THE JOY OF DISCOVERY (A LOOK AHEAD)

There's nothing like hearing a bona fide landmark album for the first time. And recently, I've heard more of them than usual. Not to sound jaded, but if I encounter just one album a year that literally wows me--knocks my socks off--then I'm content. Last year, for instance, it was Sara Groves' ADD TO THE BEAUTY. If you've experienced that disc, chances are you know what I mean.

And this year? I'd been greatly impressed several times, but not wowed. That all changed when, within the past month, I discovered not one, not two, but three WOW albums--and I'm not referring to those nifty compilation discs either.

The first arrived courtesy of a band that's new on the scene. Now, I can tend to be leery of debut albums that come on the heels of seemingly over-the-top hype. As someone who loves to be pleasantly surprised by genuine excellence, I've been let down more than a few times. Enter Essential recording artist Leeland. And the pre-release hype? Probably more profuse than anything I've experienced since Delirious came on the scene eight years ago. What I discovered when I hit "play" was worshipful rock that surpassed Sonicflood's debut and, yes, was actually on par with Delirious' bow. Now that was a pleasant surprise. When Leeland's SOUND OF MELODIES album streets on August 15, you'll know where I'm coming from. (And you can count on us to update you on the band every few months in our "Band Wagon" column which appears next to Paul Colman's "Ones To Watch" section.)

Next up was an album that I had extremely high expectations for. Not only that, but I am so nostalgically connected to the artist who delivered it that... well, let's just say most of my professional history was invested in this person. I don't mean that in the sense of trying to take some credit for her success--on the contrary, the good reputation I had as a PR guy back in the day was due in large part to her commitment, heart, talent and grace. You could say I rode the coattails of her and her bandmates. And for that I owe Sixpence None the Richer's Leigh Nash a great deal.

So about those high expectations... When I received the pre-release for Leigh's new album, BLUE ON BLUE, in the mail, I knew what it would be up against. Namely, the pedestal I had Sixpence's artistry on. (Even if I'd never worked with them, they would still be one of my three favorite bands of all time.) And Leigh? With this solo bow she does her musical heritage proud. BLUE ON BLUE not only captures Leigh's best vocals ever--a stunning feat in its own right--this melodic delight is as genuinely beautiful as any Sixpence album. Indeed, it wows me in a hushing sort of way. And the lyrics? We Sixpence fans are sticklers for thoughtful songwriting, and that's exactly what Leigh brings to the table here. You can experience it for yourself when Blue on Blue hits stores on August 15.

The third album I'm going to tell you about...well, I honestly don't know if I can do it justice here. In fact, after you hear it, you might wonder why I not only saved it for last, but didn't in fact dedicate this whole page to it. Here's the thing...on September 5 Jars of Clay will release its career-defining album--GOOD MONSTERS. (Go ahead, read that sentence again.)

I know what you're thinking--Jars of Clay's career-defining album was its wildly-selling self-titled debut. For ten years I thought the same thing...until I heard GOOD MONSTERS. To Essential Records' credit, the label is letting the album speak for itself. (In fact, the recent press release announcing the disc merely lead with the headline: "New Project Signals A Return To Band's Award-Winning Rock Roots.")

Jars of Clay has impressed me many times over the years, but my bottom line is this, GOOD MONSTERS is the band's first masterpiece. It's not simply a step beyond anything Jars had done both lyrically and musically, it's a leap beyond. GOOD MONSTERS is the album that I believe will not only define them in hindsight, but will be one of the most important albums in Christian music history.

So yes, you could say the past month has really changed my perspective on how important 2006 will be in Christian music's grand scheme. And I'm both grateful and amazed to be taking part--most of all as a fan.

-Jay

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