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Andrew Peterson
Fervent Records

A songwriter's songwriter of the same caliber as Rich Mullins and Sara Groves, and one deserving of more recognition for his strong sense of melody and lyrical insight. Andrew Peterson has long relied on Scripture and personal anecdotes to color his storytelling, but this time he refines his wordplay further by drawing on his love of fantasy and literature, resulting in songs of increased depth, yet still very approachable. Though the album is seemingly preoccupied with death, it is actually a joyful affirmation of life and the journey to our true home in heaven. That's a message all can appreciate: old and young, healthy and infirmed. Bolstered by top-notch musicianship, The Far Country ranks with the artist's best—an engaging folk pop album much richer than the average coffee house offering.
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Jars of Clay
Essential Records/Provident Music Group

Jars of Clay hasn't slipped up yet over their acclaimed ten-year career, and Redemption Songs continues their streak of artistic excellence. The album is in essence another modernized collection of old hymns, giving new life to church favorites with earthy folk/pop arrangements like "Nothing but the Blood" and "I'll Fly Away." But in a creative twist, Jars keeps the primary focus on the profoundly worded lyrics of comfort and grace, even setting 18th century texts to music for the first time in songs such as "Hiding Place" and "God Will Lift Up Your Head." This is a stirring mix of old and new—not to mention familiar and obscure—that connects the modern church with its rich musical legacy. And this is an album that resonates and rewards more and more with every listen.
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4th Avenue Jones
Gotee Records

The most wholly original sounding release of the year, but then you might have guessed that just from the title. Comparisons to The Roots, early Black Eyed Peas, 311, N.E.R.D. and a far more urban sounding Earthsuit are all apt, yet not one of them is completely accurate either. 4th Avenue Jones offers a potent stylistic blend of hip-hop attitude, with aggressive electric guitar riffs, and soulful vocals from both front man Ahmad Jones and his wife Tena—oh, and why not color it with some funk, R&B, jazz, and a violin as well. The genre bending all works together as a soul-searching conceptual rock opera documenting relational struggles. Theatrical, dramatic, and captivating—it's sonic mishmash unlike anything else on the scene, and an example of what more Christian hip-hop artists can aspire to creatively.
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