August and September are shaping up to have some monster music releases in them. As I’ve discussed before, I am a music junkie, so it is rare that I can resist buying an album of an artist I like the day they release it. Here are some notable new and upcoming releases.
Chris August – The Upside of Down
I became a fan of Chris August when I saw him live on David Crowder* Band’s last tour. I have been looking forward to his new CD for a while now, and have not been disappointed at all in it. Some of my friends are surprised that I listen to Chris August because I typically don’t listen to that style of music as much. However, August’s lyrics are one of the main reasons I do listen to him. His lyrics are very powerful and moving. Some of my favorite tracks are I Believe, Unashamed of You, and Truth is Still True.
Owl City – The Midsummer Station
People who have been fans of Owl City for a long time have expressed a lot of disappointment in the way his new album sounds. I would have to disagree with those people. I think The Midsummer Station is possibly his best release. I don’t like it when all of a band’s CDs sound the same. Change can be good, and in the case of Owl City it is very good. It is a very fun CD and is musically much better than his other releases. Stand out tracks are Good Time, Take It All Away, and Dementia.
TobyMac – Eye On It
TobyMac has been in the music scene for a long time, and his age starts to show a little bit on his new release. It is a little more mellow in comparison to his other CDs (note it is not a mellow CD, just in comparison). With that being said, it is still a very good CD. Lyrically it is very strong, open, and honest. He covers topics from forgiveness to watching the words we speak to struggling to have peace and happiness in his family. TruDog also gets a full song on this CD, which I have been hoping for every time TobyMac releases a CD. It is honestly one of my favorite tracks on the CD because of the beat and the fact that I literally lol’d the first time I heard it. Other in the running for my favorite track are Me Without You, Unstoppable, and Forgiveness (f/ Lecrae).
Lecrae – Gravity (releases September 4)
Christian rap for a long time was a genre that I was not a fan of. In my opinion, most of the Christian rappers were bad and cheesy. I think in the last five years the genre has come a lot way. One of the people that I would say has helped lead it is Lecrae. His new CD, Gravity, releases next week. Lyrically Lecrae is a beast. He isn’t afraid to be transparent and real in his music. Lecrae understands that just because something is Christian doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality, which used to be the problem in the Christian rap genre. I am very excited to hear his new album next week. I’ll probably be blasting it my car and dancing to the beats, and people will ride past me and think I’m crazy.
Those are my favorite new releases, what have you been listening to recently?