Ziklag Offramp, Ziklag Offramp (2013) / Bandcamp For the Canadian fourpiece Ziklag Offramp, nailing the sound to a single genre can be a bit of a difficult task, and this is very evident in their 2013 independent debut album, Ziklag Offramp. The band's sound contains traces of folk, Americana, southern rock, soul, and country. The varying sounds can partly be attributed to the fact that the tracks aren't all written or composed by the same member of the band; for instance, "Carpenter Song," "Broken," and "Vineyard of Red Wine" are all written by guitarist... Read the Full Review	Americana / Folk Rock
	Line In The Sand, Line In The Sand EP (2012) / LineintheSandband.com If you're in your mid-teens and you can say that your band has opened for Building 429, Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North, and BarlowGirl, then your band already has an impressive resume in the Christian music world. And the Indiana-based, power pop/rock band Line in the Sand is able to say that, at the ages of 15 and 16 years old. Their discography consists of a self-titled EP they put out in 2012, featuring three songs written and performed by these five teens. The three songs are super positive... Read the Full Review	Electronic / Rock
	Redeemed, The King Is Coming (2011) / Redeemedmusic.webs.com A group of five friends who love Jesus and music, Redeemed exists to sing their praises to the God who created them. In 2011, they recorded their debut full length album, entitled The King Is Coming. Redeemed's sound is quite recognizable from the get-go; you may not have heard them before (or heard of them), but as a Christian music fan, you've undoubtedly heard your fair share of bands that sound just like them. Let me pinpoint their specific sound a little more precisely: imagine a merging of Hillsong... Read the Full Review	Electronic / Rock
	The Explanation, The Explanation (2013) / Myspace Robert Harris is a man of many trades; from programming, mixing, and producing albums to writing and performing his own music, he knows the technical aspects of music inside and out. In 2013, he is debuting his very first album, under the project name The Explanation. And his self-titled debut is sure to catch the ears of some fans with his untypical approach to pop music. The Explanation is a rather interesting ride at first, with the opening song, "The Circuit," taking on a very heavy Metric... Read the Full Review	Electronic / Rock
	Ergo Rex, Breathe In The Roar (2013) / ErgoRex.com Rock trio ER released their debut album, The Risk of Tragedy, a couple of years ago, not too long after initially forming. Now, just over two years later, the boys are back with a new album, and a new name (or they possibly just revealed what ER stood for all along). Ergo Rex is back with their second full-length album, Breathe in the Roar. Ergo Rex opens up their album with a bit of an odd track, "Save the Freaks." It features a strange mixture of 80s anthemic metal and modern rock (like what you would have... Read the Full Review	Rock
	Joe Miralles, Under The Sun EP (2012) / JoeMiralles.com For the better part of two decades, Pennsylvania-based singer/songwriter Joe Miralles has been honing his craft, writing and performing his own songs for varying crowds. Now, with a handful of albums to his name, Miralles has five new songs ready for his 2012 EP Under the Sun. It doesn't take long to get a feel for what Miralles has to offer here; just a few lines into opener "Under the Sun," you know what to expect for the rest of the EP. Under the Sun is a slightly-underproduced, 90s style singer/songwriter... Read the Full Review	Acoustic / Folk / Pop Rock
	Narrow Path, And Still (2012) / NarrowPath.us From the state of Indiana comes independent rock band Narrow Path, with their latest composition, And Still. The album is all Narrow Path original recordings, which were mixed and mastered by none other than The Digital Age themselves at Asterisk Sound studio. It's a wise move on the part of Narrow Path, as The Digital Age is not only known for quality musicianship, but also making what they touch sound as best as they can (and they captured Narrow Path's sound perfectly). If you're wondering what you can expect from them before... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock / Southern Rock
	Christa Rooks, At His Feet (2012) / ChristaRooks.com Christa Rooks is a singer/songwriter and worship leader at her home church in Covington, Georgia. In an effort to further her ministry with her husband, Rooks took to recording worship songs, which lead to a recording partnership with Jason Hoard (known for his work with According To John and Third Day). Rooks' first EP, At His Feet, is a contemporary pop release, mixing two Rooks originals and three borrowed songs. The EP starts with the three covers; "Carry Your Name," as made famous by Christy Nockels, leads the pack... Read the Full Review	Worship / Contemporary
	Chris Bernstorf, Move (2012) / Facebook The art of spoken word was something you didn't hear too much about in Christian entertainment for a long time. In the last decade, though, we've gotten excellent artists to have offered up their talents in the field, such as Bradley Hathaway, Levi the Poet, and Propaganda. At the same time, thanks to the internet, which gives anyone, anywhere, and at anytime the power to do whatever they want, we've also gotten loads of people who have a passion for spoken word, with more failures than accomplishments. Enter Chris Bernstorf and his new album Move... Read the Full Review	Spoken Word
	Jamie Nunnally, Hope Remains EP (2012) / JamieNunnally.com A humble and God-loving singer/songwriter from southern Georgia, Jamie Nunnally has written and recorded seven new worship tracks for his EP Hope Remains. The purpose of the EP was not to make a name for himself in the Christian music industry, but to give the Body of Christ some new songs with which to worship the Savior. With this in mind, Nunnally's music is such that it would definitely fit in to most contemporary church's Sunday morning worship services, so long as they don't mind a little... Read the Full Review	Worship
	OneNameOnly, Jesus (2012) / OneNameOnly.org The United Kingdom-based worship project OneNameOnly is an interesting concept; it's a band full of songwriters and musicians that are so focused on putting Jesus in the center of everything, that they're choosing to remain completely anonymous. In a further effort to put Him front and center, the title of their new worship album is the name referenced in "OneNameOnly," Jesus. Theirs is a worship album like many, many others in their genre, sounding as contemporary pop as it gets. They change the sounds... Read the Full Review	Worship
	Machaira, Play Loud, Preach Hard (2012) / Machaira Machaira is a jazz and blues foursome from the Northern California area, and is composed of four tight-knit friends and believers in Jesus. The group has been playing for more than twenty years (in various incarnations), and have even traveled the world with their music. Machaira released a couple of albums during the nineties and then released their first album with frontman Jon Brown in 2002. Their sixth album release is a very full, full-length album called Play Loud, Preach Hard. The album's tracklist is definitely an intimidating one... Read the Full Review	Jam / Funk
	Various Artists, Hip Hop and Jr. College EP (2012) / Noisetrade Chicago radio personality Seth Tower Hurd is writing a four-part book series with the first volume to focus on racial healing. Hurd pens his thoughts and experiences of playing basketball at a predominantly black college and what he took from those times. The ebook will be offered for $0.99, and this little EP is absolutely free and designed to give a bit of backstory of where he's coming from while featuring the artists who supported his first book. Titled Hip Hop and Junior College, the EP offers four hip... Read the Full Review	Hip Hop
	David Hertweck, The Mendon House EP (2012) / iTunes Oftentimes, all it takes is a friend's guidance for a musician to get a footing and put out some music. Such was the case for singer/songwriter David Hertweck. After teaming up with an independent producer friend, Hertweck took to a small studio and recorded The Mendon House EP. The opening song, "Chosen Mystery," has some fun, upbeat piano that doesn't rely on merely chords, but the rest of the EP offers song structures that are rather quiet and simple, with a lot of basic keyboard, guitars, synth, and drums... Read the Full Review	Contemporary / Pop
	Rachel Frecka, Rays of Mercy (2012) / Facebook Page Rachel Frecka is a Texan-turned-Russian who got her start in music with family sing-alongs and leading worship for her church youth group. After putting her missionary journey in front of her music, she finally started writing again in 2011, and has now readied her first album, Rays of Mercy. Frecka's debut recording is a contemporary worship album that has a lot of American influence as well as influence from the different parts of the world she's visited. "Holy" is the first example of this, with... Read the Full Review
	Random Hero, Breakdown EP (2011) / Facebook Page Last year, independent music was treated to a small offering by rock band Random Hero. The EP was called Breakdown and featured three songs, all of which were produced and co-written by former Skillet guitarist Ben Kasica. Knowing Kasica was involved becomes all too apparent when you listen to Breakdown, as each song sounds like it could've been a Skillet b-side (but maybe with a different vocalist, although John Cooper definitely has some sort of influence on the vocals). There's also a little... Read the Full Review	Rock
	Jimbo Rocko, Real Life Stories EP (2012) / JimboRocko.com Pop musician James Larrick, aka Jimbo Rocko, released a five-song EP in 2010 called Future Sounds. His signature style was urban, auto-tune laced party pop music, which, if nothing else, sounds fun, but the EP as a whole was underwhelming. Two years later, Jimbo Rocko is back with five more songs that have a different musical focus for his new EP Real Life Stories. The sound shift is rather interesting; while Future Sounds tried very hard to make Christian-themed club music, Real Life Stories... Read the Full Review	AC / Worship
	Adam Villiers, Show Me The Way To Your Heart (2012) / AdamVilliers.com One of the saddest things in music is when a Christian artist writes songs of worship for the sole purpose of selling it and making money. This doesn't apply to 100% of artists who make worship music, but the number is a lot larger than it should be. That's why it's encouraging to come across a worship leader whose backstory shows you that he or she is authentic. Such is the case with singer/songwriter Adam Villiers and his new album Show Me The Way To Your Heart. Reading his backstory before listening to his songs almost adds... Read the Full Review	AC / Worship
	Todd Hoover, The Whole Spirit: Redemption Songs (2012) / Bandcamp Phoenix, Arizona-based singer/songwriter and theological seminary student Todd Hoover has been hard at work lately both earning his degree and writing songs for his new album, The Whole Spirit: Redemption Songs. The style of music that Hoover best fits into is something like what you might call "gypsy music." It's very folksy and a little hard to get into unless you're in the absolute right mood. The first three tracks follow this pattern, singing about God's continued faithfulness over the years and His promise... Read the Full Review	Folk / Indie
	Mosteller, This Is Life (2012) / Facebook Composed of four worship pastors with a heart for ministry, Ohio contemporary pop rock band Mosteller has been creating their own tunes for about four years, fronted by guitarist and lead singer Justin Mosteller. Their first full-length record released this year, entitled This Is Life. The whole of the record has a ring of familiarity to it, resembling a lot of rock-based contemporary Christian artists that are ever so popular these days, like Jeremy Camp and Matt Maher. Tracks like the opener "Glorious Day" and "Remember"... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock / Worship
	Mike Pavelka, Life Is A Journey (2012) / MikePavelka.com Robstown, Texas native Mike Pavelka is making waves in his surrounding area with his music, having recently released an EP called Guided By The Holy Spirit. It created a lot of anticipation for more, which he satisfied back in February with his first full-length solo album called Life Is A Journey. Pavelka's Texas roots really show in his music, as it leans very heavily toward country music (except that Pavelka doesn't really have a twang in his voice - though some of the songs have a twang in the guitar, such as the love song "My Very Angel")... Read the Full Review	Adult Contemporary
	Christa Wells & Nicole Witt, Image of God EP (2011) / christawellsmusic.com Christa Wells and Nicole Witt are two singer/songwriters who have spent most of their music career writing songs for other artists, such as Rodney Atkins, Point of Grace and Natalie Grant (Christa Wells actually wrote Grant's mega popular song "Held"). With some solo work also under their belts, they've shown they can hold their own. In late 2011, the two got together to record a short EP entitled Image of God. The duo's sound consists of a little bit of folk (most notably in the EP's highlight "Set Free," which bears a Tal & Acacia resemblance)... Read the Full Review	Worship
	737, Convinced (2012) / 737music.com Hailing from Indianapolis, rapper and speaker Jeff McIntosh, better known as 737 (pronounced seven-three-seven), and formerly known as J-Mack, has recently released his newest independent album, Convinced. While Indiana is far from a hot bed for rap artists, 737 is making a strong go of it. While he looks like a younger Joshua Jackson, he doesn't have the Eminem sound you may expect. Instead, 737's sound is more similar to that of Json or Flame (there's even a hint of Red Cloud here and there). Overall, the record... Read the Full Review	Hip Hop / Rap
	Summertime's End, Light and Colour (2012) / SummertimesEnd.com One-man band Summertime's End is the brainchild of Australian singer songwriter Daniel Throssell. He self-released his first album, With Love From Where You're Not, in December of 2010, and recently released his follow up, Light and Colour. He admits that his intent with Summertime's End is to blend the music and lyric stylings of his two favorite artists, Relient K and Owl City (in fact, he mentions their names several times in his bio). The good news about this is that he happens to succeed in his attempts. From the very start of... Read the Full Review	Pop / Rock / Electronic
	Robbie Oster, My King (2012) / RobbieOster.com Moorpark, California worship leader, Robbie Oster started leading worship in 2005. A couple of years later (with several years more of playing music behind him), Oster started focusing more on writing and recording his own music. In 2011, he finished his first studio album, My King. Oster's music has a heavy 90s music vibe, but is more like a modern take on the 90s alternative scene than anything. Vocally, he sounds like he could have been in a pop punk band from that era, and then his voice matured some; in fact, think blink 182's Tom DeLonge mixed with a good... Read the Full Review	Rock / Pop / Worship
	mikemurphyband, Rise + Awaken EP (2012) / mikemurphyband.com In February of 2011, a group of college kids leading worship for their campus' outreach program decided to make more of the situation and start recording some of their songs. Exactly a year later, mikemurphyband released their debut worship EP, Rise + Awaken. The band's mission with this album, according to their bio: "Musically, Rise + Awaken offers a new take on worship music, that they hope will be used to glorify God in the local church as well as the global church to impact generations." From the opening guitar riffs of "Forevermore," it becomes very apparent... Read the Full Review	Modern Worship
	CoveredScars, What Words Will Do (2012) / CoveredScars.com For 13 years, hard rock group CoveredScars (formerly Covered In Scars) have been creating music that they hope will glorify the name of Jesus and help people find their way. Their latest album is called What Words Will Do. CoveredScars lists bands like Alice In Chains, Metallica and Static X (among a few others) as musical influences, and when you listen to What Words Will Do, you'll know it even without reading their bio. Json Eaves' vocals go back and forth between melodic and screaming. When he's singing, it sounds like an exaggerated take on Alice In Chains' Layne Staley... Read the Full Review	Rock/Grunge
	Dan Macaulay, From You, For You (2012) / DanMacaulay.com Dan Macaulay is a Canadian-born worship leader for a church in Connecticut, as well as an accomplished musician who has won several Canadian music awards. After teaching how to lead worship to a group of believers in Malaysia, Macaulay came back home inspired to write a new batch of songs. These songs, along with a song penned by Michael W. Smith ("Breathe In Me," which actually features Smitty on piano), make up Macaulay's new worship album, From You, For You. Even from the album title, one can tell that the songs will be completely and totally dedicated to God; one listen confirms it... Read the Full Review	Worship
	Jehu Riders, Awake O Sleeper (2011) / AmazonMP3 Jehu Riders are a young, three-piece hardcore band from Williamsburg, Virginia. Referring to their brand of music as "warship" (because their message is both worshipful and focused on spiritual warfare), they've recently released a six-track EP on their own that they call Awake O Sleeper. While the warfare aspects are mainly that of a spiritual nature, they use physical warfare as a metaphor. The militaristic metaphor gets going from the EP intro, "The Alarm," which features an awkward sort of marching music... Read the Full Review	Hardcore
	The Psalms Project, The Psalms Project - Volume 1: Psalms 1-10 (2011) / iTunes In an effort to bring a renewed sense of wonder and realism to the book of the Bible we call the Psalms, singer/songwriter Shane Heilman teamed up with a host of other musicians to work on a multiple-album project called The Psalms Project. The first edition is called Volume One: Psalms 1-10. Each track is numbered along with its respective Psalm, with a summary of the Psalm's message in parentheses to serve as its song title. Lyrically, the songs are not the Psalms word-for-word (or if they are, it's not clear which Bible translation is used), but rather, a reimagining of the words... Read the Full Review	Worship / Contemporary
	Kevin Danzig, Believe (2011) / CDBaby.com Acoustic rock singer Kevin Danzig has been releasing his own albums since 1983, and has kept going strong all these years. Almost thirty years later, Danzig traveled to Lawrence, Kansas to record his newest album, Loud and Clear, which he released in December of 2011. Danzig's folk and Americana roots show up, giving each song a sort of down-home feel. Loud and Clear can easily be considered a southern rock album in those aspects. There are also very noticeable traces of other bands' sounds throughout the album; whether he considers them influences or not isn't mentioned in his bio... Read the Full Review	Americana / Southern Rock
	Brandee Nielsen, Believe (2011) / BelieveinChrist.net After struggling with boldness for her Savior, and subsequently falling into a load of addictions, pop rock artist Brandee Nielsen refound her faith in Christ and started on her latest album, Believe. Some of Believe consists of songs that Nielsen rewrote to give them a clearer spiritual message, such as the album's opener, "I'm Alive." Speaking from her past experiences, Nielsen has an easy time crafting encouraging lyrics that remind us that Jesus is alive ("Behold The Barren Cross")... Read the Full Review	Pop / Alternative
	Adam Wheatley, Beauty In The Breaking Down EP (2011) / AdamWheatley.com Sometimes an artist's start can come in a completely unexpected manner. Such is the case for Tennessee pop/country artist Adam Wheatley. Wheatley was randomly asked to lead his church's youth group in worship one evening, and from there, he began to feel that his knack for music would take him places. After meeting a few other singer/songwriters in the surrounding area, such as Andrew Osenga from Caedmon's Call, Wheatley started... Read the Full Review	Folk Rock
	Brightwork, Loving Rescue EP (2011) / BrightworkBand.com Brightwork is a group of four guys who got together in early 2009 and have been relentlessly playing shows and recording albums ever since. 2010 saw their first official EP, and now they're back a year later with their follow up EP, Loving Rescue. The five songs show a talent for their respective instruments, but they also give off the feeling of "playing it safe." Brightwork's sound is somewhat of a hybrid of Jars of Clay, Nevertheless... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock
	Don Ward, Broken (2011) / Facebook Don Ward is a musician who has worked with quite a few big names in the music industry. He's either played with or recorded music for artists like Olivia Newton-John, Journey, CeCe Winans, Eddie Money and more. He's also a Grammy-nominated artist who has recently released his own solo album, entitled Broken, which explores some of his gospel stylings as well as a good portion of jazz. It's easy listening that makes for good background music... Read the Full Review	Gospel / Jazz
	Aryn Michelle, Last One Standing (2011) / ArynMichelle.com A self-taught and self-motivated musician from the middle of Texas, Aryn Michelle has been determined to make a name for herself in the music industry. She debuted in the industry when she released Lockless Heart in 2009 while still working toward a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The next couple of years were kind to her, as she received lots of recognition for her music, including being a finalist in several different... Read the Full Review	Pop / Alt Rock
	Five Smooth Stones, Beneath The Finite Sky (2011) / BeneathTheFiniteSky.com Coming out of the Hereford Zone in Maryland, indie rock band Five Smooth Stones are familiar with playing shows for both large and small crowds. Whether it's a coffee shop or a semi-local festival, they've been there, done that. They put out a five-song EP in 2004, with their first official full-length releasing in early 2009. Still an independent band, this year saw their second full-length album, Beneath The Finite Sky... Read the Full Review	Rock
	Keith Elgin, Keith Elgin EP (2011) / KeithElgin.com Washington, D.C. worship leader Keith Elgin has been receiving accolades from the likes of Grammy Award-winning producers for his last two worship albums. In 2011, he's ready for his third release, a short, self-titled EP. The EP contains six songs, two of which are cover songs ("Stronger" and "Remain," originally by Hillsong and Starfield, respectively), while the rest are originals. The last song on the tracklist, "Our Hope Is In You"... Read the Full Review	Worship / Pop
	Aaron David, This Is Me (2011) / AaronDavidMusic.net San Antonio, Texas native Aaron David has been involved in church worship teams since the late 90s when he was playing keyboards for the youth worship team (while primarily focusing on another band called Dave Bell and the Lion of Judah). He soon moved up to leader of the youth worship team, then relocated to Houston in 2006 to lead the youth worship team at Lakewood Church, and shortly thereafter became the lead worshiper... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock
	Eileen Howard, Make Over (2010) / Southsideharmony.com Eileen Howard is an artist with over twenty years of music experience under her belt. Starting out as a garage rock artist, she soon ended up traveling the world singing contemporary songs for various audiences. Since 2002, she's been a recording artist when she released her first album, All Kinds of Weather. Nine years later, she's prepared her third full-length album called Make Over. Since her garage rock days... Read the Full Review	Jazz / Lounge
	Vernon Little, A New Beginning (2011) / SonicBids.com/VernonLittle New York-based pastor and hip hop artist Vernon Little has been involved with hip hop music since 1985. With a long history of the music under his belt, he's scheduled his latest solo album, called A New Beginning, for a November release. The first thing to say about A New Beginning is that you can definitely hear his 80s roots throughout, from the beats and music to Little's rhyme style... Read the Full Review	Hip Hop
	After The Chase, You Are My Child (2011) / AfterTheChase.com After connecting through the worship band they were both a part of (and subsequently marrying), Nathan and Jenna Strong are now the head of their own band, After the Chase. In 2004, the duo, and their accompanying band of musicians, released their first official recording as After the Chase, a self-titled full-length album. Another album followed in 2008, and their third this year. Entitled You Are My Child... Read the Full Review	Folk / Pop
	Relevant Discord, Dual Singles EP (2011) / RelevantDiscord.com Rock band Relevant Discord (aka, the one-man band headed up by musician Nick Depew) is taking a slightly different approach to releasing a full-length album. The full-length, called The Pathways of Brokenness, will be released in increments, starting off with two songs that are available on this dual-singles EP; the first song is called "The Days of Deferment" and the second is "The Refrain... Read the Full Review	Rock
	KaelumWay, Pictures of Home EP (2011) / KaelumWay.com Nashua, New Hampshire-based rock band KaelumWay is a fairly new band, but has already begun making an impact on its surrounding area. Opening for popular acts like Everyday Sunday and Cool Hand Luke, KaelumWay has increased their fanbase just in time for the release of their first album, Pictures of Home. It contains six songs, all of which can easily be classified as rock, though they do include some soft rock in the mix as well. Reading their bio, we discover that the band... Read the Full Review	Rock
	Daylight Worship, We are Weak//He Is Strong (2011) / DaylightWorship.com In late 2009, Canadian worshippers Daylight got together and recorded a seven-song EP called Behold The King, which they released October of that year. It wasn't great, but the guys in the band displayed their passion for worship and ministry through their songs well. This year, they have a new set of songs for everyone to hear, and it's their first full-length album, which they've titled We are Weak//He Is Strong. The biggest positive aspect of the album, as well as Daylight's music... Read the Full Review	Worship
	Maywood, Maywood (2010) / MaywoodBand.com With a heart for the lost and a passion for fellowship within the Christian community, Missouri natives Maywood released a full-length self-titled at the end of last year. They took a little pop rock, mixed it with some worshipful lyrics and composed twelve songs they're ready for the world to hear. The majority of Maywood is ready-for-radio pop rock music, with possible influences including artists like Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns. The opening song, "Stereo Love," is an interesting track... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock
	Mike Westendorf, Undefined (2010) / MikeWestendorf.com Along with his title of Music Director for a college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mike Westendorf is also a Christian musician with four albums to his name. With his band of friends and fellow musicians, Westendorf has been releasing music since his 2004 album, Another Day. Six years later, he presented album number five, Undefined. Westendorf's overall style is pop rock, but it has a definite southern flair mixed in, with vocals that at times resemble Bart Millard (in fact, "Open The Door" sounds... Read the Full Review	Pop / Pop Rock
	Ryan Shelley, Sights & Sounds (2011) / RyanShelley.com Ryan Shelley's story is a very familiar one to a lot of life-long Christians. He always believed in God's existence, but as a teen, never really gave himself over to Him. Since finally experiencing His love and grace on a personal level, Shelley has taken to music to worship God. Along with four other band members, who sometimes accompany him in a live setting, Shelley has adopted a southern/country style of contemporary music. His second full-length album is titled Sights & Sounds... Read the Full Review	Worship
	Heather Mangum, Heather Mangum EP (2008) / HeatherMangum.com Heather Mangum is a singer/songwriter and worship leader from Los Angeles, California. With her official bio consisting of three quotes from adamant fans of her music and worship style, the rest of Heather Mangum's music life seems to be unknown to new listeners. We do know, however, that she is devoted to writing her music for Jesus and leading others into His presence through her songs. Her latest release is a self-titled EP from 2008 containing four songs... Read the Full Review	Worship
	Seasons, A Moment Of Clarity (2011) / CDBaby.com Only a year old, Australian rock band Seasons have worked really hard to write original music and build their fanbase. Sam Young and Pete Wright started with just their instruments, but soon realized they needed a vocalist to accompany their music. Their lineup became complete when they were joined by singer Hayley Jensen, who was no stranger to the music scene (she had a solo album to her name and had come in 4th place on Australian Idol)... Read the Full Review	Rock
	Hostyle Gospel, Immortal Combat (2011) / HostyleGospel.com Back in 2003, there was a hip hop group by the name of The Elite M.O.C. (Men of Christ) who was called to minister in central Illinois. When they moved on to other aspects of ministry, two members - Proverb and King Soloman - continued on in the hip hop world under the new name Hostyle Gospel. With the addition of Big Job, Hostyle Gospel became a three-man hip hop crew bent on bringing the gospel through what they call dynamic Christian hip hop. Their 2011 full-length release is a generous... Read the Full Review	Hip Hop / Rap
	Dave Pettigrew, The Walk EP (2011) / DavePettigrew.net Lots of artists in the Christian music industry got their start as the worship band for their home church, such as Casting Crowns and even Showbread. One such artist that is springing up from the New Jersey area is contemporary independent artist Dave Pettigrew. Having opened for the likes of MercyMe, it's safe to say that he's gained at least some recognition in his part of the country. His fifth release comes about a year after his last release, Solo Volume 1... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock
	Compelled, The Fight EP (2010) / CompelledBand.com Pennsylvania-based pop rockers Compelled have been glorifying God through music since 2004, when they started playing for their church. Five years later, the band put out their first official release, an independent EP called Taken Over. Then 2010 turned out to be a pretty big year for them; not only did they win the RevGen Battle of the Bands, which gave them the opportunity to actually participate in the RevGen Festival, but they also released a follow-up EP called The Fight... Read the Full Review	Pop Rock
	Cooper Brown, Venture (2010) / Myspace There is definitely not a shortage of artists coming from around the Nashville area. A lot of them remain unknown, but it has also spawned its fair share of popular artists as well. One relatively unknown artist that does deserve some attention is the pop rock/singer-songwriter Cooper Brown. Hailing from the nearby town of Jackson, Tennessee, Brown spent some time at Belmont University learning to be a songwriter. October 2010 was when he released his very first album, Venture... Read the Full Review	Rock
	Reilly, Around The World (2010) / ReillytheBand.com An independent, Philadelphia-based pop rock band, Reilly has made some strides toward becoming a more recognizable name in the Christian music industry. They've played big festivals (like Creation and Purple Door), played with big bands and appeared on a song with Lecrae and Flame in 2008 (a seemingly weird combination that actually worked pretty well for the song). In June 2010, they released their third album, Around The World. With some pretty talented musicians making up the band, Around The World... Read the Full Review	Pop / Rock
	Day Seven, Decisions (2011) / DaySevenBand.com If you're a musician coming out of the state of Georgia, chances are you're either a southern gospel group or a hip hop artist. That is, unless you're Day Seven, then you're a modern rock band trying to get their hope-filled tunes into the hands and hearts of others. They've recently released their first full-length record, Decisions. Musically, the album wastes no time getting into their brand of modern rock music. Decisions has its share of ballads and softer rock songs, but the majority of it is... Read the Full Review	Rock
	ER, The Risk of Tragedy (2010) / Sonicbids Drawing influence anywhere from pop to classical to techno, the three-man group ER from the state of Oregon plays more of a straight-up rock sound than you may expect. In the fall of 2010, they released their debut full-length independent album called The Risk of Tragedy. Though it's mainly straightforward rock, ER does utilize a couple different subgenres in their brand of rock. At times it's edgy piano pop rock, and other times it's just rock music. The piano does remain a constant throughout the songs, despite... Read the Full Review	Rock / Pop Rock
	Dave King, Listening Through The Night (2010) / Facebook A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as the University of Western Ontario (with a Honors Bachelor's of Music), Dave King is experienced as a classical pianist. He released his first album in 2010, calling it Listening Through The Night. The songs were birthed from moments spent calling out and listening to God even in some darker times. The overall style of this album is piano pop rock, with a bit more of a rock tinge here and there (such as in the song "Sanctify"). Though some of the instrumentation... Read the Full Review	Piano Pop Rock
	Curtis Alley, Curse of the Reasonably Comfortable Chair (2010) / CurtisAlley.com As a 33-year veteran of the music world, Curtis Alley has a lot of experience under his belt. His latest independent album, Curse of the Reasonably Comfortable Chair, happens to be his thirty-fourth independent album. It's a full-length record that spends most of its time drenched in a country/southern rock sound. There are a few other styles that show up here and there, like a bit of electronic flair in the drums of "Lightbox" and "Point In Time." The latter of the two makes for a good example of the weaknesses of the album... Read the Full Review	Southern Rock / Pop
	Phillip Hogg, The Power Of Letting Go (2010) / MySpace Kentucky musician Phillip Hogg is no stranger to music. He's been making it since he was twelve years old. He only has two albums to his name, though. The first came in 2003, an album called The Invisible Band. His follow-up is a lot more recent. The Power of Letting Go is his second venture and, like his first album, was entirely self-produced. In addition, Hogg is the only musician you'll hear on either of the albums. He shows himself to be pretty talented, managing to write and perform every aspect of the albums, and maintain... Read the Full Review	Acoustic / Rock
	Chris Moerman, Sounds Like Sunset (2010) / ChrisMoerman.com Having spent his younger years playing with different bands in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia, worship leader Chris Moerman only saw his first release in 2008. His second official release, and first full-length is called Sounds Like Sunset, and features production from former producers of both John Mark McMillan and Norma Jean. It's quite the difference in sound. Moerman's music is definitely on the McMillan side of the spectrum, however. Sounds Like Sunset features some ready-for-radio worship songs whose sound will instantly capture... Read the Full Review	Worship
	The No Longer, War Stories (2011) / TheNoLonger.com What do you get if you listen to The No Longer's newest full-length album? A little bit of everything that rock music has to offer (except the hardcore stuff). The No Longer mixes rock, funk, pop punk, grunge, classic rock, 80s metal and ballads into a full-length album called War Stories. Picture what it would sound like if Hyperstatic Union and Petra became one band, and you get the basic idea of what The No Longer sounds like. That being said, the guitars are the highlight of the album. While there isn't always something there to get excited about... Read the Full Review	Rock / Alternative / Funk
	An Epic, No Less, We Are The Echo of Love (2010) / AnEpicNoLess.com In 2010, electro pop worship group An Epic, No Less received a lot of buzz due to their upbeat sound on their short album We Are The Echo of Love (the fact that their album was available for free download helped too). Todd Larson and Daniel Chancellor are the two main members of An Epic, No Less, and they display their talent in the genre they call "gospelectronica." It's a pretty fitting name, except that there's no gospel anywhere to be found. It's really just electronic worship... Read the Full Review	Electro Pop
	Tommee Profitt, I Know Your Love (2011) / TommeeProfitt.com Having shared the stage with heavyweights like TobyMac and Family Force 5, young worship leader Tommee Profitt has had a good amount of exposure, despite being an independent artist. The first day of 2011 marked the release of his fourth independently-produced and -released worship album, I Know Your Love. It's got a lot of power pop, and a lot of anthemic worship tunes that will instantly grab the ears of many fans of the modern worship music scene. "This Is Your Day" and "Nothing Else Matters" are on the same playing field as Hillsong... Read the Full Review	Power Pop / Worship
	Vanessa Jourdan, Beloved, Vol. 1 EP (2010) / Facebook Pop artist Vanessa Jourdan has been playing venues in Southern California since the 2002 release of her independent debut album, Give Me A Stage. A couple albums later, and praise from local publishings about her debut and two following releases, Jourdan and her band have a new EP called Beloved, Vol. 1. The twenty minutes it takes to listen to the EP give a good glimpse at her talent in the singer/songwriter business. Very comparable to artists like Natasha Bedingfield (with the EP even having a bit of Billy Joel... Read the Full Review	Acoustic Pop
	Dave Moran, Captured (2009) / DaveMoran.net In the vein of 90s artists like Collective Soul, North Carolinian contemporary rock artist Dave Moran has unveiled his latest full-length record, Captured. His press kit mentions being classified as "hook-driven rock and roll," which is true to an extent. A few of the songs on Captured are definitely driving rock music. Opening track "Cardboard" starts with a guitar riff reminiscent of pop punk bands like Too Bad Eugene and Three Cord Wonder. The rest of the song takes its cues from other bands... Read the Full Review	Pop / Rock
	DJ FreeG, Change (2010) / DJ-FreeG.com Making his debut in the American music scene, German native DJ FreeG is here with his dance/hip hop album Change. The music of Change is techno and trance music that would fit pretty well within the confines of a dance club. There are lots of grooves, samples and plenty of the obligatory bass-snare-bass-snare most commonly associated with the genre. Most of the tracks do pretty well as far as creating good techno tracks, but I think Change would have been a better album without the vocals... Read the Full Review	Dance / Hip Hop

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