The Anatomy of a Bad Album (or Why I Dislike the New Casting Crowns Album)

So my friend Leah & I were discussing the new Casting Crowns album. She was questioning my rating of the album (you can read the review here). I began to explain what the album review didn't - a lack of creative, original music - the band is resting on their laurels, etc. The conversation then turned to the song "East to West" - which I think is possibly one of the worst songs ever to come out of the band.

It's not like "East to West" is the only problem here. The whole album is chock full of songs like "East to West" - lacking any originality musically, and even worse in the lyrics department.

Some will take my major issue with the album as that I don't care for that kind of music. That is far from the truth (Mr. Chris Sligh accused me of this not too long ago when I gave Half Past Forever a poor review). I love pop/rock. It's the most steady portion of my musical diet. However, I want it to be good pop/rock - and I want to see the artist taking chances and trying new things with each subsequent release. Unfortunately, Casting Crowns hasn't done that yet. They should take their cue from artists like MercyMe, Jars of Clay, David Crowder Band, Relient K, Switchfoot, and others who have consistently built albums that were increasingly better than their last (some may have a misstep here or there). Heck, I'd even be happy if they went the route of Caedmon's Call or Newsboys and be hit and miss with their releases. At least I'd know they were putting some definite thought and taking chances every now and then.

I say all of this to say that artists don't need to rest on their laurels. Sure, Casting Crowns is going to sell out the wazoo with this album - but that doesn't make it a great album. I expect more from a band that had the potential to be Christian music's next great band. Unfortunately, they just aren't living up to any potential they may have shown.

NQC - Days Four & Five

First - let me apologize for my lack of updates yesterday. It was a late night and an early morning, and I just wasn't in the mood to sit at the computer and type out a blog entry.

Thursday was another fantastic day. We started off with the HeavenSound.com showcase and heard some phenomenal music that day. (Sorry for no group name - that was two days ago - I do remember the Apostolic Boys tearing it up!). After that, we had the second day of our Southern Spin Entertainment Showcase with great performances from Dave Williford Band, Mercy Rain, Hope's Journey, Bev McCann, The Pathfinders, The Cerces, The Glovers, Vertical Praise, the King's Heralds, The Quicks, and the Anchormen. Two of the standout performances came from The Dills and the new line up of Three Bridges. A lot of people thought Three Bridges would fade into obscurity - but they didn't miss a beat with this new lead singer.

(For those wondering - I decided to skip out of the bloggers roundtable on Thursday. We had our second day of our showcase scheduled - and I just wanted to be there to support my artists. I don't regret it one bit!)

After the Showcase, the Imperials helped us tear down (Thanks guys!) and he headed back for another full evening in the exhibit hall. I caught some of the Regional Artist Showcase and saw some great performances - most notably from Tara Jackson and Southern Joy (their kid singer is amazing!). I sat over at the Allens' booth and caught the Singing News Fan Awards this year (much improved over years past - script was very good and the multimedia was great!). Then Kimberly Allen (of The Allens), Steve Allen (our engineer), mom, Amy, and myself all ate dinner before getting to work! We went to the midnight breakfast with Kimberly and Steve and Bev McCann and her family before heading off to our hotel and going to bed.

Yesterday started with the Diamond Awards. Sunday Edition both presented and performed. We did the song that Amy & I cowrote with Rebecca Peck - "Amazing". I just love Karen Peck & Johnathan Bond as hosts. They were a hoot. Congrats goes to the Hoppers on all their wins - and SoGospelNews.com won their first Favorite Industry Website Award! Thanks for all your votes!

We went and got some lunch after that but I didn't get to finish mine, because I was running around trying to gather up some Southern Spin artists for TV interviews I had accidently double booked while the Prophets Meet & Greet was going on AND Sunday Edition was supposed to be doing radio liners as well! It worked out well - and I did get to check out the tail end of the Prophets Meet & Greet before taking them up to their Gospel Greats interview. More busy work through the night occurred before we headed off another round of the midnight breakfast. It was the same group as last night except we added Tara & Kyle Jackson and Allison Lynn to the mix as well. I think we stayed there until the place closed and just had a wonderful time of laughter and listening to Steve's quips.

Well - we only have one more night. Part of me is disappointed that it's already Saturday and so many of the groups that I wanted to see I only go to see briefly. However, it's also an exhausting week - and I'm glad it's over in that aspect!

Update

We had a very very late night last night - so I won't be updating until later this afternoon.

Be sure and check out the Diamond Awards today in the Mary Room of the Executive Inn West. Starts at 1:00 pm! See everyone there!

NQC - Day Three

Boy, today was an exhausting day. We started our day off early by heading to the Canterbury Room of the Executive Inn (East) to set up the sound system for the HeavenSound.com and Southern Spin Entertainment Showcases. We didn't get to do too much checking on the monitors before the showcase started, so there were some major monitor issues, even though the sound in the audience sounded great. We heard some great performances from Amazed, The Imperials, Evident Call, Ministers Quartet and more.

After a brief break, we kicked off the Southern Spin Entertainment Showcase with the Next Chapter Quartet. Other featured performers were Amazed, New Day, Wendy Word + forgiven, Evident Call, The Imperials, Heartland Harmony, Sharron Kay King, The Gardners, HisSong, Eighth Day, and Tara Jackson. Very special thanks to folks like Wayne Haun, Kyle Jackson (Jackson Management Agency), Theresa Smith Dillard (TS Promotions), Allison Lynn (http://allisonlynn.blogspot.com), Chuck Peters (SGShowPrep), the guys from The Mansion, and more for coming out and showing their support for the artists on the showcase.

After a yummy dinner with Tara & Kyle Jackson, Jonathan White, and Allison Lynn at the Buckhead Restaurant, we all headed back to the exhibition hall. I didn't catch many performances, though the Florida Boys continue to have a stellar week. Also, the Dove Brothers nailed another performance, the Booth Brothers sounded as fantastic as ever, and Gold City hit a homerun on "I'm Rich."

I got to spend some quality time with The Freemans tonight. They are such good people. There is some exciting news coming down the pike about Misty. Congrats!

Not much else to talk about. If you're in town - be sure and catch tomorrow's HeavenSound.com and Southern Spin Entertainment Showcases. SSE will host Three Bridges, King's Heralds, Dave Williford Band, The Dills, The Quicks, Driven, The Glovers, The Cerces, Bev McCann, The Pathfinders, Mercy Rain, and more. You won't want to miss it in the Canterbury Room of the Executive Inn (East).

Another quick product plug - TK & McRae's new one, When He Said Live, is fantastic. Be sure and get your copy!

NQC - Day Two

Wow. I am so exhausted, and it is only day two. My legs are unusually sore already. I hate to feel what they will be like come Friday or Saturday.

The day started off with the Artist Spotlight Showcase starting at 12:30. I specifically wanted to catch Everyday Driven - and they knocked it out of the park. Also - Crabb Revival and Aaron & Amanda Crabb did a great job, and I can't wait to hear them as they develop their individual sounds a bit more. I also got to catch fantastic performances from The Imperials, The Glovers, Young Harmony, Spoken 4 Quartet, The Pathfinders, Driven, and more. Two highlights came in the form of The Shaffers (who had fantastic blend) and David Patillo's daughter (her name escapes me at the moment.)

I got to speak with Donna Beauvais (Hope's Call) about her new business. I'm sure more news will be announced at a later date, but it will be fun to see how her new venture develops!

I headed out to the exhibition hall where I met the always wonderful Melissa Brady (wife of Jim Brady) chatting the ear off of Kerri Mullins (of Everyday Driven). We had a great conversation before heading back to the hall. I walked around a while before realizing that I had to catch two of my clients in the Regional Artist Showcase. I caught Wendy Word + forgiven (who did fantastic!) and Amazed was rescheduled to Thursday, so I didn't miss them. Also caught StateLine Quartet - and they are a great new quartet in SG.

I didn't get to catch many performances, and again nothing actually in Freedom Hall. I did see Mercy's Mark (who's new lead singer is a phenomenal singer), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Triumphant Quartet, The Greenes (Brad Hudson is an unreal vocalist) and more. Gold City was amazing (like always), and The Webbs (formerly the Rick Webb Trio) had a great set as well. I got to have some good conversations with the folks of New Day, Chuck Peters, Steve Allen, Kimberly Allen (the Allens), and more!

We had a late night, and an even earlier morning tomorrow. We're running sound for the HeavenSound.com Showcases and Southern Spin Entertainment Showcases (tomorrow and Thursday). Be sure and come to the Canterbury Room (Executive Inn) from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and catch performances from The Imperials, HisSong, Sunday Edition, New Day, Tara Jackson, Eighth Day, Evident Call, Sharron Kay King, Gardners, Next Chapter Quartet, Heartland Harmony, Wendy Word + forgiven, and Amazed.

Thanks for reading - and I'll see you this week!

My first product pitch of the week is The Dills' new release Uncommon. This is the best I've ever heard the group. Way to go guys!

NQC - Day One

Well, I can't believe it's actually here, and I'm posting about our first full day at NQC.

We got in town on Saturday evening in order to rest up before a big week. We woke up late morning on Sunday and were greeted in the parking lot by one of our favorite trios - Vertical Praise - and their support team. Since the opportunity was there for us, we all ate a hearty breakfast at Cracker Barrel before heading to the Expo Center to put our booths together. We spent most of the day getting our booth put together, and then went to Value City for a few minutes where we ran into Paul & Shelia Heil of the Gospel Greats. After that, Vertical Praise, us, Gary Allan (HeavenSound.com), and many more (about 17 of us total) ate a nice dinner at O'Charley's.

Monday started off busy, as we prepared for our performance on the Artist Spotlight Showcase. We ended up going 5th to last, but there was a great crowd there - probably the biggest of the afternoon. We did "Naaman" (which will be our next single) and "Victory In Jesus." I also got to catch some great performances from The Dills, Sharron Kay King, and more. I was particularly impressed with the Childress Family. I had never heard them before, and they had a great sound. I expect great things out of this group.

The evening started out with a pretty busy exhibition hall. Everyone I talked to seemed to anxious for another great week. I didn't get a chance to see any mainstage performances actually in Freedom Hall - but I did catch performances from the Dove Brothers, Anchormen, Hoppers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Karen Peck & New River, and more on the live-feed in the Allens' booth while I chatted it up with Kimberly Allen. I also got to spend some quality time with the folks from Wendy Word + forgiven, Hope's Call, Amazed, The Pathfinders, The Quicks, The Dills, The Glovers, Sharron Kay King, and more. I can't wait to talk with others and get to know them as well.

So far there hasn't been a lot of talk or buzz surrounding much of anything. I think most people are just excited to see old friends.

BTW - the new Dills' release, Uncommon, is really good. We listened to it on the way back to the hotel. It's fantastic.

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