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There have been some pretty big holes in my collection of music that just haven’t been filled, for whatever reason. I’ve picked up some new music in the last month (thanks to Christmas, mostly). I’ve enjoyed the new tunes, and I decided to blog about it.

Sara Groves
“Add to the Beauty”
I picked this one up for my wife, but I’ve listened a little bit, too. Sara was at Andrew Peterson’s Christmas concert in Nashville, and I really enjoyed the songs she played. The CD isn’t the greatest in my collection, but to be fair, I’ve only listened to it a few times.

Pierce Pettis
“Great Big World”
I got this in Nashville last month, and was pretty much blown away (again) by Pierce’s music. He’s got a voice that might take some getting used to, but this guy can tell a story in song unlike anybody else.

Pierce Pettis
“Making Light of It”
This is an old CD (1996), but I’m late to the party for Pierce, so I grabbed this one courtesy of an iTunes gift card. It’s interesting to hear the old Pierce Pettis stuff and think “wow, he’s even more amazing now.” This one has a song about Absalom that I like, and I really enjoyed “Satellite Sky” as well. This one is still very new, but so far, I have really enjoyed it.

Pierce Pettis
“Everything Matters”
Another old (1998) CD from Pierce that I finally got. It’s also very new to my collection. I now have 4 of his CDs - enough to put them in one playlist and get lost in the music for a few hours. Somebody please tell me why Pierce isn’t a name that everybody knows.

Sandra McCracken
“The Builder and the Architect”
You take old hymns, rewrite the music, add some Sandra McCracken, and you get pure awesomeness. Brilliant CD. Sandra amazes me.

Indelible Grace (3 and 4)
If you haven’t heard of the Indelible Grace stuff, you should check it out. They took old hymns and rewrote the music, and just got some great arrangements of some wonderful old hymns. They are mostly an acoustic folk-rock sound and are very well done. It’s nice hearing a new sound to the old hymns.

Chris Mason
“Not So Gracefully”
An internet friend was kind enough to share his extra copy with me. The production is good, but Chris has definitely matured as a musician since this recording. I liked the line “If I had a talking donkey, I would treat her right” in “Balaam’s Place.”

Sufjan Stevens
“Songs for Christmas”
I mentioned this before in a previous blog post. I’ll probably listen even when it’s not Christmas time.

Sufjan Stevens
“Illinois”
I’m still getting used to Sufjan, but I like him a little more with each listen. He’s very talented, and the music is well-produced…it just takes some getting used to (for me, at least). Illinois (the album, not the state) is worth your time.

Justin McRoberts
“Christmas EP”
It’s only 3 songs, but it’s good. Justin McRoberts singing “O Holy Night”…that’s worth the ticket price any day.

Randall Goodgame and Andrew Peterson
“Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies”
It’s for the kids, but I’ve enjoyed listening, too. Randall and Andy never cease to amaze me. I’m sure I’ll tire of hearing this one (the kids demand it every time we get in the car), but at least it’s not Barney the purple dinosaur.

Caedmon’s Call
“In the Company of Angels II - The World Will Sing”
Not their greatest stuff, I know. It’s not even close, I know. But I like the influence Andrew Osenga has had on the band’s sound, so I bought the CD.