Dissecting the Doves: Song of the Year

This week, we continue on with our exploration of the top nominees in the biggest categories for the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards. Let’s take a look at this year’s 10 Song of the Year nominees.

SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

• “All of Creation,” MercyMe
• “Beautiful, Beautiful,” Francesca Battistelli
• “Get Back Up,” tobyMac
• “Hold My Heart,” Tenth Avenue North
• “Lead Me,” Sanctus Real
• “Let The Waters Rise,” MIKESCHAIR
• “Love Came Calling,” Triumphant Quartet
• “Our God,” Chris Tomlin
• “Sometimes I Cry,” Jason Crabb
• “Starry Night,” Chris August

SHOULD WIN: “Lead Me,” Sanctus Real

This gem is one of the best songs to come out of Christian music in a long time. After being challenged by wife Sarah to be a better spiritual leader in their home, lead singer Matt Hammitt penned the poignant lyrics to this track featured on the band’s Piece of a Real Heart (Sparrow) album. The song took on an even greater meaning this past year as Hammitt and his wife welcomed their third child, Bowen Matthew Hammitt, to their family. Bowen was born with a serious heart defect, and Bowen’s miraculous story has been chronicled in some high-profile places this year, including “ABC News,” as a result of the Hammitts’ strong commitment to faith and family. “Lead Me” became Sanctus Real’s eighth No. 1 single and first-ever AC hit, spending nine full weeks at No 1. and becoming 2010′s No. 7 most downloaded Christian song and No. 8 most-played song at radio. The song is so much more than a radio smash. It’s a battle cry for Christian men to be the leaders God calls them to be.

WILL WIN: “Our God,” Chris Tomlin

First recorded on Passion: Awakening (sixstepsrecords), “Our God” has become a veritble anthem for churches and youth groups around the world. The song inspired Chris Tomlin’s new studio recording and even created the title, which comes from a line of the song, And If Our God Is For Us… (sixstepsrecords). A new version of “Our God,” complete with full orchestration, begins Tomlin’s latest release. I don’t think much can compete with Tomlin’s unique ability to give an explosive, corporate voice to the Church. The soaring popularity of this song coupled with the memorable strength of the lyrics make it a sure-fire win. Interestingly enough, although Tomlin has been nominated in the Song of the Year category with at least one entry (sometimes two) for the past five years, he has only actually won this category one time. In 2006, he took home the trophy for Song of the Year for his career song, “How Great Is Our God.”

WHO’S MISSING: “Before The Morning,” Josh Wilson

Josh Wilson’s prolific song about holding out hope in the midst of pain dominated radio this past year. According to Billboard‘s Year-End charts, “Before the Morning” was the 4th most-played song on Christian radio in 2010. “Before The Morning” came from an obscure EP, Life Is a Snapshot (Sparrow), released while Wilson was in the studio working on his new full-length album, See You (Sparrow), which recently released. The newcomer showed his talented songwriting chops and his ability to connect with the human spirit. It easily could have made the final list of nominees for Song of the Year. Other contenders that didn’t make the cut but could easily have merited a nod include “Something Beautiful” from NEEDTOBREATHE, “What Faith Can Do” from Kutless and “Walk On The Water” from Britt Nicole.

You can check out a full list of nominees for the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards here.

Click here to read Part 1 of our Dove Series discussing the Artist of the Year category.

Who do you think will win Song of the Year? What song do you think should have been nominated that wasn’t? Leave your comments below.

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