CDs (All Genres)

In the wake of Green Day, there emerged enough contestants in the power-pop- punk sweepstakes that standing out in the crowd required an excess of talent. As displayed on LET IT HAPPEN, MXPX has enough hook-heavy songwriting prowess, instrumental facility and street credibility to rise to the top of the aforementioned heap. Though the sound is … (More)

The rarities compilation Let It Happen gathers together a bunch of MxPx demos, B-sides, alternative versions and spare tracks into one tidy little package. Since most of these are from the early days of the trio's career, the record is pretty raw sounding, taking listeners right back into the dirty garages the band initially cut its teeth in. And … (More)

Let's Rock is technically made up of new MxPx songs, the catch being that the tracks have all mostly been lying around the band's practice space for the past few years. Dating back to sessions from 2000, the songs are all castoffs from other albums that the guys felt finally deserved a second chance to see the light of day. So they gathered some … (More)

Add description

Add description

Thirteen years into the game, MxPx have gone from being fresh-scrubbed high school students playing punk with a Christian bent to wizened vets in a scene where musicians barely into their thirties are practically middle-aged. For PANIC, these Washington natives have instead turned towards a more traditional, SoCal punk sound. Amid the harmonies … (More)

On its debut album, POKINATCHA, the Washington State-based punk-pop trio MxPx (originally known as Magnified Plaid) offers up a restless set of tunes that is heavily influenced by Descendents, NOFX, and like-minded California acts. Fronted by singer/bassist Mike Herrera, the amiable trio established itself as the Tooth & Nail label's flagship … (More)

This brief glance into this cheerful trio's oeuvre (few of the nine tracks last over two minutes) reveals a band that owes much to Green Day and could end up owing more to They Might Be Giants if it plays its cards right. MXPX have Green Day's searing punk energy and musical smarts, and songwriter and bassist Mike Herrera displays enough lyrical … (More)

With 2007's SECRET WEAPON, the Christian punk-pop band MxPx reunited with its former label, Tooth & Nail, much to the delight of longtime fans. Helmed by lauded CCM producer Aaron Sprinkle, the album showcases the Washington State trio's tight, streamlined sound, particularly on the surging title track and the searing "Punk Rawk … (More)

MxPx made the leap to the major leagues in 1998 with Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo, their first album for A&M Records. The switch to the majors really doesn't make a difference, to tell the truth -- the group turns out another set of speedy, raucous punk-pop numbers that are fueled as much by attitude as songwriting. There's plenty of … (More)

Add description

As the title attests, MxPx have been playing their brand of fun and spunky punk-pop for over ten years, and are still going strong. The band started off as teenagers in Bremerton, WA, and their teenage enthusiasm has not worn off. This CD collects 17 of their best songs like "Teenage Politics," "My Life Story," and "Chick … (More)

Add description

Contemporary Christian Music superstars Newsboys have long been one of the most genuinely rocking groups in their field, delivering a sound full of driving beats, soaring vocals, and raging guitars that has often mirrored the work of their secular counterparts on the Britpop scene. DEVOTION adds a Coldplay-esque, piano-driven, heart-on-the-sleeve … (More)

Unlike a lot of alternative Christian rock bands, Newsboys have no compunction about sounding slick, dancey, or commercial. Scruffy rocker types will consider this a shortcoming, but the opposite is true: Newsboys' strength is their fearless combination of synth textures and Euro-pop catchiness, with touches of club bounce and guitar-driven rock … (More)

For the most part, Going Public is a first-rate pop/rock album from this Australian-based band. Although there are traces of dogma in the lyrics, there is enough variety, depth, and cleverness both musically and lyrically to make the album a winner. The first two numbers, "Real Good Thing" (with a great thumping bassline) and … (More)

Add description

Recorded live during Newsboys' spring 2007 tour, NEWSBOYS LIVE: HOUSTON WE ARE GO is a dual CD and DVD concert experience. Although the track listing is taken largely from the band's 2007 album, GO (including the hit single "Wherever We Go"), earlier Newsboys favorites like "He Reigns," "It Is You," and … (More)

The Newsboys' ninth studio release is a conglomeration of rock, praise & worship, and power pop with more sharp hooks then a tackle box. The disc features a bevy of A-list studio vets. Christian pioneer Steve Taylor aided in lyrics and handled production. The release was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Collective Soul, blink-182, Dave Matthews Band) … (More)

Add description

Add description

1. Jesus Is Coming Soon  2. I Know  3. Didn't It Rain  4. Thank God For Kids  5. Elvira  6. The Baptism Of Jesse Taylor  7. Jesus Is The Man For The Hour  8. Because He Lives  9. Did I Make A Difference  10. Jonah, Job & Moses  11. An American Family  12. Closer To Home  … (More)

Add description

P.O.D. (Payable on Death) is among the elite rap-metal crossover bands in America, and Atlantic Records commemorates the band's achievements with this 17-track compilation. Celebrating a seven-year run with the label, the disc features some of P.O.D.'s most aggressive, thought-provoking sonic street-fights. Atlantic also showcases the band's … (More)

Snuff the Punk, P.O.D.'s second album for Christian indie Rescue Records, was re-released in early 2000 by the Diamante label following the band's major-label debut in 1999. It captures the band in their formative stage, still honing their fairly wide-ranging rap-metal sound, but providing enough moments of raw power to satisfy fans.

Whether it be the group's Christian ethos, ethnically diverse makeup, or reggae-sunsplash-meets-Ozfest vibe, P.O.D. has always retained a bit more respectability than their rap-rock peers. Even during the group's most "nu-metal" moments, they sound like they have at least heard Bad Brains' first three albums and probably dug them. … (More)

P.O.D. were perhaps unfairly lumped in with the "rap-rock" pack prevalent on the radio and MTV at the dawn of the millennium. While the group certainly didn't avoid the occasional hip-hop or funk influence, their sound tended to hew closer to the kind of spiritually infused, reggae-tinge hardcore of Bad Brains. WHEN ANGELS AND SERPENTS … (More)

Amazing Grace  1. Amazing Grace  2. Just As I Am  3. Breathe On Me Breath Of God  4. Softly Tenderly  5. I Need Thee Every Hour  6. Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior  7. To God Be The Glory  8. How Great Thou Art  9. I Sing The Mighty Power Of God  10. Alleluia Sing To Jesus  11. Lily Of The … (More)

Our God Saves presented Paul Baloche with a huge challenge: how to live up to the rock-solid precedent set by 2006's A Greater Song, his best album to date. That album revolutionized the already hefty Baloche songbook in that it contemporized the worship veteran's approach to praise music, distancing it from the inspo-leaning offerings of … (More)

FEARLESS arrives just two years shy of the band's 20th anniversary, but Phillips, Craig & Dean sound as contemporary as ever, mining the same mix of Christian rock and polished pop that younger CCM artists often champion. U2 and Coldplay are obvious touchstones here, their influence evident in the chiming guitar arpeggios of "Revelation … (More)