
The 2007 Dove Award nominations are here! There are some surprises, and some nominations that were predicted. Here's what I have to say about these nominations!
Song of the Year:
Bless The Broken Road (made popular by Selah)
Cry Out To Jesus (Third Day)
Drifter (DecembeRadio)
God's Still Good
Imagine Me (Kirk Franklin)
Made To Worship (Chris Tomlin)
Me & Jesus (Stellar Kart)
My Savior My God (Aaron Shust)
Nothing Left To Lose (Mat Kearney)
Praise You In This Storm (Casting Crowns)
J.B.'s Predictions: 4/10
Probable Winner: "My Savior My God"
Missing: "Everything You Ever Wanted"
J.B.'s Personal Pick: "Me & Jesus"
Surprise Nominee(s): About half of the nominations
J.B.'s Commentary: Wow! I am surprised with these nominations. I mean, Stellar Kart? DecembeRadio? Kirk Franklin? Those nominations caught me totally by surprise. However, not all of nominations shocked me. "My Savior My God", "Made To Worship", "Cry Out To Jesus", and "Praise You In The Storm", were nominated. These are the real contenders for the prize. I personally think it will be a battle between Chris Tomlin's "Made To Worship" and Aaron Shust's breakout hit "My Savior My God", with Aaron Shust taking home the award. I'm rooting for Stellar Kart's "Me & Jesus", but it will be a long shot.
Female Vocalist of the Year:
Christy Nockles
Krystal Meyers
Natalie Grant
Nichole Nordeman
Rebecca St. James
J.B.'s Predictions: 3/5
Probable Winner: Natalie Grant
Missing: Carrie Underwood
J.B.'s Personal Pick: Krystal Meyers
Surprise Nominee(s): Christy Nockles
J.B.'s Commentary: The past few years have been disastrous for female singers. You are lucky to find one on 20 The Countdown Magazine. Because of this, the Female Vocalist category is pretty limited. Yes, the list has big names like Natalie Grant and Nichole Nordeman, but also has Christy Nockles, the lead singer of Watermark. I'm not saying she's not a fantastic vocalist, however, I am just surprised because Watermark is no more. I think Carrie Underwood should have been nominated because of her popularity in the Christian market. I would like to see Krystal Meyers win. I think of all the nominees, she has had the best year in the music scene. In 2006, Krystal has released her sophomore CD, Dying For A Heart, spun radio hits, and has appeared in NBC promotions. I think she deserves the Dove award.
Male Vocalist of the Year:
Aaron Shust
Chris Tomlin
Jeremy Camp
Mark Hall
Mat Kearney
J.B.'s Predictions: 4/5
Probable Winner: Chris Tomlin
Missing: David Crowder
J.B.'s Personal Pick: Aaron Shust
Surprise Nominee(s): none
J.B.'s Commentary: This is going to be a heated competition. These are the biggest names in Christian music. However, no matter how hard the battle, Chris Tomlin will most likely be our winner. He won last year, which may give him an advantage.
Group of the Year:
BarlowGirl
Casting Crowns
David Crowder Band
Jars of Clay
MercyMe
J.B.'s Predictions: 3/5
Probable Winner: Casting Crowns
Missing: Third Day, Switchfoot, Sanctus Real, Hawk Nelson
J.B.'s Personal Pick: BarlowGirl
Surprise Nominee(s): none
J.B.'s Commentary: What? No Switchfoot? What is this world coming to? Oh well, back to business. Casting Crowns is the probable winner because of "Praise You In This Storm". If Third Day or Switchfoot were nominated, this catagory would be tougher to predict. However, since this is not the case, Casting Crowns is going to be a shoo-in. I was really hoping that the success that Sanctus Real and Hawk Nelson garnered throughout 2006 would give at least one of them a nod in the "Group of the Year" catagory.
New Artist of the Year:
Aaron Shust
Ayiesha Woods
DecembeRadio
Leeland
Pocket Full of Rocks
J.B.'s Predictions 3/5
Probable Winner: Aaron Shust
Missing: Family Force 5, Brian Littrell
J.B.'s Personal Pick: Ayiesha Woods
Surprise Nominee(s): Pocket Full of Rocks
J.B.'s Commentary: After an incredible year of radio success and multible nominations in other catagories, Aaron Shust is a likely candidate for this award. I am surprised to see the omission of Brian Littrell and Family Force 5. These artists had a great year with great popularity. Pocket Full of Rocks shocked me with their nomination. They haven't been radio studs like Aaron Shust or Brian Littrell, so how was I to know they would be nominated.
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