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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Heaven on My Mind: Guest List Edition – TobyMac
*** ½

TobyMac’s Heaven on My Mind was one of my favorite albums of 2025. He recently released Heaven On My Mind – Guest List Edition, a seven-song expanded version of the album, comprised of six collaborations and a remix of the title song.

The seven songs on the Guest List Edition are:
“Heaven On My Mind” (with Forrest Frank)
“Lord It Feels Good” (with gio.) – the only previously released song.
“God Did It” (with Jamie MacDonald)
“Nothin’ Sweeter (Extra Sweet Version)” (with Jon Reddick)
“Oh My Soul (Psalm 103)” (with CeCe Winans)
“Campfire (That Very Love)” (with Third Day)
“Heaven On My Mind (Petey Martin Remix)”

Favorite songs:
“Heaven On My Mind” (with Forrest Frank)
“God Did It” (with Jamie MacDonald)
“Oh My Soul (Psalm 103)” (with CeCe Winans)
“Campfire (That Very Love)” (with Third Day)

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  • More of this review and a review of The Resurrection of a King by Tommee Profitt
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “Praise the Lord Forever” by Phil Wickham and Pat Barrett

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Sing! From Generation to Generation (Live at the Getty Music Worship Conference) – Keith & Kristyn Getty and Friends
****

Keith & Kristyn Getty have been hosting Sing! The Getty Music Worship Conference in Nashville since 2017. After each conference, an album of songs that were performed at the conference is released. The artists on this album from the 2025 conference include Keith & Kristyn Getty, CityAlight, Fernando Ortega, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, Cochren & Co, Sandra McCracken, Dwan Hill and the Choir Room and the late Jubilant Sykes.

Here are the songs included on the album:
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven (Keith and Kristyn Getty)
Christ Our Hope in Life and Death (Keith and Kristyn Getty, CityAlight)
Trisagion (Fernando Ortega)

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  • More of this review and a review of The Long Surrender (Live at RCA Studios) by NEEDTOBREATHE
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “Last Drink” by NEEDTOBREATHE

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Song of the Saints (Deluxe Edition) – Phil Wickham
****

Song of the Saints by Phil Wickham was one of my favorite albums of 2025. Wickham is back with a massive 18 song Deluxe edition, bringing the entire Song of the Saints project to 34 songs. The Deluxe edition includes live recordings, collaborations, remixes, as well as songs that were not on the original album, such as “It Really Is Amazing Grace” (with Crowder), “Fear Has No Power” (Live), “It’s Always Been You (HGHTS Remix)”, “Psalm 8 (Hallé)”, “Everyday Hallelujah”, and “God is Good” with Cain.
In addition to the Crowder collaboration, the new project features collaborations with Lauren Daigle, Brandon Lake, Elevation Worship, Jamie MacDonald, Chris Tomlin, and Michael W. Smith.
This new edition is an excellent companion to the original album release.

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  • More of this review and a review of Jamie MacDonald
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Finished Work by Matt Maher

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

The Boys of Dungeon Lane – Paul McCartney
****

This is the twentieth solo album by Paul McCartney, and his first since 2020’s McCartney III. The album is named after a road in the Liverpool suburb of Speke. As a boy, McCartney used to wander down Dungeon Lane to look at birds.
The album was produced by Andrew Watt (Rolling Stones) and McCartney. McCartney handled most of the lead and backing vocals along with playing most of the instruments. The album also featured Ringo Star on lead vocals, drums, and tambourine, Andrew Watt on acoustic and electric guitar, synths, and tape loops, Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri on background vocals and Mike Davis on trumpet. Orchestration and arrangements were by Ben Foster and Giles Martin.
The album offers varied musical styles from love song ballads to rockers. About half of the songs has McCartney nostalgically looking back on his life.
Overall, the album is a wonderful collection of songs about hope, love, living for now and remembering the past. It’s a sonic treat that sounds better with each repeated listening, and my favorite album of 2026 thus far.

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  • More of this review and a review of In Christ Alone – Sing! Hymnal at the Piano
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Running to a Runaway – Phil Wickham

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Sing! From Generation to Generation (Live at the Getty Music Worship Conference) – Keith & Kristyn Getty and Friends
****

A live album is released after each of the Sing! Getty Music Worship Conferences held in Nashville. The album from the 2025 conference, which had a theme of From Generation to Generation. Artists included on the album are Keith and Kristyn Getty, CityAlight, Fernando Ortega, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, Cochren & Co, Sandra McCracken, Dwan Hill and the late Jubilant Sykes.
Sing! From Generation to Generation holds many of the finest musical moments from the 2025 Sing! Conference.  Thousands of voices, young and old, were gathered from 27 countries celebrating God’s faithfulness across 20 centuries and teaching the coming generations through song.

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  • More of this review and a review of Long, Long Road by Ringo Starr
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Absolution by Switchfoot

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

For Your Glory – Trip Lee and BRAG Worship
*** ½

The latest from Trip Lee (pastor, author, rapper) is For Your Glory, comes from his  new collective BRAG Worship.  I’ve long enjoyed Lee’s music, teaching and books. This worship project is different from anything you’ve heard from him, and it’s very good.
The eight song EP is comprised of easy-going R&B sounds, with memorable choruses and samples a few classic hymns. Lee co-wrote and co-produced each song.

Here are a few brief comments about each song:

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  • More of this review
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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Jesus Paid It All – Tommee Profitt and CeCe Winans

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


The Commons Chapel – CXMMXNS
*** ½

Worship collective CXMMXNS (Commons) was formed by Grammy Award and Dove Award-winning songwriters Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan, two of the most influential writers in modern worship music. From their pens have come some of the most widely sung anthems including “Goodness of God,” “Who You Say I Am,” “What a Beautiful Name,” “Cornerstone,” and “Mighty to Save” – songs sung by tens of millions of believers every week across the world. Birthed in Sydney, Australia, CXMMXNS is passionately committed to gathering worshippers worldwide and serving local churches with songs that everyone can sing.

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  • More of this review
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Hope – Petra
***

Petra was one of my favorite bands when I was a new believer in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and I continued to follow their music through 2003’s Jekyll and Hyde. Hope is their first new album of all new material since Jekyll and Hyde. It is a mix of rock, mid-tempo songs, and ballads. The album sounds like classic Petra, with memorable hooks, strong guitar work from Bob Hartman, keys and synths from John Lawry, and powerful vocals from John Schlitt. The lyrics are scripturally based, as you can expect from Petra. Bob Hartman wrote, or co-wrote all of the songs, and Petra produced the album.

I really enjoyed this new release. It’s great to have a new Petra album.

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 More of this review
 Music News
 Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “O Church, Come Lift Your Eyes” by Jordan Kauflin and CityAlight Continue reading →


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

All I Have is Christ: The Hymns of Jordan Kauflin
****

Jordan Kauflin is a worship pastor, and writes songs for churches to sing, primarily with Getty Music and Sovereign Grace Music. This album of ten songs, each of which Kauflin wrote, or co-write, was recorded at the 2025 Sing! Getty Worship Conference in Nashville, and was produced by Nathan Nockels. The album includes a number of special guests, including Laura Story, CityAlight, Kristyn Getty, Bob Kauflin, and Bryan Fowler. The album includes four new hymns and six favorites that are sung by churches around the world.
In my reviews I usually list my favorite songs on the album. I’m not going to do that this time as all of the songs are excellent – well written and performed.
Below are a few comments about each of the ten songs:

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  • More of this review and a review of Live from the Ryman by Wilder Woods
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “Say So” by Jordan Kauflin and Bryan Fowler

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Far Country – Ellie Holcomb
*** ½ 

Ellie Holcomb returns with her fourth full-length studio album Far Country, a solid follow-up to Canyon, one of my favorite albums of 2021. The new album features eleven new songs born from a season of profound grief and spiritual exploration. Holcomb co-wrote all of the songs. The album was produced and engineered by Cason Cooley and executive produced by Holcomb’s father Brown Bannister, and Samantha Steele.
The songs feature Holcomb’s strong and expressive vocals. The album contains themes of being made for a different place, there having to be more than this, light, love, hope, and the goodness and mercy for the Lord.

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  • More of this review
  • Music News
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ It Really Is Amazing Grace by Phil Wickham and Crowder

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