Christian music presents a contradiction of sorts. Music is a creative, often spontaneous and mysterious thing and if you are a believer then you ascribe its origins and power to move to God.
The problem (for lack of a better term) is that contemporary Christian music is by definition centered around a single subject i.e. everyone knows how the song ends before it begins because of the intentions - stated or unstated - of the individuals or groups performing such music.
Many artists do themselves no favors by mindlessly copying the pop music flavor of the month along with certain production techniques in order to appear hip. From Roland JC-120 amps in the 80s to Mesa/Boogie Rectifiers in the 90s and 00s, it’s one thing to use state of the art gear but quite another to create soundalike tracks or performances with predictable ‘you’re a bad/sad/lost person but here’s hope’ narrative lyrics. Such a narrative is, by definition, inescapable given the genre and I think bands are conscious of this with their often elliptical - but still confined - choice of lyrics. Hence ‘deep and meaningful’ titles ‘Is It Worth It?’ ‘Don’t Turn Away,’ or ‘Drop Your Guard’ (these are all fictitious but typically trite examples).
Making matters worse, there are some insanely talented people in PWBs (to use the Craigslist acronym) but far too many hacks meandering through 3-chord songs on poorly tuned acoustics. You may say ‘they hear a calling’ and fair play to them for acting on it but any public performance should come with a self-inventory of one’s preparedness.
I realize this is potential flame-bait with claims of ‘you’ve never heard of XXX’ or ‘XXX’s lyrics aren’t like that’ but as before when you start with one subject you will, inevitably, end with the same subject.
What Christian music lacks is talent. Thirty minutes of “He Loves Me” sung through the nose of a “prophetic worship leader” is akin to waterboarding. There is no excelence in it because it’s performed for God and nobody is going to say it’s bad. I call it Christian Hip-Hop or “Yeah God” music because the crowd hops around like a Zumba class on meth, while the band plays the same three cords as “Gloria” by Van Morrison.
Christian music is a contradiction. What is the rest of music, non-Christian, demonic, worldly, secular etc. There is good music and bad music. The fact that you take a lousy song and ganish it with slurred or screamed Christian catch phrases doesn’t make it good.
It’s too bad that most of Christian music is either terrible or mediocre, but as long as you are doing it for the Lord, nobody is going to tell you you can’t sing. At the Pearly Gates they may find Simon Cowell instead of Saint Peter.
What Christian music lacks is talent. Thirty minutes of “He Loves Me” sung through the nose of a “prophetic worship leader” is akin to waterboarding. There is no excelence in it because it’s performed for God and nobody is going to say it’s bad. I call it Christian Hip-Hop or “Yeah God” music because the crowd hops around like a Zumba class on meth, while the band plays the same three cords as “Gloria” by Van Morrison.
Christian music is a contradiction. What is the rest of music, non-Christian, demonic, worldly, secular etc. There is good music and bad music. The fact that you take a lousy song and ganish it with slurred or screamed Christian catch phrases doesn’t make it good.
It’s too bad that most of Christian music is either terrible or mediocre, but as long as you are doing it for the Lord, nobody is going to tell you you can’t sing. At the Pearly Gates they may find Simon Cowell instead of Saint Peter.
What Christian music lacks is talent. Thirty minutes of “He Loves Me” sung through the nose of a “prophetic worship leader” is akin to waterboarding. There is no excelence in it because it’s performed for God and nobody is going to say it’s bad. I call it Christian Hip-Hop or “Yeah God” music because the crowd hops around like a Zumba class on meth, while the band plays the same three cords as “Gloria” by Van Morrison.
Christian music is a contradiction. What is the rest of music, non-Christian, demonic, worldly, secular etc. There is good music and bad music. The fact that you take a lousy song and ganish it with slurred or screamed Christian catch phrases doesn’t make it good.
It’s too bad that most of Christian music is either terrible or mediocre, but as long as you are doing it for the Lord, nobody is going to tell you you can’t sing. At the Pearly Gates they may find Simon Cowell instead of Saint Peter.