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Denver & The Mile High Orchestra
Lion of Zion

Arguably the most fun album of the year. Think big band. Think swing. Think, "If Frank Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr. were a Christian … " Well, you'd get something like this!

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Superchic[k]
Inpop

This gets the other argument for the year's funnest album. Superchic[k], founded by Church of Rhythm's Max Hsu, has a great message for teen girls struggling with self-esteem: God don't make mistakes, and he thinks you're beautiful!

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Michael W. Smith
Reunion

This CD released on September 11 with a message for a nation gripped with fear: God is still in control and worthy of praise. People who attended the live taping for Worship say it was one of the most spiritually moving times of their lives, and the CD captures that spirit very well.

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Caedmon's Call
Essential

Before they were famous, Caedmon's was leading worship services at its home church in Houston. And they still do. So it's fitting that they would do a worship album, and this one's better than most.

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T-Bone
Flicker

What makes T-Bone's rap music vital is its ability to reach kids on the streets — where he was before finding Christ. He uses street language-such as pimpin' and crack houses — that's, frankly, sometimes disturbing. But the lyrics are also jam-packed with the life-saving message of the gospel. One of the most socially relevant albums of the year.

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Steven Curtis Chapman
Sparrow

What do you expect from a guy who brings home Doves and Grammys by the truckload? You expect more great music. Chapman certainly delivers here, with "walls of guitars," as he describes it. Add the most confessional lyrics of his career — with lines such as, "The pain falls like a curtain on the things I once called certain / And I have to say the words I fear the most: I don't know" — and you've got another award winner.

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Nicole C. Mullen
Word

After an incredible self-titled debut — which garnered Dove Awards for Song of the Year ("Redeemer") and Songwriter of the Year — expectations for Nicole C. Mullen's sophomore project were high. But she has delivered and then some. Stunning vocals and an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, gospel and more will make this a regular in my player for years.

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Third Day
Essential

The best rock band in Christian music keeps getting better. There's plenty of the band's typical Southern rock, plus a few fine worship songs — the genre in which Third Day snagged five Dove Awards from last year's Offerings CD. Come Together's title cut is a rousing call to break down denominational walls, also sure to be a favorite.

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Jennifer Knapp
Gotee

Jennifer Knapp's music has always swept me away, and The Way I Am is no different. It includes a good mix of rock and folk, with sumptuous support from the London Symphony Orchestra. But it's Knapp's knack with a pen that makes her music soar. One of the finest lyricists around — Christian or secular — Knapp's songwriting takes the listener to another place.

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