At some point in 2011, my Top 10 kinda went offline because my laptop crashed and took the Top 10 with it. After that, it was pretty much to my iTunes to determine what songs should go to #1. Having said all that, this is my personal Top 10 for the year 2011, divided into Christian and Secular (Top 40). Just sharing. (^^,) CHRISTIAN TOP 10 1. Stronger. Mandisa 2. Good Morning. Mandisa 3. Suitcases. Dara MacLean 4. Make a Move. Royal Tailor 5....

Contemporary Christian star Mandisa has released Born For This, a song based on the story of Esther, now available on the 18-track CD The Story. Born For This is an encouraging, empowering track that channels the faith that the Biblical Queen Esther needed when she entered the courts of her husband King Ahasuerus unannounced, to lobby to save her people. The production work on Born For This is absolutely stellar! It starts off with a solo cello...

Contemporary Christian superstar Mandisa has followed up her #1 hit Stronger with Waiting For Tomorrow, another standout pop-rock gem from her stellar third studio release, What If We Were Real. Written by, Waiting for Tomorrow keeps in line with many hits that sing of an awareness that we were created to be more than ordinary, that every day is an opportunity for us to take a step out in faith and be used by Jesus for something greater. The...

Sorry, friends, the fan boy in me has to gush! Check this out!!!! p.s. Someone says “Come here to Nashville!” Believe me, if I could, I would! I am gonna catch Mandisa in concert, mark my words. Someday, friends, someday.

For the record, my favorite Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter is Matthew West. I’ve followed his music ever since More came out in 2003, off his spectacular major-label debut CD, Happy; I love him so much that he has his own category on my website (the only other singer who has that? His labelmate Mandisa). The two albums that followed, History and Something To Say, just upped the ante for Matthew; each CD was clearly better than...

As a Filipino-Christian songwriter, it is only natural that I am bound to have influences when it comes to my songwriting. There are many, many amazing Christian songwriters out there, including Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall, MercyMe’s Bart Billard, Aaron Shust, Nichole Nordeman, Nicole C. Mullen, Rich Mullins, and the incomparable Bill and Gloria Gaither. I started listening to Christian music in 1990 – even though I only really...