X HOODZ ENTERTAINMENT .::Sound Systems::. .::Dj Academy:..::Recording Studios::.::Lighting::.::Audio Visuals::.::Trussing::.

WOW Hits 2010 collects 30 of the years biggest contemporary gospel/Christian rock hits over the span of two discs, including “There Will Be a Day” (Jeremy Camp ), “Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly)” (Sanctus Real), “Keys to the Kingdom” (Group 1 Crew), and “Yours [Radio Version with New Verse]” from CCM giant Steven Curtis Chapman.

I have always had a soft spot for Casting Crowns, even if I have a less than soft spot for the rest of the Pop Worship genre, and I was excited to be able to hear the New CD. After the first couple of songs I began to worry. The CD begins in a typical Casting Crowns Song, The Title song â??Until the Whole World Hearsâ? sounds like it belongs on their previous album â??The Altar and the Doorâ??. As I said I began to worry that this Cd  was going to be nothing more than a continuation of the previous album. This isnâ??t quite the negative that it could be. Casting Crowns has a very set and distinctive sound that I find carrying through all of their albums. When done properly it gives the Band a signature sound. When done Improperly it simply makes all the songs sound the same. â??Until the Whole World Hearsâ? walks the thin line of â??signature soundâ? while only crossing into the â??What album is this again?â? territory a couple of times.

The highest-charting Christian album on the Billboard charts since 2006, Awake could be tagged as Skillet’s mainstream breakthrough on that fact alone. Certainly, the band’s monster modern rock does sound like it could slip onto on active rock playlist — maybe not quite in 2009, but earlier in the decade, when metallic rockers heavy on the guitar downstrokes, and power ballads with chant-along vocals were relatively common. That’s not to say that Skillet sounds out-of-step with the times  there’s still a gleam to the Howard Benson production that sounds modern — and they do mange to imprint their own identity on this sometimes-generic brand of contemporary rock, thanks to their communal vocals, with male and female voices trading off, and skyscraper hooks. Skillet also don’t always focus solely on religion, as many of their songs are grounded in inspirational positivity, so that’s another reason why Awake finds the band poised to break into the mainstream.

Style: Pop country; compare to Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood

Top tracks: “He Holds Everything,” “No Changin’ Us,” “Come to Jesus”

From Nashville’s Fan Fair to the Grand Ole Opry, Point of Grace employed the acoustic affections of 2007’s How You Live to test the waters of country music. And with plenty of mandolin pickin’, fiddle chops, and steel guitar chimes percolating their latest, the Grace girls officially take the plunge. While some may criticize the shift, faith-based candor still permeates hooky choruses of life and love, and their vocals sound more at ease than ever with a rootsy approach to their signature harmonies. Having weathered changes in membership and style over the past few years, No Changin’ Us is a homecoming and a fresh start for one of Christian music’s most popular assets.