Obscure CCM Bands - Vo. 4

I really thought I was done with this little series. I had a couple others I thought I might share but nothing really stood out to me. 

Then three weeks later I remembers this band. They are a group that represents one of the rare times where CCM was ahead of the cultural wave instead of following it's wake. 

The band - AVB. Acappella Vocal Band (or is it "All Vocal Band", this website makes me wonder if I've been mistaken for 30 years).

You must understand, long before the Pitch Perfect movie franchise and even before Glee became a cultural phenomenon, CCM was featuring acapella groups all over the place. Now this isn't to say that acapella music was totally absent in mainstream culture, it wasn't. In fact I remember Rockapella being ever-present on one of my favorite tv shows, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

AVB was actually an off-shoot from the original group named Acappella, a vocal group founded in the early 80's. Both groups had their 15 minutes of CCM fame for sure. But it is AVB that made an impression on me. 

Their 1989 album Song in My Soul put them on my musical radar thanks to a couple songs that got radio play. Before I looked it up, I was sure this was the early 90's. As I look back though, they were probably my gateway-drug to the emerging pop-rock CCM acts that followed - ie, Newsboys, dc Talk. Their style had great vocal harmony but also featured an up-beat, almost hip-hop sound. 

The song that hooked me, for at least this one album, was "The Victim". Here's a version they did at what is an apparent reunion appearance 10 years ago. 

The group had many iterations, normally made up of 4-5 members at a time. I will never be confused with being a judge on any singing competition, yet they seem to still have a lot of talent and skill. And by combining into a larger group, they are able to do a nice job layering their sound.

I could not have told you that when I was a pre-teen though. All I knew then was, they had a unique sound and catchy lyrics. In this case, convicting-ly catchy lyrics. I gave my life to Christ at an early age, but I remember this song in particular being one of the first times I really learned that Jesus' death gave me the key to "stop doing those things" I knew were wrong. It was more than knowing right from wrong, but knowing how to live accordingly.

And as we consider anew the incredible truths of this Holy Week, the one Truth that stands above all is that when he "died upon the cross, the wage of sin was then made free". He truly took the torture and the punishment that was mine, that was ours. He became the victim of our crime. What a sacrifice and what a wonderful Risen Savior we serve!

Music Mondays: When CCM gets serious

I fully realize it is Wednesday and also it's been almost an exact month since I last posted for Music Monday or anything. But here we are.

I was listening to a podcast earlier this summer that takes a look back at various pieces of Christian culture. This particular episode was analyzing the Newsboys album "Step up to the Microphone". For me, it was a trip back through memory lane to my later high school years of the late 90's. 

There were a number of radio hits from that CD, but the song that I most appreciated remembering was one not featured as a single - the last track, "Always".

That song had always resonated with me, probably because of it's chorus highlighting God being our "Father in my fatherless days". This song reflects a story of fatherly abandonment and finding God's healing help in the aftermath of that. My story is about a father who died - so it is different, but the truth still resounds in a powerful way.

So for the next few weeks, I'll be highlighting songs that tackled serious subjects. CCM often retreats into clichés and bland theology, that while usually true, doesn't connect to real life. But every so often, an artist or artists will break the mold and venture into the challenges of reality. And as we'll see, the result is often some of the best work they do, even if it's not the most popular.

Music Mondays

This week's selection is a gem from my youth that I'd totally forgotten about. Thanks to the Good Christian Fun podcast, who reviewed the entire album, my lost love for this prophetic rock song was rekindled.

"Lost the Plot" is a nuanced and confrontational song that builds up to a rich, convicting crescendo. I'm posting the lyrical video so it's easier to follow the flow of the song's message.

And if you'll allow me to a moment of self-promotion, it also fits the sermon series we're working through this summer. "Missing the Point" highlights popular verses many church-goers have misunderstood and misquoted. And especially with yesterday's verse, Jeremiah 29:11, I fear we've lost the plot.

Music Mondays

Of all the Christian bands and artists out there, there's not a band I've wavered more on than the Newsboys. I got hooked on their early stuff when I was looking for more progressive sounding music my mom would still let me listen to. Then as CCM became a real commercial industry and they gained more popularity, I became less and less enthusiastic about their stuff. Every so often I'd like one of their singles, but I was generally not interested. 

And then they brought on former dc Talk member Michael Tait as their lead vocalist and I was contractually obligated to like them due to my lifelong commitment to enjoy all things dc Talk related.

This week's song selection perfectly encapsulates my feelings towards the band. I don't really turn it up or pay attention if it is on the radio (mostly because it has been overplayed). Yet its message and overall quality is pretty good when I consider them on their own merits.

And since it seems like a natural fit with what I preached on yesterday in Revelation 20, I figure now is as good of a time as any to feature them in a positive way:

Music Mondays

This week's Music Monday selection is inspired by our upcoming sermon series. We've finished the book of Daniel and are returning to the New Testament by going through Galatians.

Galatians is all about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Galatians is all about how we undeservingly receive salvation through Christ by placing our faith in Him. Paul wrote this letter to combat those who were adding stipulations to the gospel, wanting new converts to conform to Jewish laws and regulations. Instead, Paul's message is "We are free!" OR as Homer Kent titled his commentary, Galatians is about "The Freedom of God's Sons".

With that in mind, I could think of no better recent CCM song to feature than this one: