Filipino-Christian Blogger Ganns Deen » Christian Music

Kutless, “Carry Me To The Cross”

Ganns — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:48:29 +0000

Contemporary Christian pop-rock band Kutless has released Carry Me to the Cross, a moving ballad from its upcoming album, Believer. Carry Me to the Cross is another great track in the tradition of many fantastic Kutless songs, including the No.1 hit What Faith Can Do and the top 10 hit Everything I Need. The chorus of Carry Me to the Cross, in particular, is breathtaking, and it was all I could do here at the office not to burst out in spontaneous worship. (Which, by the way, has happened on occasion; it’s one of the great perks of full-time ministry.) Carry Me to the Cross will do that for you, it’s an excellent worship song from the hearts of real men who love Jesus. I recommend it.

CARRY ME TO THE CROSS Lyrics
Kutless

When the path is daunting
And every step exhausting
I’m not alone
I’m not alone, no, no
I feel You draw me closer
All these burdens on my shoulder
I’m not alone, I’m not alone
You pull me from this place

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

How Your love has moved me, yeah
To the foot of all Your glory
I’m not alone, I’m not alone
I’m not alone

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

All of these cities You have built
And every cathedral You have filled
All of creation You gave life with Your hands
And with those hands you comfort me
You lift me up from my knees
And carry me
You carry me

Hallelujah
You carry me every day
You carry me all all the way
Hallelujah
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross
The cross
You carry me to the
You carry me to the cross

Needtobreathe, “Able”

Ganns — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:21:29 +0000

Needtobreathe continues to release some of the best Southern flavored Contemporary Christian music this side of Nashville, and the band’s latest, Able, is no exception to that storied, enviable legacy. The latest release from Needtobreathe’s The Reckoning opus, Able is a fine ballad about humility and reliance on God, produced in the musical tradition of Washed By The Water, full of glorious Hammond-style keys, a full choir, and, of course, Bear Rinehart’s glorious voice. Able is picking up now at Christian AC, so I think we can safely expect Needtobreathe to add yet another title to its growing list of Top 10 hits.

ABLE Lyrics
Needtobreathe

There’s a host of hurts we come across
None of which alike
From the air inside the birthing room
To the darkness where we die
Though I feel I’m just as strong as any man I know
I’m not able on my own

Carry round the secrets
Only heaven knows
Crawl into our darkened rooms where only victims go
Though I feel I’m strong enough to carry all this load
I’m not able
I’m not able
I’m not able on my own

I’m not able (not able)
I’m not able (not able)
I’m not able (not able) on my own

All my actions, false or true
Selfish motives I will use
We were born with knives in hand
Trained to kill our fellow man
If we’re not better than the rest
How will children do their best
Find your patience, find your truth
Love is all we have to lose
Have to lose

Cuz I’m not able
I’m not able
I’m not able on my own

Andy Cherry, “Our God’s Alive”

Ganns — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:07:47 +0000

New Contemporary Christian artist Andy Cherry is making quite an impact with his debut Christian AC single, “Our God’s Alive.” In its ninth week on the Billboard Christian Songs chart, the track is now at #25, no small feat for a debuting Christian artist. Listening to Our God’s Alive, I can see why people are finding the taste of Cherry quite a pleasant one (see what I did there?): his strong and masculine voice is the perfect underscore to the message of power and strength that comes across in Our God’s Alive. Coupled with its nontraditional beat, easy-to-recall chorus, and admittedly catchy bridge, Our God’s Alive is unlike 99.9% of what’s out there on Christian radio. It’s a breath of fresh air, and I’m sure many, many more people won’t mind having a little Cherry on their radios as well.

OUR GOD’S ALIVE Lyrics
Andy Cherry

Come on everyone
See what He has done
He has lifted arms
He has overcome
The power of the grave
And the sin that once enslaved
Couldn’t hold Him in the ground
Couldn’t keep Him down

Rise with a shout
Cry out, “Our God’s alive”
Rise Holy fire, burn bright, burn bright
Rise with the shout
Cry out for freedom
Rise, Church, oh, rise
Our God’s alive

Remain on His throne
Drawing ever close
Giving us this hope
He’ll never let us go
Death has been defeated
Jesus Christ redeemer
Conquered Hell and freed us
Forever we are saved

Rise with a shout
Cry out, “Our God’s alive”
Rise Holy fire, burn bright, burn bright
Rise with the shout
Cry out for freedom
Rise, Church, oh, rise
Our God’s alive

He alone can save us
He will not forsake us
He remains forever our Savior
See Him reign in power
Stronger than our failures
Always and forever
Our Savior

Rise with a shout
Cry out, “Our God’s alive”
Rise Holy fire, burn bright, burn bright
Rise with the shout
Cry out for freedom
Rise, Church, oh, rise
Our God’s alive

Billboard Christian Songs – February 11 2012

Ganns — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:25:14 +0000

Aaron Shust makes it three in a row on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart with My Hope Is In You. (He’s pictured here horsing around with fellow Christian singer Jeremy Camp. LOVE THIS SHOT.) Greatest Gainer honors to Phillips Craig and Dean’s When The Stars Burn Down, which jumps 26-16 this week. Top debut honors this week go to Ever Lifting. Side note: Matthew West’s Strong Enough is going on 41 weeks now on the charts, and is up 6-5 this week. WOW. Go Matthew!

1. (1) Aaron Shust My Hope Is In You

2. (3) Building 429 Where I Belong

3. (2) Tenth Avenue North Strong Enough to Save

4. (4) Mandisa Waiting For Tomorrow

5. (6) Matthew West Strong Enough

6. (5) For King and Country Busted Heart (Hold On To Me)

7. (7) The Afters Lift Me Up

8. (10) Big Daddy Weave Love Come To Life

9. (12) Jason Gray Remind Me Who I Am

10. (11) Casting Crowns Courageous

HOT DEBUT: Ever Lifting

GREATEST GAINER: Phillips Craig and Dean When The Stars Burn Down

Phil Wickham, “This Is The Day”

Ganns — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:54:58 +0000

Contemporary Christian artist Phil Wickham has followed up his Soft AC/Inspo Top 10 hit At Your Name (Yahweh Yahweh) with another upbeat track, This Is The Day. The second single off Wickham’s stellar new release, Response, This Is The Day is instantly singable and automatically likeable, culminating in that soaring bridge and powerful final few choruses. If there’s anything that Wickham has shown us in his career, it’s that he is a master of the communal praise anthem, songs that can be sung in congregations large or small, but always with an eye towards worshiping the Savior in spirit and truth. This Is The Day is a welcome addition to that can(n)on, Wickham-related pun intended.

THIS IS THE DAY Lyrics
Phil Wickham

Can you hear it?
The gentle voice of the Spirit
There’s no reason to fear it
He’s calling You to life

Just surrender
Run into the arms of the Father
The night is finally over
Take a step into the light

This is the day when the lost are found
This is the day for a new beginning
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing
This is the day
The day when life begins

Can you see it?
A light shines into the darkness
Bringing hope to the hopeless
It’s leading you to life

This is the day
When all your sins are washed away
In the waves of His unending grace
Forever you’re alive

This is the day when the lost are found
This is the day for a new beginning
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing
This is the day
The day when life begins

Have no fear salvation has come
And He is here
Have no fear salvation has come
And He is here
Have no fear
Have no fear

This is the day when the lost are found
This is your beginning
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
I can hear the angels sing

This is the day when the lost are found
This is the day for a new beginning
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing?
This is the day
The day when life begins
This is the day
The day when life begins

Mikeschair, “All For You”

Ganns — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:51:23 +0000

Contemporary Christian pop-rock band Mikeschair has released All For You from its CD A Beautiful Life. The follow-up to the Top 10 hit, Someone Worth Dying For is a pleasant mid-tempo toe-tapper that may find audiences at Christian AC and Soft AC/Inspo with its anthemic melodic chorus, inspired verses, and soaring bridge. While I would’ve preferred seeing the irresistible Love Won’t Quit On Us as a second single, I’ll gladly take All For You as a pleasant follow-up to A Beautiful Life‘s Someone Worth Dying For, so here’s hoping Christian AC will warm up enough to All For You to merit a third, then maybe Love Won’t Quit On Us will get its turn in the spotlight.

ALL FOR YOU Lyrics
Mikeschair

This time, this place is set apart
I stand amazed at who You are
I’m overcome by what You’ve done
Oh

I’m here right now, I need You now
I lift Your name above the doubt
This is my offering for You
For You

‘Cause it’s all for You, all for You
Every heart will proclaim
Every tongue will shout Your praise
All for You, oh, oh, oh
All for You, oh, oh, oh

I leave my burden at Your feet
In You I find my victory
There is nothing You can’t do
Oh

I’ll live my life in [?]
I’ll give it all and lay it down
‘Cause I owe everything to You
To You

‘Cause it’s all for You, all for You
Every heart will proclaim
Every tongue will shout Your praise
All for You, oh, oh, oh
All for You, oh, oh, oh

All will hear, all will see
Love came down and we are free
All will hear, all will see
Love came down and we are free

‘Cause it’s all for You, all for You
Every heart will proclaim
Every tongue will shout Your praise

All for You, all for You
Every heart will proclaim
Every tongue will shout Your praise

All for You, oh, oh, oh
(All will hear, all will see)
All for You, oh, oh, oh
(Love came down and we are free)

All will hear, all will see
Love came down and we are free
All will hear, all will see
Love came down and we are free

All will hear, all will see
Love came down and we are free

Phillips, Craig & Dean, “When The Stars Burn Down”

Ganns — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:07:13 +0000

Contemporary Christian legends Phillips, Craig and Dean have released When The Stars Burn Down, the carrier single of their new album, Breathe In, which drops across the USA in digital and CD formats in March 2012. When The Stars Burn Down was co-written by Jennie Lee Riddle, who also wrote Revelation Song, Phillips, Craig & Dean’s most recent #1 hit; Johnathan Lee shares songwriting credit on Phillips, Craig and Dean’s When The Stars Burn Down, which was also recorded by artists including Travis Cottrell. From the looks of it, Christian AC is reacting well to When The Stars Burn Down, which may just be the next chart-topper for the veteran harmonizers, whose many hits include my favorite Crucified With Christ.

WHEN THE STARS BURN DOWN Lyrics
Phillips, Craig and Dean

When the stars burn down and the earth wears out
And we stand before the throne
With the witnesses who have gone before
We will rise and all applaud

Singing blessing and honor
Glory and power
Forever to our God
Singing blessing and honor
Glory and power
Forever to our God

When the hands of time wind fully down
And the earth is rolled up like a scroll
The trumpets will call and the world will fall
To its knees as we all go home

Singing blessing and honor
Glory and power
Forever to our God
Singing blessing and honor
Glory and power
Forever to our God

Star of the morning
Light of salvation
Majesty
God of all mysteries
Lord of the universe
Righteous King

There will come a day standing face to face
In a moment, we will be like Him
He will wipe our eyes dry, take us up to His side
And forever we will be His

Singing blessing and honor
Glory and power
Forever to our God
Singing blessing and honor
Glory and power
Forever to our God

Christy Nockels, “Ever Lifting”

Ganns — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:01:04 +0000

Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Christy Nockels, who scored a hit late last year with Waiting Here For You, has released Ever Lifting, a digital single that is apparently the carrier single of a new, currently untitled album, scheduled for release sometime in the spring of 2012. Coming from the reverent worship of Waiting Here For You, Christy’s new single Ever Lifting is a buoyant song of praise that is, in my opinion, a dose of fresh air amidst the heavy rock sounds currently permeating Christian AC. I’m sure somewhere in the Midwest, this kind of Christian sound may be a dime a dozen, but to this Christian music lover, I am loving that southern gospel sound. The banjo – is it a banjo? – is a delight to hear; it reminds me a bit of the brilliant Indigo Girls’ Get Out The Map, which is another great uplifting song (that is decidedly unChristian, but that’s beside the point).

Christy has created some amazing work with Watermark, and I appreciate her work with Chris Tomlin and the men and women of Passion, but there’s something about the material that she’s churning out since Life Light Up, her own studio release from last year, that tells me Christy’s only just begun to scratch the surface of what she’s fully capable of. She has a clear, distinctive voice, and when she sings, there is just so much passion there, it’s hard not to take notice. Ever Lifting is now picking up at Christian AC – it’s one of the most added songs at AC this week – and methinks Ever Lifting could be a ticket to another Top 20 hit for the ever-inspiring, ever-insightful Ms Nockels.

EVER LIFTING Lyrics
Christy Nockels

Up on the heights, oh oh
You let me go, oh oh
You make my heart to rise from the depths below …

You hold me up, oh oh
So I can see, oh oh
You’re ever lifting me …
You’re ever lifting me …

You’re lifting my head so I know You’re near me
You’re lifting my eyes so I see You clearly
Where I belong…You are where I belong
I’m lifting my voice just to sing a new song
I’m lifting my hands just to show You I know where I belong …
You’re where I belong …
You are ever lifting me …
You are ever lifting me …

You fill my heart to know, the length of Your great love
And where You go I’ll go, You set my heart above
And nothing on earth compares, Oh God when I’m with You
You take me higher, You take me higher

Billboard Christian Songs (February 4 2012)

Ganns — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:22:45 +0000

This week on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart, Aaron Shust holds onto #1 for a second week. Greatest Gainer honors to Building 429′s Where I Belong, which moves up a stunning 7 notches from 10 to 3. Top debut honors this week go to Sidewalk Prophets’ Live Like That.

1. (1) Aaron Shust My Hope Is In You

2. (2) Tenth Avenue North Strong Enough to Save

3. (10) Building 429 Where I Belong

4. (3) Mandisa Waiting For Tomorrow

5. (8) For King and Country Busted Heart (Hold On To Me)

6. (4) Matthew West Strong Enough

7. (5) The Afters Lift Me Up

8. (7) Matt Maher Turn Around

9. (11) Kari Jobe We Are

10. (14) Big Daddy Weave Love Come To Life

HOT DEBUT: Sidewalk Prophets’ Live Like That

Sidewalk Prophets, “Live Like That”

Ganns — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:35:58 +0000

Sidewalk Prophets’ Live Like That, the carrier single of its new album out March 27 2012 in digital and CD formats across the world, is officially my favorite CCM song of 2012 so far! I love this song!

Live Like That is a powerful anthem about taking every moment in one’s life and using that as a moment to glorify Christ. It’s asking the one question that should be on every Christian’s minds: for what exactly am I here on earth, and is everything I’m doing bringing glory back to the Creator to Whom I’m grateful for this life? Have I impacted lives in a positive way? When people struggle with loneliness, disease, anger, do I shine God’s light on them and bring them comfort in the name of Jesus?

Do people see Christ in me?

There is a rawness in Live Like That that reaches deep into the listener’s soul. It’s not just the emotion in lead singer David Frey’s voice. It’s not just the simple yet powerfully poetic lyrics (my favorite line: Recklessly abandoned, never holding back, I wanna live like that. (Brought tears to my eyes.) For me, it’s how Sidewalk Prophets’ Live Like That captures the deep yearning in my soul to live a life that would please God, not out of reward, but out of gratitude, because we have experienced grace, the kind of grace the world needs to know about.

On a recent blog post on its website, Sidewalk Prophets quotes Hebrews 12:1-2 (Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.). The writer of Hebrews certainly knew what he was talking about when he encouraged us to let Christ live through us; Sidewalk Prophets has taken the essence of that verse and put it into a song so powerful that Christians everywhere cannot help but be inspired and moved. And end of day, isn’t that what Christian music is supposed to do?

Sidewalk Prophets. Live Like That. #1 in 2012. Mark my words.

LIVE LIKE THAT LYrics
Sidewalk Prophets

Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I’m only just a memory
When I’m home where my soul belongs

Was I loved
Would no one else show up?
Was I Jesus to the least of us?
Was my worship more than just a song?

I wanna live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I’ll stand
Reckless abandoned
Never holding back
I wanna live like that
I wanna live like that

Am I proof that You are who You say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true

I wanna show the world the love You gave for me
(I wanna live like that)
Longing for the world to know the glory of the King

I wanna live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I’ll stand
(Where I stand)
Reckless abandoned
Never holding back
I wanna live like that
I wanna live like that