Best Female Christian Vocalist of All Time

Half a decade ago, I shared my thoughts on who I thought were the best female Christian vocalists of all time.

Criteria include song quality, vocal prowess, ability to play an instrument and/or craft a song, and of course my personal bias...

An updated list:

10. Nichole Nordeman

9. Crystal Lewis

8. Margaret Becker

7. Natalie Grant

6. Mandisa

5. Ginny Owens

4. Britt Nicole

3. Jaci Velasquez

2. Joy Williams

1. Amy Grant

Honorable Mentions:

Francesca Battistelli

Lisa Bevill

Christine Dente (Out of the Grey)

Brooke Fraser

Rachael Lampa

Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer)

Rebecca St. James

Kathy Troccoli

Thoughts?

PFR Reunites for 12 in 12

On the 20th anniversary of its Grammy-nominated album debut, Pray For Rain, Dove Award-winning Christian rock band PFR has reunited and is prepping for the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour, their first national tour since 1997. Concerts will take the band to Portland, Ore., Kansas City, Nashville, Indianapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Arizona cities of Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff. For the tour, the legendary band has partnered with ChildFund International to encourage sponsorship of special needs children throughout the world.

PFR chose to work with ChildFund, in part, because of bass player and vocalist Patrick Andrew's personal story as the father of two special needs children. Because ChildFund utilizes a unique organizational structure, there is only one donor per child, so each donor is able to build a personal, one-to-one relationship with their sponsored child. "This is so hard on a family to go through, and we have the best doctors, hospitals and equipment," explains Andrew, whose youngest son, Samuel, fights an autoimmune disease, and oldest son, Everett, lives with autism. "I can't imagine what it is like for a family in a less fortunate part of the world to watch their child go through an illness and not be able to make sure that they have the best care. ChildFund has offered us the opportunity to offer sponsorships for special needs kids, and that's really exciting for me."

"It's been 20 years since we released our very first album, Pray for Rain," says frontman/guitarist Joel Hanson. "This new tour feels like a really good way to celebrate the music and the bond that has held us and our fans together all these years." "We've had this conversation about touring again for several years," adds drummer Mark Nash. "Occasionally we've gotten together to do a show. We're still really good friends, and when we are on stage that same chemistry and energy is still there."

A fundraising concert for Andrew's son in November 2011 brought the former bandmates together, "the catalyst," Hanson says, to booking the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour. "So we thought we'd play the numbers game - 2012. Twenty years since our first record, 12 shows," he says, "but then we realized (and we are happy to say) that there seems to be interest out there, so we decided that we are going to keep going - 12 in 2012…And Beyond - as long as the requests keep coming in."

With the new tour in the works, Hanson, Andrew and Nash find themselves recharged and re-energized with new music and old favorites to share with their legion of fans. "This is our chance to play all the songs that people loved and it gives us the opportunity to share our story," Hanson says. "Things have been beautiful and things have been difficult, but we're still here, walking out what we believe."

"Looking back over 20 years of making music, one thing that is important for us to convey is that God's word is true," Andrew says. "It was true when we wrote those songs, and it is true today. Even in our naiveté, we sang about truths that were Biblically accurate. People's lives were changed by some of these songs, but it wasn't because of us; it was God speaking through us. We were just a bunch of kids having fun."

To learn more of the story of the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour, view PFR's video at vimeo.com/42889832 or visit pfr12in2012.com. 

The Choir Unleashes The Loudest Sound Ever Heard

After three decades together, iconic alternative rock band The Choir is set to release their 14th studio album, The Loudest Sound Ever Heard, on May 15th.

As one of the few bands left standing from the 1980’s SoCal music movement wave that swept nationwide more than 30 years ago, The Choir continues to make their renowned atmospheric music married to lyrics stirred by life’s inspirational lessons in the context of real relationships - love, despair, light, dark, hope, and recovery.

With their past releases described as, according to the Los Angeles Times, “magical songs that combine strains of murky psychedelia with pure pop,” and Billboard touting The Choir for their “dark poetic leanings, effects-laden guitars and strong melodic hooks,” this newest album certainly remains true to The Choir's core classic sound. Yet in the creation of The Loudest Sound Ever Heard, the song crafting and production is enhanced more than ever through their years of experience and collaboration.

The project’s title of The Loudest Sound Ever Heard is taken from the infamous volcanic explosion on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa in the late 19th century." A quick search revealed that to this day the event is considered to be "the loudest sound ever heard," Drummer Hindalong explains. “I referred to that tragic occurrence in the first verse of the song ‘I'm Learning to Fly,’ which is thematically central to the album. It’s about living each day like it truly matters. ‘Living to love in a dying world.’ Such catastrophic events remind us of our vulnerability, and how we ought to celebrate every breath."

Hindalong continues, "There is also a figurative reference to the title – ‘A true friend's heart is the loudest sound ever heard' - in the song ‘Melodious,’ which is a tribute to our long time friend and bandmate, Tim Chandler. Incidentally, Tim introduced Derri and I back in 1979 and we’ve been making music together ever since!”

The final song on the album, ‘After All,’ features a stunning duet with Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer. “We’ve known Leigh since way back,” says Daugherty, “She’s a friend and one of my favorite singers ever. We’re thrilled that she was able to sing on this project. Matt Slocum [Sixpence guitarist] also played cello on a couple of songs. Those guys are great.”

The Choir recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release date of their groundbreaking and critically acclaimed album, Chase the Kangaroo (1988) by performing the record in its entirety on their spring tour.

Leigh Nash divorce

In an emotional MySpace blog entry, former Sixpence None the Richer frontwoman Leigh Nash announced her divorce from Mark Nash, her husband of 11 years and drummer with Christian rock band PFR.