Several weeks ago One21 Music posed fifteen questions to a number of music artists in the Christian music scene, ranging from the light-hearted to the deeply spiritual. We received many responses, some very helpful, and some…. not so much. Some of the answers were short and sweet, some were extensive and eloquent. Many expressed frustrations with the current landscape of the music industry, while others were hopeful for a future of uncertainty. We heard from guys who had been performing for years, and bands that are just now starting to get their names heard. From indie rock to hip-hop, from hardcore to worship, the Christian music scene spoke back to us. Realize that these answers are by the people making the music that you are listening to, and these are un-edited and real. The opinions expressed don’t always reflect ours, but we aren’t perfect, right?

Need to catch up?

Read Pt.1: What Do You Love About Music?
Read Pt.2: What Are Some Of Your Favorite Albums/CDs?
Read Pt.3: What Is The Best Thing About Making Music?
Read Pt.4: What Is Your Opinion Of The Music Industry?
Read Pt.5: What Impact Has The Digital Age Of Music Had On The Industry?
Read Pt.6: Who Is Jesus Christ To You?
Read Pt.7: What Is Christian Music?

This week we asked our artists what their opinion of the Christian music industry was. Before you read them, let me emphasize again that these are their opinions, and not always ours.  There are a lot of artists that are happy with the way the industry has grown over the last ten years, but their are many that aren’t. You may read some things in this installment that seem very negative, but let me assure you that these guys know what they are talking about, and this is their inside view on what is happening. I also want to take a minute and say that when many of our artists were talking about this subject, they were not talking about Christian music, but the industry that drives the majority of what you see in Christian book stores and what is on the radio.  There is a difference. I have done my best to display a balanced and fair depiction of the industry from the artist’s view, but sometimes maybe a cry for change just needs to be heard.

What is your opinion of the Christian music industry?

Mahogany Jones (independent hip-hop artist)                          
I think that there is good and bad. There are people with pure motives to minister the gospel to people who need to understand the importance of a relationship with Christ, and there are people who use their gift as a means not to promote the gospel but themselves, and I feel that if we aren’t careful to ask God to keep us humble that we may be in for a rude awakening.

Dewey Lybecker( independent solo singer/songwriter)                          
I feel like the Christian music industry is beginning to come into a place that’s its needed to be in for a while. I think that a lot of Christian music was kind of cheap. It was a bunch of people that just regurgitated everyone else’s songs but added a different hook or something that made it “cool/ hip” again. It wasn’t very original, and because of this it wasn’t very respected by other
musicians. I think where it’s headed is the opposite of that, with bands like Switchfoot, MuteMath, Underoath, P.O.D., The Fray, One Republic… they’re showing the world that Christian music isn’t as lame as a lot of people think it is.

Jon (lead singer/guitarist for independent pop/rock band Hyland)      
I think the Christian music industry is doing a terrible job of staying current. They are banking on bands that are tried and true (Newsboys, Third Day) and aren’t taking chances on new original talent, only on what has already worked in the secular scene. Where are the Audio Adrenalines and the DC Talks of THIS generation???!!! Everyone in the industry is worried about their bottom dollar instead of realizing taking a chance on originality will pay off ten-fold.

Bryan (bass player for Forefront Records pop/rock band Abandon)
Honestly, it stinks that it has come down to a business plan, labels, and it stinks that it actually is an “industry”. I feel like Christians should be at the head of the line creating the best art the world has ever seen. It should just be known that we are Christians based on what we stand for and how we live. It’s weird to me that it has become it’s own separate industry.

Brooke Waggoner(solo indie/pop artist on SlowMoon Music)         
It’s a shame that it’s so divided and set apart from other genres and in other ways, it’s not set apart at all.. it’s really like any other industry – they tapped into a market, create products to fit that demographic, and package it accordingly. It’s difficult to find genuine amongst alot of this, but it does exist!

Brandon (bass player for independent pop/rock band Say You Will)
Since we’re all trying to survive in a broken industry people are starting to fight against their morals to stay afloat. As a band we’ve been ripped off, lied to, and stepped on a lot. Unfortunately, the Christian music industry has been the worst about that to us. I hate to say it, but the snakes are in the Christian music industry. That said there are also a lot of awesome people in the Christian music industry that have done wonders for us. It’s no different than the secular side I guess. They’re just selling to Christians.

David (singer for independent nu-metal band Echocast)              
I think that a lot of artists are jaded towards the Christian music industry because they might have felt slighted at some point in the business end… But, a lot of people forget that that the music business is still a “business”…

Amy Courts (independent pop/folk artist)

Honestly? Having come and gone from a number of major Christian label opportunities and seen the ins and outs of their operations, I see the Christian Music Industry much like Jesus saw the sale of goods in the temple: an exploitation of righteousness and holiness for the sake of making money, and a tyrannical dictatorship regarding what defines “Christianity” in melodic terms.

Christopher(vocalist for Harvest Earth Records metal band The Goodnight Horizon)

They spend to much time catering to those who already know Jesus. Open the door, plant the seeds. Stop hiding.

Seth (singer for independent hard rock band Endeverance)

I think the “Christian Music” industry sometimes is worse than the Mainstream industry because there is no grace in “Christian Music” I mean if your sin gets out and you’re in the “Christian Music” industry sometimes you get ex-communicated…I mean we are all humans we all sin and fail…Why does it mean when you’re a so called “Christian Artist” you can’t fail…And I think that’s horrible if anything you would think they would be more understanding. But I mean it does have good things like promoting music that has a meaning behind it…

Curtis(mandolist/singer for Centricity Records country band High Valley)
I think it’s sad that Christian music has to be so “commercial” and surface in order to have success. I like deep songs that may possibly offend someone or really challenge them rather than telling someone that God loves them and knows there name over and over again. These are good messages but hearing it over and over again won’t change anyone’s life if they have heard that message a thousand times before. I think that Christian music good have deeper and more powerful messages. A band that I believe does an awesome job is Downhere. Lyrically the best Christian band I have ever heard.

Cameron(guitarist/vocalist for Bombworks Records metal band Divulgence)
Its almost as though Christians have the mindset that since they are playing for God they get to slack off on their song writing. I can turn on the local Christian radio station and hear 5 songs that sound the same in about an hour. It shouldn’t be that way. If you are writing for the King of kings you should give it all you got and don’t take the easy way out by doing some overused chord progression.

Jarrod(guitarist/singer from Victory Records metal band Corpus Christi)
Sadly, I find the name is often one of the only differences between it (Christin music industry) and the secular music industry.

Dominic Balli (independent Reggae/hip-hop artist)                             
It’s the same as the mainstream one. At the top, there’s still a dude that is just really all about one thing. Money. That’s the industry, not the artists. There’s some artist with wonderfully pure hearts out there. A bunch of them. And there’s some labels that are the same. But as far as most of the “big” Christian labels. It’s all the same.

I think Dominic best summed it up, “it’s all the same”. That seems to be the pervailing theme throughout all the answers this week. Christ called us to be different, so why is it not?

Next week we are talking about the importance of the Christian music scene, so check back with us next week!

Ok, so here we are with the headlines of the last few days. I hope you enjoy the links, Come back at 7pm for Voices Of The Underground PT.8.

Danielson has broken the silence and finally posted an update including two new “music videos”. Read Danielson update.

The Devil Wears Prada was interviewed over at The Headbangers Blog. Watch The Devil Wears Prada interview.

KSU Radio did an interview with indie band Anchors. Listen to Anchors interview.

FM Static‘s new CD, Dear Diary, was reviewed over on CCM.com. Read FM Static review.

Fiction Family was featured in Relevant Magazine this month. Read Fiction Family article.

Impending Doom had to cancel their Mexico tour due to the Swine Flu.

Tonight will be a sad night.  Nobody deserves to go home.  The American Idol Season 8 Rat Pack show was phenomenal (see our Rat Pack Performance Review.)  The performances were great, the judges were great, Jamie Foxx was great, the fashions were great.  Everything worked.

Former American Idol winner Taylor Hicks will be performing his new single and this week’s most excellent mentor Jamie Foxx will perform with Natalie Cole.

We are covering the Christian music performers on American Idol Season 8.   Of the 10 Christian music artists who made it into the Top 36, six made it to the finals, all six made it the American Idol 2009 Tour and three are in the Top 5.  Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Matt Giraud have shown themselves to be exceptional musicians and performers and all of them will have long careers in the music industry.  They have thrilled us week after week and it has been a joy to follow their journeys.

The results are up in the air.  As I said nobody deserves to leave after their performances over the last two weeks.  Matt Giraud, Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert showed us crazy good singing skills and unrivaled artistry over the past few weeks.  But somebody must go.  Based on the support she has received over the past few weeks you would expect Allison Iraheta to be in trouble, but I think she bounces from last week’s bottom 2 finish and picks up some of Lil Round’s votes.  I think Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Matt Giraud have deeply overlapping fan bases.  That could put them on the hot seats tonight.  Don’t be surprised to see two of those guys in the bottom 2.   Dialidol has the  voting too close to call across the board.  As I said, nobody deserves to go home tonight.

But let’s stop fretting and get to it.

Saw the end of Lie To Me.   Somebody committed a crime, everybody lied about, these liar detection consultants figured it out, crime committing dude goes to jail.  I just saved you a mind numbing hour.

Here we go!  The judges are looking for a winner and Jamie Foxx is looking for an artist.  Can everybody stay?

Over 47 million votes last night.  Don’t you know we are in a recession?  These votes cost money!

Simon agrees with me.  Everyone was good and last night was one of the best in American Idol history.

Another lame Ford video wastes my bailout dollars.  The group song is a medley of Rat Pack songs.  “I Don’t Mean A Thing” is one of the songs. ” I Got Rhythm” is another one of the songs. It was okay.

Okay we are back to couches.  Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta had birthdays this week and we get video of the American Idols making cakes.  Insanity ensues as a food fight breaks out in the $100 million dollar mansion.  Danny gets the bill for $6,000 for cleaning up that mess.  I will take that gig.

Matt is up first and they move him to the right side of the stage.  Danny is called on next and they move him to the left side.  Allison is moved to the left side with Danny.  Hmm.  Kris is moved next to Matt.  I guess Adam will define the safe group and he stands with Danny and Allsion, but is moved over with Kris and Matt to form the bottom 3.  Shocks all over the world!  What is going on??

It looks like Allison has taken some of Lil’s votes.  I bet Matt goes home tonight.

I just rewound the dvr to watch the Adam moment again.  Did you see the look on Allison’s and Danny’s faces?  It looks like Adams coronation parade has hit a pothole.

Natalie Cole is singing a new song that sounds much like a Rat Pack song.  I am not a big fan of the adult contemporary Natalie Cole.

It is Taylor Hicks time!  I kind of like this song.  I am not sure I like his grinning, head nodding performance style but I like his singing.  He pulls a harmonica out and blows.  I like this.  Can I join the Soul Patrol?

Ryan sends Kris to the Top 4.  ADAM LAMBERT IS IN THE BOTTOM TWO!!!  I wish I had time to jump on some of the other live blogs.  They must be going bananas.

Jamie Foxx is up singing “Blame It”.  Let’s see Danny Gokey get in his face.  He is using that stupid autotuner.  He doesn’t need this stupid toy. I hate this.  I am not listening anymore.  Fingers in my ears, I am typing with my elbows.

Did Ryan say that this is  the number 1 song in America? yuk  Jamie Foxx said this was the most talented collection of singers he has seen in 10 years.  He is right.  It does not matter what happens tonight these guys are going to have great careers.

My heart is racing.  What is going to happen?  So here we go Adam or Matt?  Ryan is talking smack to Simon about being wrong in his judgment last night.  Adam is safe, Matt is going home.  What a shame.

Matt has had a roller coaster ride but he is a going to have a great career.  Good luck Matt Giraud we look forward to buying your records.  Keep your faith at the forefront of your music.

Buy all of Matt’s performances and last night’s great songs at iTunes:

ApathyEdge is a powerpop band. When I say that they are powerpop, I mean these guys are the definition of the genre. Robotic vocals, lots of dancey drum stuff, and a healthy mixture of rock and electronica mixed together.

The guys over at Indie Vision Music reviewed this EP a while back, you can read the review, but here is a good highlight to get what this album is like:

“Standout tracks for me where “Wake Up, Restart” and “To The End” which are both just super catchy tunes filled with hooks that’ll stick with you. Kinda like the cilantro and onions in those carne asada tacos… but in good way. ApathyEdge has crafted some nice techno-powerpop that unless you’re stuck in four-point restraints, should have you up and moving in no time.”

For fans of  Family Force 5, Head Automatica, and The Academy Is…

The link below will take you to a rapidshare.com page. Click on the “Free User” button, and then a countdown will begin. When the “download” button appears, click it, then save the .ZIP file to your computer. EXTRACT ALL FILES, and enjoy the CD.

Download ApathyEdge- Balloons EP

Using the Microsoft Word thesaurus I found 17 synonyms for the word brilliant and it’s synonyms. I may use them all in this post. I am an American Idol neophyte, but this was as spectacular an American Idol show as I have seen.

The five American Idol performers took 50 year old songs, performed them magnificently and made them current without destroying the melody of the songs. Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud delivered their best performance of American Idol Season 8. Kris Allen and Adam Lambert rivaled their best performances.  Allison Iraheta showed us unanticipated versatility in mastering a style that should cause her to stumble.

In addition to the stunning performances here are five  things about tonight’s American Idol Season 8 Rat Pack night excellent:

• “Surprise mentor” Jamie Foxx was genius.  His musical advice was perfect.  His performance advice was insightful.  He was enthusiastic and encouraging.  I think he had a hand in inspiring these virtuoso performances.
• The American Idol judges were engaging and  enthusiastic tonight.  It was almost as if Simon had watched the dress rehearsals.  His critiques of Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta seemed to anticipate what we were about to see.  I liked Kara’s effusive praise and I liked Simon and Randy’s contrasting reviews.
• The decision for the American Idol performers to sing only one song enabled us to really listen to the performances. Ten songs would have been too rushed. They were able to sing more of each song.
• I don’t care if these were songs from a different time.  These are extraordinary, timeless songs.
• Loved, loved the suits.  The guys looked like men not little boys. I am sorry California (where office casual started) men look best in a coat, matching slacks, polished shoes and a tie.  Watch Mad Men and argue with me.

The American Idol Season 8 Rat Pack performance show was dazzling.

American Idol Season 8 Rat Performance Rankings

I don’t want to rate these Rat Pack performances.  They were all too good to put in order.  To prepare for this article I go back,  re-watch the performances and grade them A, B or C.  Everyone one of these were in the A category.  But the performance rankings would not be very much fun if I dd not rank, so here goes:

1. Adam Lambert sang “Feeling Good” with such virtuosity that my jaw dropped when I saw it the first time.  His wide ranging but controlled vocal took this song through an octave busting roller coaster ride through the scales.  Yet, unlike most of his performances, he wasn’t showing off, he was singing this song like it maybe has never been sung before.  He had a few chances to throw down his best Vince Neil but he held back and the power of the song carried him to a higher plane.

   Adam’s stage performance said. “I don’t care if I win American Idol Season 8, I am a star”.  He was mesmerizing.  I think Jennifer Hudson is the only one to have matched Adam’s star power tonight. I don’t usually like Adam’s performance.  Tonight I was flabbergasted.

2. Danny Gokey delivered his best performance of the American Idol Season 8 finals.  We have been asking him to breakout and with “Come Rain or Come Shine”  he did.  I thought the first part of the song, quiet and slow, got a little lost in the band.  After watching a second time, he was doing some interesting phrasing and runs during this part.  Then, wow happened. Danny grabbed the song by the throat and just went on a growling, belting romp through the final verses. 

   The way Danny ended this song was astonishing. This was the most praise Danny has received from the judges all year.  Tonight Danny Gokey announced his return with a swaggering roar.

3. Matt Giraud proved tonight he is more than a R&B singer.  With his interpretation of “My Funny Valentine”  he showed us he has a career as a jazz musician.  Matt listened to Jamie Foxx’s advice to change the key of this performance.  The result was an gorgeous low register beginning that enable him to play with his phrasing and diction.  Where Danny and Adam’s performances were jaw dropping, Matt’s interpretation called you to lean forward and observe what he was doing.Matt’s performance tonight was mesmerizing.  I think it could be on the radio tomorrow and people would eat it up. 

   This was Matt Giraud’s best performance of American Idol Season 8.

4. Kris Allen sang “The Way You Look Tonight”.  I hate to place him fourth out of five.  I will buy this song to add to my Kris Allen cover EP (see Top 5 Power Rankings).  Kris expertly controlled the pace of the song, sang beautifully, utilized unique phrasing and really told the story of the lyric.  It was truly a gorgeous performance.

   I did not like the arrangement.  He had the band pick up the song in the bridge by speeding up the tempo and volume.  I think he would have been better served by using his singing to change the harmonic dynamic while keeping the tension of the lyric.

5. Allison Iraheta sang “Someone To Watch Over Me” with vulnerability and sensitivity.  Kara called it gut wrenching.  Allison’s vocals were stunning.  The contrast of her raspy voice with the deliberate phrasing caused me to believe we were watching a tough girl daring to be sensitive.  Stunning.

   I just don’t believe that Allison enjoyed the performance.  She seemed to be fighting her desire to let loose with her vocals.  While this struggle may fit the mood she was trying to create, this performance did not feel as triumphant as Adam’s, Danny’s or Matt’s.

One final word from my thesaurus research to describe American Idol Season 8 Rat Pack performances-  Wow!

Predictions

No one deserves to go home this week.  If the American Idol Season 8 performers are going to keep delivering like they have for the past few weeks, can we just extend the show through July?

If I must:

Bottom 3: Kris (because he went first), Matt (because he has been here before), Allison (because she has been here before)

Bottom 2: Matt and Allison

Going home: Matt (which is a crime since he just started gaining his momentum.  I just don’t think he can survive the Danny/Kris/Matt voting log jam)

Join us tomorrow night as we live blog the American Idol Season 8 Results show.

I will download everyone of these songs.  You should as well:

Welcome to Vegas!.  Light up enough cigarettes to smoke up the room and make some martinis because American Idol is presenting the songs of The Rat Pack.  American Idol Season 8 performers will be singing songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin.  This was a time of great exuberance and confidence in America.  See in my Rat Pack Songs Review that I think this could be a difficult night on American Idol because these songs really represent an innocence and bravado that was permanently broken in the 60′s and 70′s.  We just don’t see the world in the same way anymore.

If you read my Top 5 Power Rankings you know that I believe we are now down to the real American Idol contenders.  I have Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta on top but this is a difficult task for them tonight.  Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud and Adam Lambert seem to be better suited to Rat Pack songs, but this has been a surprising group.  What we do know is that this is probably the best assemblage of singing talent of any American Idol Top 5 and these are great big “singer’s songs”.

Last minute update!  American Idol announced that the performers would only sing one song each tonight and the rumor is that Jamie Foxx is the mentor.  Let’s see!

They are all in suits, except Allison, of course.  This is a stage of sharp dressed men.

Voting tip.  There will be two phone numbers for each contestant so it will be easier to get through tonight.  I love this music!

Jamie Foxx surprised the Idols.  They didn’t know he was going t be the mentor.  Who would have imagined?  Are there no singers releasing CDs this year?  He tells them these songs are not just songs they are a lifestyle.

Kris Allen is up first and he looks good in a suit.  Kris is singing “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra.  Jamie Foxx told him that he wanted to do a record with him.  This is a slow ballad, boy he controls a song.  What a nice quiet opening half and then it picks up, he throws some falsetto in and then ends it slowly again.  He didn’t need the middle part but it was a very good performance.

Randy is looking for who is in it to win and Randy thinks it is his best performance of the season.  Kara says Kris has set the technical standard very high.  The judges love everything about this performance, except Simon of course.  He did not think it was incredible and said he did not think Kris could win.  I disagree.

Allison Iraheta is 17 as of yesterday.  She rehearsed, but her family threw her a surprise party.  She is singing “Someone to Watch Over Me” by George Gershwin (sung by Frank Sinatra).   This song is not suited to her husky voice.  This looks difficult for Allison.  She looks like she wants to belt but is holding back.  Very nice ending.  That was fine singing but uninspiring.

Randy can’t get the audience to shut-up.  He Loves it!  Kara  calls it a gut wrenching rendition and this performance should land her in the finals.  Paula likes her tenderness and innocence.  It seems Simon is trying to eliminate the ones he did not predict would win.  It is like Randy and Simon are watching a different show.  Kara calls him crazy.

Matt Giraud is singing the 1930′s showtune “My Funny Valentine”, a Rogers and Hammerstein song performed by everyone including Frank Sinatra.   Matt like hats.  he gets the award for wearing the most hats in American Idol Season 8.  Matt feels that this theme is in his wheel house.  He studied jazz in college.  I like Jamie Foxx as a mentor.  I thought Matt would play the piano but he is out on a tune.  This has some real jazz phrasing to it.  Very original.   The performance is a little jarring but very, very good. Nice job Matt.

Randy thinks he was a little pitchy in trying to sing one of the hardest songs of the night.  Kara thinks he was not emotinally connected.  Paula thinks it was impressive. Simon disagrees with Randy again.  He says it was the only authentic performance of the night and thinks it was brilliant.

Danny Gokey is up next and it was his birthday this week too.  He turned 28 on April 24th.  Danny is singing “Come Rain or Come Shine”, recorded by everyone who has ever sung a song, with a bluesy arrangement.  Jamie Foxx got so close that he knew Danny’s breath was fresh.   He starts slow and quiet and the orchestra seems to be overwhelming his singing.  He really kicks in  the ending with a growling, pleading throwdown.  The end rocked!

Randy thinks he could record an album of these songs.  Kara thinks he brought Rat Pack swagger and thinks the end was the most creative he has been all season.  Simon thinks he proved the point tonight, that Danny Gokey is here to win.  Simon says outstanding.

Adam Lambert sings last again?  How can that be?  He is singing “Feeling Good” written by Anthony Newley with a rock edge of course.  Dang!  That was pretty brilliant.  That blew me away. Incredible.

Randy felt it was too dramatic.  What?  Kara calls him shocking, in a good way.  Simon said that Randy calling him theatrical is criticizing a cow for mooing.  Simon sings Adam’s praises.

American Idol Season 8′s Top 5 are the best we have ever seen.  This was a great show.  Every performance was great.

I will be back later tonight to review the performances but I think I will need to pull my dictionary out to find more superlatives.

Pre-order these performances on iTunes, I think you will be happy.

her is what has been going on since last Friday. Please pray for The One21 Music, big things are staring to happen, and we are going to be crazy busy over the next few weeks. Its all good stuff though, just you wait.

The Fray debuted thier video for the song “Never Say Never”. Watch Never Say Never by The Fray.

Pure Grain Audio did an interview with Strike First Records band Through Solace. Read interview with Through Solace.

Philmont debuted their video for the song ” The Difference”. Watch The Difference by Philmont.

Sleeping Giant released details and a video trailer for their upcoming album, Sons Of Thunder. View Sleeping Giant update.

The Chariot debuted the video for their song “Daggers”. Watch Daggers by The Chariot.

Oh, yea, and Creed got back together

toodles

The judges say “you could sing the phone book” all the time so I guess they are trying to prove a point this week.  The American Idol Season 8 theme for the Top 5 is “songs made famous by The Rat Pack”.  What’s next “songs of 19th century composers?”.  Don’t get me wrong, these are great songs that are built for singers.  They are just the furthest thing from contemporary you can pick.

The songs of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. represent the most optimistic, self confident music in American music history.  The Rat Pack singers gained popularity in the 40′s and 50′s.  This was the height of America’s power and respect in the world.  The USA had just led the world to victory over the great evil of Germany and Japan in a two front war.  The economy was booming as America rebuilt the world.  That great generation (watch the series “Band of Brothers” sometime) had just faced evil, encountered death and suffered loss.  This was a time for joy, love and forgetting.

Contrast that with the past 50 years.  The 60′s marked a worldwide break with the modern philosophy triumphing the dominance of man on the world.  Postmodernism with its rejection of  the bland conformity and self assuredness of the mid 21st century pushed this music to a mafia controlled Vegas and to hotel lounges everywhere.  We examined some of the truths we held confidently until 1965 and found that segregation, our treatment of women and the destruction of earth caused by the industrial revolution was wrong.  Intellectual conflict, cultural criticism and generational warfare replaced our post war celebration.

Rat Pack songs perfectly capture the post war enthusiasm that just does not exist these days.  These songs of wonderment, love found and loves lost do not reflect the angst of today’s music.  I love these songs, but I think the Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Matt Giraud will really struggle to find their emotional center in these American classics.

I know American Idol contestants have done well with jazz standards from the same era, but jazz was the anti-establishment music of post war America.  Jazz, from the 1900′s through the 70′s was closer to modern music than jazz is today.  These songs were the popular songs that captured the mood and psyche of the era. The American Idol Season 8 performers are as talented as any we have seen (see Top 5 power rankings).  They will sing these songs beautifully, but a big part of their appeal is the acumen for arrangements and interpretation that they have displayed  throughout Season 8.  That will be difficult tonight.  I don’t want to hear the judges utter the phrases “karaoke” or “old fashioned”, but I know they will.

American Idol will call on the Top 5 to perform two songs each tonight.  After scouring my collection and tooling around iTunes, I cannot find 10 songs I can say the American Idol Season 8 performers should perform.  Interestingly, I was able to find the most songs for Danny Gokey.  I worry about Kris Allen tonight.  If he pulls this off, I will be amazed. Here are five I would like to hear:

• Adam Lambert- Frank Sinatra’s “I’m Gonna Live Until I Die”
  He can sing loud, dance big and belt some crazy screams.
• Allison Iraheta- Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life”
  She can turn this into a slow, burning blues number and bring the house down.  If you don’t believe me ask James Brown and Aretha Franklin, just check this out:
• Danny Gokey- Frank Sinatra’s “I’ll Be Seeing You”
  The voice, the story and Danny’s interpretation skills could bring America to its knees with the sad, plaintive song about a love lost that will never be forgotten.
• Kris Allen- Sammy Davis Jr’s “As Long As She Needs Me”
  Pull out your guitar, sit on a stool ans sing the song of love and devotion.  Girls all over America will swoon.
• Matt Giraud- Frank Sinatra’s “Send In The Clowns”
  Everyone has done this song but only Sarah Vaughn’s jazz arrangement has toyed with Stephen Sondheim’s beautiful melody.  Matt sit down, show off your piano skills , add an R&B flair to your piano playing, but sing this song straight and show American Idol fans what a great singer you are.

I had much trepidation about disco night and even more about tonight.  However, The American Idol Season 8 performers showed us their talent last week and maybe they will come  through again tonight.

In the meantime, make yourself an American Idol Season 8 mixtape by downloading your favorite songs from iTunes

If you hope to understand the movement and the fashion that is To Write Love On Her Arms, you must understand the story. For some this is a story about depression, addiction and recovery.  For some it is the story of the fastest growing charitable organization ever.  For some it is the story of a clothing brand that exploded into the marketplace.  For some it is the story of how the underground Christian music scene fueled a social phenomenon.  It is all of those things but it is none of those things.

This is the story of a girl who was finally willing to accept love and found life.  This is the story of a man who was willing to share Christ’s love, with five days of  his life, and was handed a mission.

Renee Yohe, a 19 year-old drug and alcohol addict and cutter, had rejected love to the point she had attempted suicide twice.  But in February 2006, Renee was convinced to accept the pleas of Jamie Tworkowski and his friends from church to enter rehab.  However, because of Renee’s drug tests and wounds she inflicted upon herself during the admittance process, the rehab center delayed her admission for five days until she detoxed.

Jamie and his friends knew this may be their last chance to help Renee and feared she might not live another five days, so they became her Church and lived with her during her five day detox and preparation for rehab.

Those five days, Renee’s willingness to be loved and Jamie’s willingness to stop his life for five days to serve like Christ has changed the world for thousands of people.

Jamie wrote the story, To Write Love on Her Arms, of the five days with Renee, set-up a MySpace page and printed some t-shirts to help pay for Renee’s rehab.  Christian music artists Switchfoot and Anberlin embraced the movement immediately and the explosion began. Three years later that MySpace page has more than 325,000 friends, there is a worldwide To Write Love On Her Arms week (September 10-17) and on February 13, 2008 more than 380,000 members dedicated themselves to writing “love” on their arms and sharing the message around the world.  The TWOHA “Hope Line” has fielded more the 2.7M calls from people seeking help with depression and addiction.  So hot is the brand that TWOHA tshirts became the top selling brand at Hot Topic within two weeks of its launch.

Jamie Tworkowski and Renee Yohe (2009)

So what is this movement we call To Write Love On Her Arms?  It is best captured by the TWLOHA mySpace page:

To Write Love on Her Arms is a work in progress. This began with one broken girl, one painful night; addiction, depression, cutting. This is a glimpse at the five days that followed, a decision to love and to begin telling her true story. To Write Love on Her Arms is becoming something bigger, something hopeful. It’s the realization of what life can be when we commit to meeting a need. A friend of mine told me there’s no such thing as suicide prevention. This is an attempt to prove him wrong, to say that love can change a life. We can hold back the darkness. Rescue is possible. More soon to come. Join us as we continue to write this story, and as we begin to offer hope to the many hopeless who walk these dark roads. A Jimmy Eat World lyric has been stuck in my head today, “Believe your voice can mean something.”

TWLOHA has risen to prominence through endorsements of celebrities such as the members of Paramore, Jon Foreman from Switchfoot, Sean from the Blackout, Derek Sanders from Mayday Parade, Deon Rexroat from Anberlin, Amy Lee from Evanescence, Bryce Avary from The Rocket Summer, Casey Calvert from Hawthorne Heights, and Brendon Urie and Ryan Ross from Panic at the Disco and has a growing loyal fan base. Other supportive bands and musicians include A Skylit Drive, Between the Trees,  The Almost, Underoath, Bayside, As We Collide, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and many more.

To Write Love On Her Arms has become a global phenomenon, but how is the girl who was the subject of all the attention in the first place?  Renee Yohe seems to be doing well.  Youtube has many vidoes of her, including one of her celebrating her third anniversary of sobriety.  Here she is in 2008 talking about her life and her book which tells the story from her side.

Jamie Tworkowski has become a global celebrity.  He continues to pursue his calling to spread love over depression and addiction.  Here are a couple of excerpts from an interview with Jamie::

“I think it all begins with the idea that our story matters -- regardless of influence or attention or any of that. Our story matters because we’re part of a bigger story. Our story matters because we’ve been created to love and be loved. I think we’ll each express it differently -- some will write books or blogs, some will write songs. Someone else will make a movie. I think the most important outlet, the one that applies to all of us, is community. We all need people we can do life with, people who will journey with us, people who can meet us in our questions.

As for a secret or advice for telling a story, I’ll go with this: Be honest. We all have our dreams and our fears and our questions. The tendency is to keep these things quiet because we don’t know what to do with them, or because we’re worried that other people will call us crazy. I say it matters. I say you might just find your greatest gifts in those scary places. I say it’s worth wrestling with because the world needs more people who have something to say, people who are interested in fixing things, people who are willing to dream… So be honest. It’s scary, but it’s good….

…As for what I want to say next, I don’t always go here because I don’t want to push people away. I think the language of it has been abused and misrepresented. But I’m in the middle of a difficult season, and the difficult seasons have a way of causing me to be honest. Maybe it’s that when things are hard, you don’t have the strength to fake it. Anyway, that’s the disclaimer. What I want to say is that, when it comes to the power of story, I suppose the best example in the history of the world would be Jesus. Jesus spent a lot of time telling stories. And perhaps God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to collide with our story, the story of humanity, the story that continues tonight -- me in an apartment in Florida typing these answers, and you wherever you are, reading these words on a similar bright screen. Perhaps we’re all in this together and perhaps we’re all more loved than we’ll ever know.”

Before you dive into the story that started it all, please embrace these essential lessons:

• You were created to be loved.
• No matter what abuse you have endured, you deserve to be loved.
• No matter what you have done to yourself or others, you deserved to be loved.
• Christ loves you so much, no matter who you are or what you have done.
• As Believers we have received that unconditional love.
• We must share that love by loving the “unlovables”.

Here is the story,  “To Write Love On Her Arms” (be careful, the story contains profanity), that started it all.

You can buy “To Write Love on Her Arms” merchandise, get involved or donate at twloha.com

Not a whole lot coming out this week. In addition, I’m not real sure you can find any of these releases at big chains such as Best Buy or Wal-Mart, so we have provided little Amazon links for you to make the process easier. Tomorrow I will have the iTunes links up, so don’t fret. If I missed anything, let me know..

Reality
Lisa McClendon
Blu Soul Entertainment
Soul/R&B
Buy NOW:
Amazon

The World On Standby
Through Solace
Strike First Records
Metalcore
Buy NOW:
Amazon

Identity
Robert Pierre
Integrity Media
Pop
Buy NOW:
Amazon