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CeCe Winans
Wellspring / Sparrow

I love that this industry veteran has reinvented herself, showcasing her funkier side yet remaining true to all we've grown to love about CeCe and her family's musical legacy (read: amazing vocals and rock-solid faith). Along with her signature sweeping ballads, complemented by lush orchestrations, you'll hear some great car jamming songs, including "Out My House," a total dance hit about spiritual warfare co-written by CeCe herself. On this aptly self-titled album, I think CeCe's really come into her own as a solo artist.

Read the original review here.

Caedmon's Call
Essential

During a year full of worship releases, Caedmon's Call's latest offering rises to the top. Instead of covering the latest contemporary worship favorites or forcing worship into an ill-fitting sound (as several artists did this year), this multi-talented group expanded our thinking about what constitutes worship by combining the best elements of praise songs old and new. There are a few old hymns with contemporary yet reverent makeovers and new worship songs that offer depth and poetic lyrics instead of simple repetitive choruses (which, don't get me wrong, also have their place). And all that's old on this album is made new with Caedmon's Call's signature modern acoustic folk-pop sound.

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Sara Groves
INO

I can't think of a better title for this album full of conversational musings about life. Not only can I picture Sara performing these modern folk songs in a coffee shop, I can also picture her saying these lyrics to me over coffee as together we grapple with straining to hear God' s voice, recognizing the infallability of Scripture, idealizing the past, and eagerly anticipating our future in heaven. Amidst her questions are the kind of challenges, insights, and wisdom I need to hear and offer more regularly in my own conversations.

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Cindy Morgan
Word

The diversity on singer/songwriter extraordinnaire Cindy Morgan's latest album is nearly dizzying. There's '70s Latin pop, lounge jazz, Abba-esque pop, her signature piano ballads, and even a Harry Connick Jr.-ish ditty. The unifying factors are Cindy's strong vocals, clever songwriting, and theme of hope and joy. The latter is a nice progression from her last album, the weightier Easter-themed The Loving Kind. Sound-wise she's pulled together the strong artistry of that album and the best of her inspo-pop days. I get the impression Cindy had fun recording this album, which makes it all the more easy to enjoy knowing she's not just trying to make us smile, she's smiling right along with us.

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Superchic[k]
Inpop

This way fun album can be summed up in four words: God-centered girl power. The beauty is that the album encourages us chicks to take ourselves seriously as valued creations of the Most High God, while simultaneously encouraging us not to take ourselves too seriously by injecting the songs with clever lyrics and modern punk-pop stylings (think The Go-Gos meets All Star United). Purity, self-assurance, and sold-out faith have never been more infectious, fun, and hip.

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Bebo Norman
Watershed/Essential

This is a Saturday morning album, the kind I love to listen to while curled up under a blanket sipping coffee and savoring a day off from the usual pressures of life. It's not sleepy, it' s just that the lyrics engage the mind and emotions (with topics such as loneliness and recognizing God's presence all around us) while the acoustic-based pop doesn't beat you over the head musically. I'd swear Bebo was channeling Marc Cohn at moments during this album, if I believed in such things. He's got the same dreamy, folky, whispery quality to his voice that makes Marc's songs ("True Companion," "Walking in Memphis") compelling. And how sweet is a guy who sings about his mom and his someday-wife?!

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