Kris Rasmussen: September 2007 Archives

Infuze magazine has been running a fun Christian music retrospective over on their website called "The Top Twenty Underappreciated Christian Albums." As I looked over their choices, I began to reminisce about some of my favorite, more eclectic, Christian music choices from years past. Here are my own top 10 albums that I think you should definitely try to find in a used record store--or, if you're lucky--over at iTunes. (Infuze and I are in agreement on a couple of artists, as you'll see.)

What are your favorite, but perhaps not famous, Christian albums of all time? Use the comments box below to let me know.

10. Chris Eaton: "Vision"
Better known as a songwriter for people like Amy Grant and Cliff Richards, "Vision" is a disco-y guilty pleasure of mine.

9. Sarah Masen: "Sarah Masen"
She was one of several female artists who had a brief run of success in the 90s. I revisited this CD recently and was joyfully reminded how good the song "Fly, Baby" is.

8. Bryan Duncan: "Mercy Me"
Underrated as a live performer as well as a musician , it was tough for me to decide which recording of his was most underappreciated. This is one of his more reflective efforts, but his powerhouse vocals made all of his work worth a listen.

7. Sarah Jahn: "Sparkle"
In the category of "whatever happened to...?", Sarah Jahn had a brilliant debut CD on Warner Alliance and I never heard her on the airwaves after that.

6: Tonio K : "Romeo Unchained"
I honestly know of only two other people who own this recording, so it definitely qualifies as a cult classic. Some of the lyrics may seem a little outdated, but I love his twisted sense of humor on songs like "Living Doll" and "I Handle Snakes."

Love hasn’t been kind to emo rock band Kids in the Way if the songs on their latest CD “Love Hate Masquerade” are any indication. Break-ups and heartache permeate every lyric, painting a portrait of futility tinged with a longing to find a love that adds up to more than the shallow, fractured human relationships they’ve experienced.

Not familiar with their earlier efforts, I found most of the songs on “Love Hate Masquerade” to be catchy and clever with fresh hooks – especially on songs like “We Kill At Twilight” and “Your Demon”. On other songs like “Letting Go” and “Far from Over,” the lyrics are a little more predictable - something like a lukewarm version of a group like Flyleaf. Together, though, the songs connect one with another and reverberate with an intensity that proves this group has a real future in an often overcrowded music marketplace.

Granted, overt Christian anthems or symbolism are not prevalent, but “Love Hate Masquerade” clearly taps into the band's audience of Gen Y'ers who are searching for hope and authentic love relationships. And ultimately, recognizing there is a God-shaped hole is the first step toward recognizing how to fill it .

Geek chic is in this fall, with new series like "The Big Bang Theory" as well as the returning reality series "Beauty and the Geek." And now NBC is hoping their geek, 20-something computer whiz Chuck Bartowski will help pull them out of the ratings cellar, as the series "Chuck" premieres tonight.

Chuck is just another employee who works as a troubleshooting tech expert at an electroniscs superstore (think along the lines of those guys that fix your Apple products at the Apple Genuis Bar). His friends and his sister realize that the sweet but introverted man has never lived up to his potential since he graduated from college, and they desparately attempt to help poor Chuck get a life. Then one day Chuck receives a mysterious e-mail from a former college buddy, and faster than you can say "computer virus," Chuck's life is changed much more than he wants it to be, as he suddenly becomes a walking, talking hard-drive of classified government information.

It seems all I need to do to create a flood of comments here at Idol Chatter--something that make my editors very happy--is to post my thoughts on either (a) Michael Moore or (b) Kathy Griffin. It's the latter comedian who put me in hot water with some readers, because I went on a minor rant last week about her acceptance speech at the creative Emmys.

But after watching Kathy Griffin on "Larry King Live" this week as well as reading about the advertisement Christian entertainers from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee took out in USA Today, I am forced now to backpedal a little bit on my reaction.

With the art form of the (funny) sitcom becoming more and more of an endangered species on television these days, the FOX network is putting its hopes for sitcom success on two of the most beloved stars in television sitcom history--Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. The actors play two variations of their previous TV personas on "Back To You," a workplace sitcom that is depending on the chemistry of the two successful actors for its success.

In tonight’s debut, the pairing definitely shows some promise. But if viewers are expecting more than predictable storylines and stock supporting characters, they're going to be disappointed.

Fox is kicking off the new fall television season a little earlier than the other networks by premiering one of their new series, the cop drama “K-ville.” The show is gathering a lot of attention for its twist to the...

With it comes to social issues, the news media tends to give stories a short shelf life, which is why documentaries--when done well--are a fantastic art form that continues to shine a light on tragedies that we be more comfortable...

I once referred to comic and D-List celebrity Kathy Griffin as “my favorite atheist” because I have enjoyed her self-deprecating humor on her reality series, “My Life on the D List." But her acceptance speech at last weekend's creative Emmys...

Several weeks ago I posted a review of the indie film “Away From Her” and its authentic but painful portrayal of Alzheimer’s disease. Many Beliefnet readers responded to that post with their own accounts of their struggles in caring for...

It's no surprise that the soundtrack for "High School Musical 2" is at the top of the Billboard Top 200 chart this week, but what will no doubt cause a stir with at least some music industry execs is the...