I…don’t like Christian music.
Or at least...I don't like most of it.
And if you’ve hung around my blog for any amount of time you’ve probably noticed that I love music. Film soundtracks are always highlighted in my film reviews, and I regularly recommend songs or music artists in my blog emails (if you want to receive those for yourself, subscribe here!). I even highlighted the link to my Spotify account in my social links so anyone can see what I’ve been listening to.
I listen to basically everything, the exception being that it isn’t super dark or dirty, because just like with reading or entertainment, as a Christian, I believe I’m called to fill my mind with things that are lovely and of good report.
So yes, music is a big deal for me. This means I have high expectations for Christian music. And thus far in my musical listening career...I have often been sorely disappointed. I regularly find that I’m resonating with artists like The Script or The Beatles instead of many of the biggest Christian artists today.
I don't try to judge Christian music by the musical quality, because as a smaller industry it's incredibly difficult for the Christian industry to produce as high quality work musically as the secular industry. The Christian industry just doesn't have the same backing or funds.
Instead I'm trying to hone in on the meaning of the lyrics, and the messages of the songs we're getting from most mainstream Christian artists.
I think lyrically, secular music can often be more honest than Christian music.
The issue I find with a lot of Christian mainstream is that they're trying to highlight the wrong message. Many have overarching themes of “feel better” “it’ll all be okay” “I’m a Christian, so I'm strong”.
Meanwhile, artists like JVKE and Five For Fighting aren't shying away from singing about the serious stuff, the hard stuff, the things we struggle with. Because to be honest, some days you don't feel better Some days, nothing's okay. And like Paul says, we're only strong when we become weak.
There's definitely an important line here; dwelling continually on the sad things in life isn't healthy, and it isn't what Christ wants for us. The best music will also be able to have a redemptive message even while acknowledging the hard things.
However, I believe the point of Christian music isn’t to cause our problems to go away. It’s to cause us to see our problems in a new way: through the lenses of the Gospel and what Christ has done for us.
When my friend Molly McTernan sent me the comedic Worship Song Song poking fun at modern Christian music, it was saddeningly accurate. The refrain, “It’s repetitive, it’s repetitive, all my problems are gone” doesn’t hit far from the reality that is modern Christian music.
So today I’d love to recommend eleven underappreciated Christian artists that are singing (or have sung) their hearts out for Jesus. They create music celebrating the joy we have in Christ while also noting the struggles and difficulties we face as pilgrims travelling the road of our Savior.
These artists aren’t listed in any particular order, but I hope that one or two of them can provide some good, solid listening for you, music that causes you to worship our Mighty God.
#1: Sarah Sparks
Sarah Sparks has been writing music since she was in college. When asked why she writes songs, she says,
“I try to say exactly what I mean. My goal in songwriting is clear communication. Be it by storytelling, melody, or illustration, my hope is that the message of the song is heard and felt, and that the hearer will be both confronted by truth and comforted by it.”
Some songs from Sara
#2: Forrest Frank
Some of us prefer upbeat Christian to the folksy solemn stuff. Forrest Frank provides exactly that. Besides being a member of the Christian band Surfaces (Sunday Best, anyone?) Forrest is an independent producer and songwriter. He recently released a new album, CHILD OF GOD.
Some songs from Forrest
#3: Andrew Peterson
Widely known as the author of the popular MG fantasy series The Wingfeather Saga, before he was writing books Andrew was writing songs. Andrew Peterson is one of my personal favorites, and he’s acclaimed for his deep, thoughtful lyrics heavily steeped in direct Scripture.
Some songs from Andrew
#4: Rich Mullens
Even though he died tragically at a young age in a car accident, Rich Mullens left a rich legacy through his music. Andrew Peterson cites him as one of his heroes, and listening to Rich's music it’s not difficult to see why. Famous artists like Adam Young have gone so far as to produce their own covers of some of his well-known songs.
Some songs from Rich
#5: Switchfoot
Switchfoot is a classic, and if you haven’t heard of them before now go listen to them right now. Although some Christians considered them “edgy” because of being a rock band when they came onto the music scene in the ‘90s, Switchfoot’s lyrics are solidly biblical. I highly recommend them to whoever you are, but especially if you enjoy rock.
Some songs from Switchfoot
#6: Adam Young
Adam Young has had an incredible career as a world famous music artist, but that has only served to deepen his faith. Not only is he the lone artist behind the world acclaimed band Owl City, but he composed nine instrumental soundtracks under his real name while also running quieter side projects like Sky Sailing and Port Blue. No matter what he’s doing in the music industry, his faith shines bright through it all. His cover of In Christ Alone is gorgeous, and the songs he's written about his faith are even more so. I recommend everything and anything from Adam Young; he's my all-time favorite music artist in just about every category.
Some songs from Adam
#7: CityAlight
The CityAlight band takes its roots from St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Australia. Similar to Keith and Kristyn Getty, they write beautiful modern hymns.
Some songs from CityAlight
#8: Fernando Ortega
When I was little (before the age of bluetooth) we had a CD player in our bedroom that played an old Fernando Ortega CD for me and my siblings to fall asleep to every night. Fernando’s voice is beautiful, and his rendition of Give Me Jesus is by far the best you can find anywhere.
Some songs from Fernando
#9: Chris Rice
Chris Rice writes his own songs, but he also places heavy importance on classical hymns. His Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project brings to life some of the oldest and dearest of Christian songs. Instead of rewriting and changing them like many modern Christian artists, he mostly sticks to the original melodies.
Some songs from Chris
#10: Matthew West
Matthew West is a popular Christian music artist and he speaks (or rather, sings) deep, meaningful songs about what it means to be a Christian and a follower of Christ. I highly, highly recommend his music!
Some songs from Matthew
#11: Ellie Holcomb
Ellie Holcomb is a wife, a mother, and a music artist. Her unique voice and special lyrics really speak to the heart; I love how biblical and spot-on her songs are.
Some songs from Ellie
All of these artists have impacted my faith journey and continue to inspire me to get in the Word and worship the Lord. I hope that they can do the same for you!
It seems we have similar taste in music, Emma! I love a lot of those artists, and I think they deserve the same praise as, say, Chris Tomlin
Ooh- I'll have to check some of those! While I have a few misgivings about some of those artists being unintelligible to me (especially Sarah Sparks, but also Andrew Petersen on some of his songs), I've always enjoyed the variety and richness of the lyrics they employ (:
I feel like The Arcadian Wild would fit right in with the artists you listed!
Such great music recommendations. Thanks for this! :D
-Hannah Smith
This reminds me of a quote by Massimo De Feo (one of my church leaders). He said
"Some time ago I asked my wife, “Can you tell me why, as far as I remember, we have never had any major problems in our lives?” She looked at me and said, “Sure. I’ll tell you why we have never had any major problems; it’s because you have a very short memory!” Her quick and smart answer made me realize once again that living the gospel of Jesus Christ does not remove pain and trials, which are necessary to grow. The gospel is not a way to avoid challenges and problems but a solution to increase our faith and learn how to…
I agree. The message put out by most Christian songs is questionable to say the least. But I would say that there are a few more artists that still share a Biblical message. MercyMe, Brandon Heath, Zach Williams, and Shayne&Shayne come to my mind (though I must say that I am talking about older songs that they sing, I don't know about any of their newer stuff). A provoking question though, great post!