Best Albums of 2011: #4

We’re counting down our collective picks for the top six albums of 2011 this week! Sound Opinion writers Beau Black, Mark Geil and Lindsay Williams put pen to paper to come up with a long list of the year’s best offerings. Here are our top six favorite albums of 2011. We’ll reveal a new album each day through Friday.

Brandon Heath

Leaving Eden

Reunion Records

Heath’s hinted at this record with previous singles (“Give Me Your Eyes,” “I’m Not Who I Was”) but never pulled it off for a whole album–until early in 2011. Credit Heath’s writing and easy-on-the-ears voice and producer Dan Muckala’s super-poppy, OneRepublic-influenced tracks for the six or so beat-driven songs that top Leaving Eden.  –Beau

Heath takes his time between releases, but they’re always worth the wait. This album is a high-point for this dependable artist. “Only Water” still gets me. –Mark

A superb pop record. Substance + singable melodies. Plus, Heath managed to take some artistic risks as well. –Lindsay

Listen to the full album on Spotify here.

Download: “Stolen”

What’s Next: We’ll see if he snags any new awards at the GRAMMY’s in LA February 12. He’s up for three–tied with Chris Tomlin for the most GRAMMY noms in the Christian/Gospel categories. Heath just wrapped a successful headlining tour with Britt Nicole. He’ll head into the studio to start working on a new project in 2012.

More info: www.brandonheath.net

Interview with Brandon Heath – Leaving Eden Tour

The Sound Opinion recently caught up with Brandon Heath, who is currently on The Leaving Eden Tour with Britt Nicole.  (*Mikeschair is joining them in select cities.)

Be sure to check out www.brandonheath.net to see if this tour is coming to a city near you!

This tour also includes an added bonus.  For just $10 added to the ticket price, fans have the opportunity to attend the “soundcheck session” — a special acoustic performance before the show, where Brandon takes requests to play your favorite songs and shares the stories behind them.

 

TSO: What do you hope people will take away from this concert?

Brandon: I’m asking the audience three questions every night. The first one is, ‘What is your Eden?’ I tell people to think about a time or a place when they were the most innocent and least worried about the world around them.

The second question is, ‘What is your apple?’ Basically, what’s taking you out of Eden and stealing your innocence.

The last question is, ‘What is your heart?’ What is something you feel like God is calling you to, but you’ve been too afraid to go after?

Those are the takeaways that I really want people to leave with, asking themselves those three questions. I think it’s good for people to ponder those thoughts. It’s like when you’ve gone to see a movie that’s so compelling that you want to keep talking about it.

TSO: Tell about the pre-show event you’re doing — that’s a really unique concept.

Brandon: The soundcheck session is probably my favorite part of the night. It’s where I basically sit down with my guitar, and I tell people that if they have any requests for songs, now is the time to tell me. I give them a little background on the song and then play it. A lot of people have been sharing the reasons why they connect with the songs, which is always cool to hear.

TSO: Do you have any interesting stories from the tour?

Brandon: A few days ago, there was a guy at a concert who had been at a rehab facility for alcoholism. He didn’t normally listen to Christian music, but while he was there, he heard ‘I’m Not Who I Was’ playing on the radio. That song became a comfort to him. Four years later, he came to my show for the first time. As I was singing it the night of the concert, he was singing along and you could tell that it had become his song. That was pretty cool.

There was a woman at one of the shows who shared that her husband’s favorite song was ‘The Light In Me.’ He made her sit down and listen to it one evening. He ended up dying a few days later, so that was a significant song for them. This woman ended up coming to one of the shows, and she didn’t even know my music. I was so humbled by that story. I love being able to hear how the songs are impacting people.

TSO: What are your plans after the tour?

Brandon: I’m going to start working on the next record soon. It’s hard to believe, since I just released Leaving Eden in January — but it’s time to start working on another one!

TSO: Tell about the song, “Bend,” you sang on The Story.

Brandon: I love that song! When I got the song, I started reading more about Joseph in the Old Testament, and I didn’t realize how much my life would compare to his. It was cool to be able to sing that song because it felt personal. I rarely record a song that I didn’t write, but it feels like a song that I would have written.

They did such a good job matching up artists with songs because a lot of people’s personal stories converged with the Biblical ones. This was such a great album to be a part of.

TSO: Tell about your involvement with Operation Christmas Child, and why this project is so meaningful to you.

** Interesting fact — for every pair of shoes that Brandon purchases throughout the year, he commits to fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. This year, it looks like he will be filling up 5 shoeboxes for OCC!

Brandon: Not only does this project provide gifts for people who normally wouldn’t receive gifts this time of the year, but it is a tremendous opportunity to reach a lot of people and share the gospel, which is the ultimate goal of Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child. It’s a very active way of showing people who Jesus is — through loving the poor and having a heart for children.

I love that it gives people an opportunity to share gifts outside of your own family. Selecting the items to put in the shoeboxes and putting the packages together gives families a wonderful opportunity to work together as they are taking the time to bless others. It can become a fun project and a tradition to teach children about the importance of giving and sharing Christ’s love with others around the world.

* For more about Operation Christmas Child, please visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ/

5 Things We’re Looking Forward to in 2011

The New Year has a lot in store! Here are just a few things we’re looking forward to in 2011…

1. New Music from Brandon Heath and Francesca Battistelli

2011 will bring brand-new projects from the reigning Male and Female Vocalists of the Year. Brandon Heath is set to release his much-anticipated third album, Leaving Eden (Reunion), January 18. The project features heavier pop beats and co-writes with everyone from Thad Cockrell to Lee Thomas Miller, a country songwriter responsible for hits by Jamey Johnson, Trace Adkins and Brad Paisley. Meanwhile, new mom Francesca Battistelli is putting the finishing touches on her yet-to-be-titled album. No firm release date has been announced, but look for the sophomore effort from Battistelli to release the first of half of 2011. From the new tunes Battistelli has been performing live, it sounds as if it’s set to follow her dynamic pop stylings and Sara Bareilles-esque vocals.

You can catch both Heath and Battistelli performing new music live this year. Heath will join tobyMac on his Winter WonderSlam tour starting in January, and Battistelli will head out with David Crowder Band, newsboys, Kutless and others on WinterJam. For more info, visit www.brandonheath.net and www.francescamusic.com.

2. NEEDTOBREATHE Opening for Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift recently announced that NEEDTOBREATHE will be opening for her on her massive “Speak Now Tour.” The band will be playing all “Speak Now” dates in the U.S. and Canada beginning May 27. Swift tweeted “@needtobreathe is my opening act for the Speak Now Tour. It’ll be a nightly challenge to get ready for my show instead of watching theirs.” Swift’s tour will undoubtedly put the band in front of huge audiences each night who, at the advice of Taylor, will fall in love with this band. www.needtobreathe.net

3. The Dove Awards Debuting in Atlanta

The Dove Awards will take place somewhere other than Nashville, Tenn., for the very first time. In April, the Doves will ambitiously move to Atlanta. Though met by mixed emotions by fans and industry insiders alike, the move should be a good one for television provider gmc as well as the city of Atlanta, who is in total support of the event. Hopefully, the move will breathe fresh life into the event and will serve to increase excitement as well as viewership. The 42^nd annual Dove Awards will be held at Atlanta’s Fox Theater April 20 and will premier on gmc Easter weekend. Nominees will be announced February 16. www.doveawards.com

4. Michael & Amy Touring Together

Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant will hit the road together in what is sure to be the most nostalgic tour of 2011. Michael’s very first tour was Amy’s “Age to Age Tour” in 1982 where he played keys for her. Now, the two friends unite once again for an incredible evening of nearly three decades worth of hits. The “2 Friends Tour” kicks off in Michigan on February 10 and will hit 15 cities through the first quarter of the year. Expect the two Christian music icons to sing their greatest hits as well as several duets together. Guess this proves that friends are friends forever. For more info, visit www.michaelwsmith.com and www.amygrant.com.

5. Aaron Gillespie’s Worship Album

Since leaving Underoath in 2010, Aaron Gillespie’s fans have been chomping at the bit wondering what this insanely talented artist would come up with. Though Gillespie has released two albums under his brainchild The Almost—the first of which Gillespie not only recorded all of the vocals but all of the instrumentation as well—Anthem Song  (Tooth & Nail/BEC) will be his first official solo release. A worship project, Anthem Song will combine Gillespie’s lyrical genius with his unique musical identity. For a sneak peak of the record, fans can check out the first single, “We Were Made For You” (co-written with Paul Baloche), premiering now on Aaron’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/aaronrgillespie.