Posted on 01/10/2006 8:27:27 AM PST by nckerr
Michelle Boorstein | The Washington Post Posted January 7, 2006 Looking at row after row of Christian-music CDs in a suburban Virginia Wal-Mart, Clint Clifton glimpses the seeds of something grand -- a golden period for Christian artists that could rival 12th-century France or 15th-century England. The Christian selections fill about one-eighth of the mega-store's music department. Having spent three years promoting and training young Christian musicians, Clifton smiles; he is living in a boom time. But Clifton, 26, sees other things on the wire shelves, too. He picks up a CD by the teenage band Jump 5 and tsks. The group doesn't write most of its songs, and Clifton suspects that it began as a moneymaking "concept" in a music company's marketing department, not as a divinely inspired prayer, as Christian music should. He flips over a top-selling CD and marvels at the name of the label: Time-Life. "Seeing Time-Life on a Christian CD is still pretty weird," says Clifton, who lives in Stafford, Va., and is pastor at Pillar Church in Dumfries, Va. "It's a good thing as a whole, but I don't necessarily think being bigger is always a good thing. It's a fine line." For musicians of what's broadly called "contemporary Christian" --
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
He wears a "unity" head-band with a symbol of a cross, a crescent and a star of David intertwined.
And dead-on.
Well, you obviously have some G2 I didn't.
"One of the big attractions of these stations for the demographic of which you speak, and which I fit into very well, is that you can listen to it with the kids in the car."
Are you saying that alternative Christian music is not acceptable for little ones? And that the radio stations that play that stuff have trash in between that the kids shouldn't hear?
My point is that the stuff that's on the radio is extremely poor quality and it could be much better. The music I'm thinking of is perfectly acceptable for small children. I'm not sure what you are referring to.
Precisely. Christian music doesn't have to be the banal dreck that is on the music stations now - there are some very good bands out there that aren't just Christianized pop. Jars of Clay, Third Day and Caedmon's Call are just some examples.
"Heard of them, haven't heard them. Any song suggestions for when I go to iTunes later this afternoon?"
From Their 1st Albumn
Voice of Truth
Here I go Again
If We are The Body
From Their 2nd Albumn
While You Were Sleeping
I'm sorry but we don't have an alternative Christian music station around here, so it wouldn't be an option for us.
I'm sure it would be just as clean and the talk between songs just as acceptable, but since we don't have such a station, we listen to the one we have which is geared to the demographic for which you show so much contempt.
I was saying that mainstream stations are unacceptable to those of us "soccer moms" with high standards for what our children encounter. I think when I said "Top 40" you should have grasped that!! Duh!
G2?
Stryper had a new album come out last spring or summer.
"I'm sorry but we don't have an alternative Christian music station around here, so it wouldn't be an option for us. "
No need to apologize to me.
"we listen to the one we have which is geared to the demographic for which you show so much contempt."
Good grief, you have quite a chip on your shoulder. You sound like a liberal the way that you jump on a perceived slight and make yourself the victim. I have no contempt for that demographic, I merely stated that the music is really low quality. If you like it, then enjoy it. Apparently the radio guys think that demographic is where the advertising dollars will be well spent, so that's why they target that type of music.
When I said that the quality of the music was low on Christian radio you should have understood that I wasn't talking about pop radio and the junk you have to put up with. Duh!
1. Army or Marine Corps component intelligence staff officer (Army division or higher staff, Marine Corps brigade or higher staff)
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You are using objective language for subjective criteria when you say Christian pop is "poor music". There are many aspects of a song that can be judged - which do you mean?
The vocal performance?
The musical performance?
The recording / mix ?
The songwriting?
The theology ? (in Christian music alone)
The production?
The "vibe" ?
When most people say any type of pop music (including Christian) sucks, they usually mean that it lacks the latter. Not edgy enough. Too sugary-sweet. In high school, it's considered vapid because cheerleaders like it. In adulthood, because "soccer moms" like it. These are social judgements, and should have little bearing on whether or not a song is judged "good".
Like it or not, Phil Collins is, by all objective means, and excellent song craftsman. He knows how to "craft" a good hook.
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss an entire genre of music as poor. After all, "I can only Imagine" came out of Christian Pop, and will most likely still be sung in Churches a century from now.
Third Day. Jennifer Knapp. Jars of Clay. (If you can find them), "The Strangers". FFH (particularly a song called "One of These Days"). Steven Curtiss Chapman. Sonic Flood. DC Talk. The Newsboys (but their stuff can be a little repetitive).
Caedmon's Call is outstanding.
Alot of what is produced in pop music today is music crafted "by committee" and sung by whoever has the most star power. This music is not usually the best quality. As the article stated, there is alot of Christian radio music produced by committee, also.
There are exceptions, but overall the playlist could be improved greatly. Don't you agree? And I'm not talking about more stuff just because it's "edgy" -- that doesn't have anything to do with well crafted music.
I wondered if someone would mention "Faith + 1". They're the best of the whole bunch!
On the "by committee" part, I would agree. We faced the same thing in country music, till first O Brother, then the Muzik Mafia came along and turned this town (Nashville) on its head.
I think there should be a new sociological theorem: All good things eventually get co-opted by corporations, complacency sets in, causing a new revolution to supplant the good thing that has now become "corporate". This is especially true in music.
But even "corporate" music can be good. Journey was considered corporate junk by critics, but by any objective criteria they were quite a good band (especially Schonn and Perry). Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is a very well written song.
But I'll agree, for the most part, contrived corporate music is pretty lame.
It's kind of touchy for me, because a few months ago, I watched "Lost Highway" on CMT. It was billed as the definitive history of country music. Unfortunately, the Nashville establishment was always protrayed as "the bad guys", and they missed whole eras of great music because they focused only on "outlaws". They totally missed "The Nashville Sound", Chet Adkins, the many productions of Buddy Killen.
Anyway, I digress.
Let me also say that I had always dismissed Christian rap as unlistenable - until I heard Kirk Franklin's "revolution" That really rocked my world.
"I think there should be a new sociological theorem: All good things eventually get co-opted by corporations, complacency sets in, causing a new revolution to supplant the good thing that has now become "corporate". This is especially true in music."
Yep. America instituted the Industrial Revolution into its soul to the extent that there is almost nothing which cannot be turned into a commodity. But it's two sides of the same coin -- both good and bad.
I agree, it does take some inertia to get over the complacency and the pure profit motive. There's nothing wrong with profit, but if that's the only reason you are interested in music then there won't be any heart in what's produced.
The old bands from the 80's, like the Eagles, were good examples of musicians that grew together up in the music business and sang songs about life, songs about being on the road and finding out whether they had the determination to stick with it. Billy Joel's first couple of albums were his best, where he sang from his heart and about what all he had gone through to become successful. That's not the same as a record company finding an 18-yr old with marginal talent and a pretty face and making them a star. There's definitely alot of talented musicians out there these days but some of them don't get the promotion or airplay. The internet has helped diversify the standard music fare which is available today and will continue to do so.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
You are the one who got their panties in a wad over "Christian Alternative Music" vs. low-quality soccer mom Christian Music.
I simply pointed out that instead of having my children listen to mainstream "Top 40" music with nasty lyrics and trashy talk between songs, we listen to that low quality music because it is a wholesome radio alternative.
You're the one who jumped all over me asking why "Christian Alternative" isn't good enough or some such nonsense.
Enough is enough. I don't have to justify my choices to a music snob such as yourself. I was only replying to your post and telling you why some of us choose that so-called "low quality" stuff. Adios!
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