Author name: Cameron Conant

By Jars of Clay | Essential Records

Jars of Clay follows up its critically acclaimed 2006 album Good Monsters and its excellent 2007 effort, Christmas Songs, with The Long Fall Back to Earth. The Grammy- and Dove Award-winning band said the title of the album is not an admission these songs won’t measure up to its recent portfolio, but rather refers to the interpersonal issues the new recording addresses.

By Seth Condrey | Koch Records / Kosmos Records

A worship leader at North Point Community Church outside Atlanta, Seth Condrey’s second album is an interesting collection of praise and worship tunes and modern rock-infused pop ballads. Condrey, who attended college in South America and won a Gospel Music Association Dove Award for his 2007 Spanish-language album De corazon a corazon, is pretty impressive singing in his native tongue, too.

By Israel Houghton, Integrity Music. Kudos to Israel Houghton for not staying in his comfort zone and giving listeners another standard, albeit solid, praise and worship album with those funky guitars that he and his band mates play so well. On his latest album, The Power of One, Houghton finds inspiration from pop stars past …

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By Seventh Day Slumber, BEC Recordings. Seventh Day Slumber play alternative rock with melodic vocals, orchestral sounds and big guitars, but much of the guitar work is scaled back on Take Everything, a collection of praise and worship standards. In its place, the band offers sincerity and restrained arrangements. Well-known songs such as “Famous One,” …

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By Twila Paris, Koch Records. Music veteran Twila Paris is back with an album that until recently was only available at LifeWay Christian Stores. Paris, whose career has spanned three decades and produced dozens of hit singles, offers a solid collection of gentle pop that’s in keeping with her past work. Though far from edgy …

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By Freddy Rodriguez, Integrity Music. This live album from Freddy Rodriguez was recorded at the Champions Center in Las Vegas where he is worship leader, and it begs the question, “Can really predictable worship music still be really good?” If this doesn’t sound like an Israel Houghton album, nothing does. But Rodriguez–who has a wonderful …

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