JesusfreakHideout.com: Highlighting 2017 Part One -- Looking Ahead To New Music In The First Half of 2017

For our 11th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Each list contains 10 artists/releases for a total of 20 in total for 2017. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting Second-Half 2017! (For our January to June list, click here!)

1 of 10

#1. John Mark McMillan
Mercury & Lightning

Release Date: August 4, 2017

Renowned songwriter John Mark McMillan never ceases to push the envelope, usually with varying degrees of success. As one of the few industry staples who’s willing to take risks, all of his offerings -whether sloppy and wet or unforeseen- have the potential to keep listeners intrigued.
- David Craft

Right after the presidential election, John Mark McMillan released a clip of his music video for his single "No Country," which will be featured on upcoming album Mercury & Lightning. No context was immediately given for the single, and McMillan felt content at that time to let his music speak for itself. Given the reflective nature of McMillan's music, Mercury & Lightning is poised to be one of the boldest, most somber and perhaps most controversial albums we've heard from him yet.
- Nicole Vacca

Worship releases this year have mainly continued the trend of being bland and forgettable, but hopefully it’ll all work together to make John Mark McMillan’s newest effort feel like lightning in a bottle! All the news surrounding Mercury & Lightning has been nothing if not intriguing, so the album ought to be worth discussing come release time. - Mason Hayne

With the exception of The City Harmonic's beautiful farewell album this past June, we've seen an unfortunate shortage of strong worship releases this year. With news of a new album around the corner, I trust that Mercury & Lightning will give the genre an offering it truly deserves.
- Lucas Munachen

I’ll always be grateful for a worship artist like John Mark McMillan who’s able to balance artistic integrity with unfettered honesty. And really, there’s little reason to believe Mercury & Lightning will betray our expectations, even after the long wait. It’s been established; JMM is one of the more accomplished artists working today, and his unblemished track record more than earns #1 on this list.
- Roger Gelwicks

I’ve always liked John Mark McMillan, but I’d never found myself overly excited for new material from him...until I heard Live at the Knight last year. Something about that live album sparked a greater interest in his music. If I wasn’t excited for Mercury & Lightning before, I am now!
- Scott Fryberger

John Mark McMillan is in need of breaking out of his particular sonic rut. Having seen him live last year, I can report that his songs performed live are better than the slightly more sluggish album versions. I hope Mercury & Lightning lives up to its fearsome title.
- Alex Caldwell

I was bummed last winter when I heard this album was being pushed back, because there is no worship artist out there right now who is more interesting than John Mark McMillan. I will be very surprised if Mercury & Lightning isn’t worth the wait.
- Mark Rice

Visit our John Mark McMillan page for more information about him...

2017 Countdown: July to December

10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Here are a few other artists that made our staff's individual lists that didn't quite make the top 10... Nicole Nordeman, Unspoken, Kings Kaleidoscope, Andy Mineo, K I D S, Family Force 5, Stavesacre, Tauren Wells, JGivens, The Ongoing Concept, & more!