http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:48:35 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/37854-shawn-mcdonald.html Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:34:53 GMT Talk about a complete turnaround! Back in 1999, Shawn McDonald was wanted on nine felony counts of possessing, growing and dealing drugs. "You name the drug and I was selling it and doing it," McDonald says in his bio. "I can't communicate how crazy I was." It was at the lowest point in his life (his second drug bust) that the Oregon-based singer picked up a Bible and challenged God to show him the way. Since then, McDonald strives to find ways to share his story; the most direct way being via his music. In 2003, Sparrow signed the singer-songwriter, releasing his debut, Simply Nothing, the following year. The directness of his songs, and the air of truth imbedded in them, drew people to his music. "The crazy thing I've found is that if you're willing to be really real and honest, people are willing to listen," says McDonald. "So I can tell them about the drug lifestyle I came from and I can tell them about my redemption in Christ." And he does. Willingly. On 2005's Live in Seattle, McDonald shares his life story in between songs and as a context for his lyrics and fans respond with enthusiasm and compassion. The connection between performer and audience is almost tangible.- Linda Ryan

Click here to listen to Shawn McDonald. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/37854-shawn-mcdonald.html http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/37270-matt-maher.html Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:30:45 GMT Click here to listen to Matt Maher. (http://art.10786113) Click here to listen to Matt Maher. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/37270-matt-maher.html http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/37163-fireflight.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:21:50 GMT Like Evanescence (from Arkansas) and Flyleaf (from Texas), Fireflight are a woman-fronted, vaguely goth-metal-leaning, urgently power-ballad-emoting,... Like Evanescence (from Arkansas) and Flyleaf (from Texas), Fireflight are a woman-fronted, vaguely goth-metal-leaning, urgently power-ballad-emoting, Christian-identified pop-rock band from the South -- in their case, Orlando, Fla. But where those other two bands have tended to downplay their religious aspects as time has gone on, Fireflight's primary success has been on Billboard's Christian Rock chart, where they've been placing both albums and singles since The Healing of Harms in 2006. The most exposure they've received with secular fans probably came from their 2008 single "Unbreakable," which was broadcast on TV's Bionic Woman and was said to be sung from the point of view of an adulteress saved from death by Jesus. The band formed in 1999, initially by schoolmates Justin Cox and Glenn Drennen, plus Drennen's wife, Wendy; the Drennens soon discovered Dawn Michele, who gave Fireflight their band name, when she was singing at a sibling's graduation ceremony. They self-released an album, misleadingly titled Glam-Rok, in 2002, and their audience has grown with each album since.- CEDDY

Click here to listen to Fireflight. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/37163-fireflight.html http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36682-jj-heller.html Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:45:59 GMT Click here to listen to JJ Heller. (http://art.8800315) Click here to listen to JJ Heller. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36682-jj-heller.html http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36420-misty-edwards.html Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:37:33 GMT Click here to listen to Misty Edwards. (http://art.10605857) Click here to listen to Misty Edwards. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36420-misty-edwards.html http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36374-christ-nations-music.html Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:11:14 GMT Click here to listen to Christ For The Nations Music. (http://art.17673351) Click here to listen to Christ For The Nations Music. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36374-christ-nations-music.html http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36262-doyle-lawson.html Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:35:30 GMT Not only is Doyle Lawson revered as a prodigy of the mandolin, but he is also credited with popularizing the integration of gospel-style vocals in... Not only is Doyle Lawson revered as a prodigy of the mandolin, but he is also credited with popularizing the integration of gospel-style vocals in bluegrass music. He grew up singing gospel and taught himself how to play banjo, guitar and mandolin at the young age of 11. In the early 1960s he picked banjo for a stringband known as Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys before picking up his mandolin and joining J.D. Crowe & the Kentucky Mountain Boys a few years later. The early '70s brought Lawson a near-decade tenure with the Country Gentlemen, a stalwart traditional bluegrass outfit. In 1979, only he formed Quicksilver, a bluegrass outfit that was even more steeped in gospel tradition; by then Lawson had proclaimed himself saved by the Lord and was inflamed with a sense of mission. His love for God put a noticeable amount of feeling and power into his pristine harmonies, as heard on 1998's Gospel Radio Gems, which focused more on gospel and much less on bluegrass. The cool thing about that album is that it was recorded using the traditional approach of playing and singing live into only one (vintage) microphone. Lawson continues to record and perform spiritual-laden bluegrass with Quicksilver and also hosts the annual Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver bluegrass festival in Denton, North Carolina. - Eric Shea

Click here to listen to Doyle Lawson. ]]> RSS http://www.evangelicalchristianforums.com/top-christian-artists-charts/36262-doyle-lawson.html