Featuring vocalists Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, Lady Antebellum offers its sophomore album, Need You Now, with hopes it will silence critics and expand its coveted fanbase beyond the world of country. Well, one out of two ain't bad.

A flood of emotion in the aftermath of her husband's death is what ultimately gives Corinne Bailey Rae's The Sea its heartbeat. Never overly sentimental or pandering in favor of pat answers, it could certainly remind listeners of Joni Mitchell's Blue.

Though Steven Curtis Chapman has always related to his fans, he's never gotten as personal with his extended family of listeners as he does on Beauty Will Rise, his first recording since his daughter died in a tragic accident in 2008.

David Gray says that surrounding himself with the same team that contributed to his breakout album, 2000's White Ladder, eventually led to creative complacency. So he did the unthinkable and not only fired the majority of his band, but switched record labels, too.

Titled Contra as a playful tip to The Clash's Sandinista, Vampire Weekend's second effort reinforces the band's signature sound while flexing a more muscular rhythm section, fewer but faster guitars, and a noticeably broader palette.

From Leeland's Love Is on the Move to Switchfoot's Hello Hurricane to Jars of Clay'sThe Long Fall Back to Earth and more, these are our choices for the best faith-based albums of 2009. Read on and see if some of your favorites are listed, too.