Recently in Christian music pick of the week Category

And for my second Pick of The Week ...

The Wrecking's national debut album, A New Abolition, releases today, and it's one you definitely don't want to miss.

The album runs the gamut from modern hook-driven rock ("The Deep") to powerful ballads ("You Remain") to some funky urban grooves ("March On"), all of it fresh and all of it good. That's why MTV networks licensed music from the album for use on MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and Spike TV.

The band is also dedicated to social issues. The single "Sights and Sounds" has been selected for use by ChildVoice International, and the video for their cover of the Peter Gabriel hit "In Your Eyes" was created in conjunction with Love 146, a non-profit organization dedicated to the abolition of child exploitation and sex trafficking.

At the heart of the band is the desire to share the love of Christ, whether it's at a church event or a club. The Wrecking spent the summer on the One Shot Tour with hip hop artist Bobby Bishop. The multimedia event featured a docudrama directed by Jeffrey Kubach, whose credits include CBS's hit reality show "Survivor," that has been described as "MTV with Jesus at the center." During the tour, more than 450 people made decisions to follow Christ.

The band is currently on tour and will join Ten Shekel Shirt this fall on the Art & Action tour. To learn more about The Wrecking, visit www.thewrecking.net.

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Since we didn't do a Pick of the Week last week, I have two picks this week. To be honest, I would have had to pick two anyway, because two great albums release today and I couldn't choose between the two!

The first Pick of the Week is Jimmy Needham's Not Without Love.

Whether he's singing about the futility of zeal without love ("Come Around") , crooning a love song to his wife ("Unfailing Love "), or rejoicing in the glory of God ("The Author") any fan of Christian (or mainstream) music could give the album a spin and find something to ... well, love! ... in this collection of bluesy piano ballads and rocking guitar tunes.

I love that he's able to sing completely transparent, spiritual lyrics but make them sound completely brand new. It's an age old message but refreshingly different from the typical Christian fare.

Needham explains that the album was inspired by the realization that he "had shared the gospel with so many people in the flesh but all they knew was the Bible beater ... There is something so appealing when we love like Jesus did. I missed out on that for so long. No more."

Needman is currently on tour in promotion of the album. To learn more, visit his website www.jimmyneedham.com.

Tween pop rock band Mission Six released their debut album Superhero this week, which raises the question: Do we really need another Christian tween pop artist?

The answer is yes, especially when it's not another choreographed, hyper-energetic dance group.

I don't know what I expected from newcomer Francesca Battistelli, but for sure, it wasn't what I got when I popped her debut CD My Paper Heart into my stereo.

I thought maybe I'd get an earful of dance drivel or cookie cutter pop. Instead, I got bluesy piano-driven rock and smoky vocals from an artist with something to say.

From the first beat of the opening track, "Free to Be Me" to the funky title cut to the bouncy "Blue Sky" Battistelli belts out songs about hope and faith with sincerity, maturity and energy.

(Because we didn't have a Pick of the Week last week, we'll have two this week. Check back Friday for another!)

Big Daddy Weave celebrates a decade as a band with the release today of their fifth studio album, What Life Would Be Like.

The album is not only a great musical offering but a call to listeners to actually start putting actions to their words, and to "wonder what life would be like if we let Jesus live thru you and me."