1. Phil Wickham What do you get when two band members from a popular 1960’s Christian hippie movement get married? Phil Wickham, that’s what! Good acoustic soft pop-rock.
philwickham.com
2. Skillet I love it when rock stars mingle with the symphony and Skillet does just that. This is a great industrial metal band with two Grammy nominations. Don’t be surprised to hear heavily distorted guitars with some violins added for good measure.
skillet.com/awake.php
3. JJ Heller With absolutely beautiful poetry and a voice to match, JJ Heller creates music as thoughtful as it is relaxing. She reminds me a bit of late 90’s star, Fiona Apple.
jjheller.com
4. Lecrae While I’ve never been much of a fan of rap, there is simply no denying the lyrical talent in Lecrae. Proof that rap music need not be offensive.
youtube.com, search “Lecrae”
5. Casting Crowns If your church does contemporary music, then these guys probably need no introduction. It’s a good mix between the kind of music you might actually hear on the radio and the church music we hear on Sundays.
youtube.com, search “Casting Crowns”
6. Switchfoot Maybe it’s just my 90’s grunge roots showing, but this alternative rock band does a great mix of music. This guitar-heavy band has especially clever lyrics, with both punk and jazz influences.
switchfoot.com
7. Jeremy Camp Contemporary Christian music fitting for your worship service or just for driving down the road, Jeremy Camp is kind of akin to the Jack Johnson of Christian music.
jeremycamp.com/home.html
8. Fireflight Gothic-metal, Christian and female, this vocally driven band is reminiscent of another great Christian band, Flyleaf as well as mainstream artist, Evanescence. Think: Christian vampire.
fireflightrock.com
9. Tobymac Originally from the Grammy-award winning 90’s group DC Talk, Toby Mac has been out on his own for a while now. Though perhaps a tad hokey when you think about a 45-year-old white Christian rapper, he still makes some great music.
tobymac.com
10. matthew west Mellow pop/country-rock sound out of Nashville. It’s worth noting that West has written music for secular artists, including Rascal Flats.
matthewwest.com
