Christian Album Sales – Week of 1/24/14

February 6, 2012 Leave a comment

Several new albums appeared on the Billboard chart this week, led by Kari Jobe landing at #10 with Where I Find You. Jobe’s discography:

Bethlehem – 2007 (N/A)
Kari Jobe – 2008 (N/A)
Le Canto – 2009 – #67 (N/A)
Where I Find You – 2012 – #10 (25,000)

Another debut came from Bethel Music with Loft Sessions at #44. I listened to some of this album on Rdio and it seems to feature some stripped-down or more acoustic versions of some of the previous hits that have come out of Bethel. Farther down on the chart we see the latest Homecoming Celebration by the Gaithers and a worship album from Myron Butler. It was a pretty well-rounded week for Christian artists.

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IndieVisionMusic Review #19: David Crowder Band – Give Us Rest

January 30, 2012 Leave a comment

Here is my review of David Crowder Band’s double-disc opus Give Us Rest!

Excerpt:

It has plenty of electronic loops and layers, but this is far from the dance party we experienced in Church Music. It has bluegrass renditions of classic hymns we haven’t seen since A Collision. It has acoustic guitar riff action we haven’t heard since Illuminate. It’s got banjo grooves borrowed from Mumford & Sons, and dynamic instrumental sequences spanning Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Explosions in the Sky. It delivers its theme – a plea for rest – and reprises it throughout the album as it explores a journey that ends by coming home. Pretentious? Maybe. But full of fun and joy and worship? Definitely.

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 1/17/12

January 27, 2012 Leave a comment

Gospel singer James Fortune & Fiya debuted at #7 last week. I’m not familiar with them but it’s supposed to be Fortune’s best debut to date. The final album from the David Crowder Band dropped off a bit in its second week but should stay on the chart for awhile. There were a few other albums suddenly reappearing on the chart this week that may have been related to promotions or re-releases or something. The Courageous soundtrack probably sold more due to the DVD releasing last week.

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 1/10/12

January 21, 2012 Leave a comment

They say Give Us Rest will be the last album ever released by the David Crowder Band. The double-disc opus landed at #2 on the Billboard 200, the best ever for the band both in position and in sales numbers. Blocked by Adele at #1, DCB joins Underoath, Casting Crowns, Red, and Skillet among the Christian acts that have hit #2 on the Billboard charts.

David Crowder Band’s selected charting history:

Illuminate – 2003 – #84 (N/A)
A Collision - 2005 – #39 (N/A)
Remedy - 2007 – #22 (32,000)
Church Music - 2009 – #11 (36,000)
Give Us Rest – 2012 – #2 (50,000)

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 1/3/12

January 14, 2012 Leave a comment

Nothing new on the charts last week, although Switchfoot and Skillet made it back into the Billboard 200. We look forward to seeing David Crowder Band’s last album on the next chart.

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 12/27/11

January 7, 2012 Leave a comment

There were not a lot of albums by Christian musicians on the Billboard 200 from the week that began after Christmas, as many of the Christmas albums fell off, and many previously popular albums reappeared on the chart as people bought albums with Christmas gift cards.

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My Favorite Albums of 2011

December 28, 2011 Leave a comment

I am honored to have my musical “Best of” list featured on IndieVisionMusic for the second year. Personally I like to call it my “favorites” list since “best” is kind of subjective and I’m always changing my mind about my old lists as I discover more music from that year that I initially missed. Anyway, I thought I would use my personal blog to go through my list with a little more detail and some links. Hope you enjoy! (It looks like a lot of these albums are on sale right now for $4.99 on Amazon MP3… so get them soon if you’re interested! - I finally picked up HANDS and Dominic Balli just yesterday!)

Honorable Mentions

JJ Heller – Deeper; Sleeping Giant – Kingdom Days In An Evil Age; A Plea For Purging – The Life and Death of A Plea For Purging; August Burns Red - Leveler

30. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

Fun rock album that makes me feel like I’m playing Guitar Hero or something. Most of the album is pretty standard but the message and passion of the closing track alone is enough for it to make my list.

Favorite Track: “Walk”
I’m on my knees / I’m praying for a sign / Forever, whenever / I never wanna die / I never wanna die…. I’m dancing on my grave / I’m running through the fire / Forever, whatever / I never wanna die….
Release Date: April 8, 2011
US Sales Info: 640,000 so far; 1st #1 album with 235,000 first-week sales
Amazon Link | Wiki Link

29. Weird Al – Alpocalypse

The King of Parody does it again with his first full album in five years. It’s hit and miss, but the hits are fantastic, from a ruthless Gaga mockery to the technology-minded original “Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me.”

Favorite Track: “Party In the CIA”
Yeah, we’ve got our black ops all over the world / from Kazakhstan to Bombay / Payin’ the bribes like yeah / pluggin’ the leaks like yeah
Release Date: June 20, 2011
US Sales Info: #9 debut (best ever) with 44,000 first-week sales
Amazon Link | Wiki Link

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 12/13/11

December 23, 2011 Leave a comment

Nothing really new on the charts this week. Compilations, Casting Crowns, and Chris Tomlin pretty much dominate the sales by Christian musicians as Christmas purchases take over.

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IndieVisionMusic Review #18: Timbre – Silent Night

December 17, 2011 Leave a comment

Here is my review for Timbre’s excellent new album Silent Night!

timbre-silent-night

Excerpt:

The primary instruments here are the piano and the cello, and it is Timbre’s siblings – appropriately named Tenor, Treble, and Tetra – who steal the show as they flesh out Timbre’s beautiful arrangements with their classical and cinematic performances.

Think you’ve heard enough arrangements of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”? Wait until you here this solo cello calmly trace a hint of the melody, followed by the lilting piano and finally the soft voices, all carried by subtle shifting between the traditional 4/4 and the movement of 6/8. You can almost see the snow falling in a Christmas special – except this recording is simply too good for any cheesy Christmas special.

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Christian Album Sales – Week of 12/6/11

December 17, 2011 Leave a comment

I didn’t notice any new Christian releases on the chart this week; things will probably quiet down until after the holidays. The new album from Casting Crowns has now sold over 250,000 copies. The new album from Newsboys re-enters the chart after dropping out last week. Jamie Grace entered the chart for the first time since I’ve been keeping track, so I don’t know how many missing sales she has yet.

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