Various Artists

Item: CCM Top 100/Greatest Songs in Christian Music, Volume 1
Author: Bert Gangl

CCM Top 100/Greatest Songs in Christian Music, Volume 1

(2004)

Reviewed by Bert Gangl

Discogs

Label Creative Trust WorkshopThe Phantom Tollbooth2004

adult contemporary ccm pop worship

Any CD with the word "greatest" in its title is bound to draw its share of both controversy and ire. From greatest hits collections -- which, as often as not, leave off one or more tracks that fans of the group or individual represented consider key -- to efforts like the first volume of CCM Magazine's Top 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music -- which up the ante by including the work of multiple artists -- the task of choosing a track list is seldom an easy one.

Of course, the debate over what exactly constitutes a Christian song is ongoing. While some contend that it is any song that includes a Biblically-informed world view, regardless of its subject, others feel that only songs which mention God specifically should be considered. Adhering to the latter view, the compilers of the 100 Greatest Songs discs (each of the four CDs in the series will include 25 tracks) used a combination of radio airplay, album sales, industry leaders' opinions and web-based voting in order to make their selections.

"Praise the Lord" from The Imperials and Dallas Holm's signature Resurrection ballad, "Rise Again," point out the still-blossoming CCM genre's indebtedness to classic Gospel music during the '70s. Leslie Phillips' 1984 ballad "Strength of My Life" and "Lead Me On" from Amy Grant's landmark 1988 album of the same name, by comparison, highlight Christian music's increasingly pop-oriented approach during the Reagan Era.

By the mid-'90s, Christian artists became regular visitors to the Billboard mainstream charts. And rightly so, as songs like Jennifer Knapp's "Undo Me," Susan Ashton's "Stand" and Third Day's "Consuming Fire" stand as worthy additions to their respective folk-rock, country-pop and post-grunge canons. In the same way, "Testify to Love" from Avalon and "Heaven" by Bebe and Cece Winans showed that Christian performers could hold their own in the dance-pop and contemporary gospel arenas as well. And "God of Wonders," from the seminal City on a Hill Songs of Worship and Praise project, stands as an ideal flag bearer for the now ubiquitous modern worship movement.

The web-based voting scheme arguably slants the track listing in favor of those who buy CCM Magazine -- that is, mostly younger listeners. And, indeed, only two songs on the compilation predate 1980, which is unfortunate given that so much of the groundwork for current-day Christian music was laid during the all-important 1970s. On the flip side of that coin, "God of Wonders" is the only entry on the anthology that dates from 2000 or later, and that song is five years old. Adding to its time-related woes, the collection isn't sequenced in chronological order, which would have been particularly nice for a project like this one which takes in nearly thirty years of music.

But, even as it jumps back and forth, timewise, and leaves out more than a few key tracks, artists and sub-genres (heavy metal and hip-hop being among the more obvious omissions) along the way, the songs that are included are of uniformly high caliber. While those looking for a more thorough investigation of the earliest days of Christian music will do well to pick up the 2001 Late Great Jesus Movement double-disc set, the CCM 100 Greatest Songs set hits the high points well enough and serves as a good primer to contemporary Christian music, particularly for those not already familiar with the genre.

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