2008 Music Awards
10. RUBICON 7: Just Another Day
2001, Synthpop, Christian thematic
Purchased used from Amazon 3rd party for $4.96
Amazon.com sales rank: 788,391
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
It’s hard to find good Christian synthpop. This is one of the better ones out there, though the lyrics are a bit too explicitly evangelical for me at times.
Read more to see why I like it so much...
9. WITHIN TEMPTATION: The Heart Of Everything
2007, Gothic, Secular with religious allusions
Purchased new from BMG for $6.78
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
The most emotionally dramatic album on my list this year. Powerful electric guitars, dark gothic choirs...this is spine-tingling stuff.
Read more to see why I like it so much...
8. HILLSONG LONDON: Jesus Is (Re:mix)
2007, Dance, Christian praise & worship
Purchased new from Sound & Spirit for $6.78
Amazon.com sales rank: 196,438
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
This was the only current praise & worship dance album I could get my hands on in 2008. Not quite my style of dance music, but good quality dance music. Part of the album is chill music.
7. THE ECHOING GREEN: The Evergreen Collection
2002, Synthpop, Christian thematic
Purchased new at Amazon.com for $15.99
Amazon.com sales rank: 164,342
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
I have known about this group for years, and I love synthpop, yet this 2-disc “best of” is my first album by The Echoing Green! It’s all good...I need more.
6. EVER: The Unraveling
2005, Alternative, Christian worldview
Purchased from the artist for $6.99
Amazon.com sales rank: Not available at Amazon
MP3 tracks at Amazon? No, but are at artist’s website
Available at iTunes? Yes
Ethereal vocals over music that is perfect for a dark and gloomy day. A hauntingly beautiful album.
5. MICHELLE TUMES: Center Of My Universe
2000, Pop, Christian thematic
Acquired free at work
Amazon.com sales rank: 17,537
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
This is her second album. I got this in 2007, but it didn’t click with me until I got hooked on her fourth album. In 2008, I listened to this nearly as much.
4. SARAH MACINTOSH: The Waiters, The Watchers, The Listeners, The Keepers, and Me
2008, Acoustic & electric guitar-based, Christian thematic
Purchased new at Amazon.com for $13.98
Amazon.com sales rank: 81,962
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
The lead singer of Chasing Furies released this solo album of songs with straightforward Christian lyrics.
2003, Industrial, Christian thematic & worldview
Purchased new at Amazon.com for $15.00
Amazon.com sales rank: 423,301
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
A gorgeously dark electronic album with Christian themes...this was just what I needed in 2008. Soul touching.
2008, Dance, Christian thematic
Purchased new at Musichristian.com for $6.98
Amazon.com sales rank: 198,740
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
Last year’s Dream Lab album topped my list. This is my second favorite of the four albums released so far from Dream Lab. It’s not as “trance” as I would like it, but it’s still good dance music with explicit Christian lyrics.
2006, Pop, Christian thematic
Purchased new from the artist’s website for $15.80
Amazon.com sales rank: 120,024
MP3 at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
I’ve been a Michelle Tumes fan for many years, but no album of hers has captured my attention like this fourth album of hers. Beautiful smooth pop sounds radiate from every track.
11. NITRO PRAISE: 5
1999, Dance, Christian praise & worship
Purchased used from Amazon 3rd party for $3.24
Amazon.com sales rank: 72,789
MP3 tracks at Amazon? No
Available at iTunes? Yes
I have 7 Nitro Praise albums altogether, including this latest purchase of mine. This is my third favorite of the series. Even though Nitro Praise leans toward house music, which I don’t prefer, the worship energy is contagious.
Go to full review...
12. DREAM LAB: Technodelic
2008, Psychedelia & Dance, Christian thematic
Purchased new from Musichristian.com for $6.98
Amazon.com sales rank: 210,157
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes
Available at iTunes? Yes
I’ve always liked psychedelic music and dance music, so it’s really cool to have these two styles mixed together on this album. The lyrics are very evangelistic.
Go to full review...
13. PROJECT 86: Rival Factions
2007, Hard music, Christian worldview
Acquired free at work
Amazon.com sales rank: 38,435
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Only the first song
Available at iTunes? Yes
This is Project 86’s sixth album, and my fifth (I don’t have their debut). All five of their albums that I have, have made my best of the year. They consistently turn out top quality albums of intense,
in-your-face music.
Go to full review...
14. PRISTINA: Stars And Sirens (Limited Edition 2-disc version)
2007, Chill, Christian worldview
Purchased new from Amazon 3rd party for $20.98
Amazon.com sales rank for this rare version: 319,478
Amazon.com sales rank for normal version: 101,229
MP3 tracks at Amazon? Yes, but normal version only
Available at iTunes? Yes, but normal version only
This side project of The Echoing Green features all female vocalists, including some of my favorite singers. Gorgeous electronic chill music.
Read more to see why I like it so much...
15. VARIOUS ARTISTS: Automata 10.0
2006, Industrial, Christian thematic & worldview
Purchased new from FlamingFish.com for $5.00
Amazon.com sales rank: Not available from Amazon
MP3 tracks at Amazon? No
Available at iTunes? No
The 10th in a series of compilation CDs that come free with Automata magazine, featuring top Christian industrial artists, as well as newcomers.
Read more to see why I like it so much...
Music Central is a sub-website of J Lee Harshbarger’s personal website. To visit other sub-websites, click the links below.
Note: Please see the web page “Annual Music Awards” for a complete description of the way the awards are chosen (qualifications to be on the list, criteria for ranking) and for what the various data here mean (i.e. lyrical theme categories, Amazon.com rankings, etc.). The list below contains only a brief synopsis of each album. For my full review of the album, click on the album cover picture. This page’s Amazon rankings are as of July 25, 2009.
ABOUT THE 2008 AWARDS
2008 is my first full year this decade with no free CDs from work. Since I now have to purchase everything, that of course means the styles of music to be found on my list are more predictable. However, there is still some variety on here. Amazingly, a soft pop album tops my list. But dance and synthpop still dominate, and there are still some heavy albums on my list, so don’t think I’m going mellow just because my #1 album is!
With fewer album acquisitions, this year my list is shorter, with just 15 albums making my favorites of the year list.
NOTE: ONLY 1st 8 FULL REVIEWS ARE AVAILABLE SO FAR, so 9-15 “read more” links won’t work.
This page was created in mid-2009. A new hit counter was added on July 15, 2012. Before the reset, this page had 90 hits.
