This week is retro week at cMusicMail. It wasn't really meant to be, but I
just picked the review for Keith Green and then noticed that the History
Makers series released last week. So, fall in love with decades gone by with
our retro issue. Or, if you are old enough, fall in love again.

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THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION - KEITH GREEN (2002)
by Jason Ewert

It's hard to be skeptical of a Keith Green "greatest hits" album. Initially,
you may disagree with the song selection, but once the music begins, it's
hard to resist the emanating passion that seeps into your soul.

Yet, I must express some sympathy for the cynics, if only because there are
so many such collections. Each new year brings some new-fangled idea. "Let's
do an artists' tribute!" Okay, we can understand that—even if most of the
songs are dry and boring. "What about the worship craze: can't we capitalize
on that somehow?" Bingo. Your Love Broke Through showcased some of the
finest Christian worship leaders doing their best to sell themselves and
make Keith Green one of them. On and on it goes, with everybody looking for
ways to enhance Keith's image. Can't you see him rolling over in his grave?

The Ultimate Collection could easily be written off as another money-grab,
if it were not for its usefulness. For one, this collection has twenty
songs, a decent amount for a CD intended to introduce a new generation to
Green's music. Chosen to represent the fan favorites, these songs provide a
good overview of Green's career. It would have been nice to include some
lesser known tracks on here, but it's hard to complain too much—Keith rarely
released a bad song.

The other primary attraction in this collection is a bonus DVD disc that has
Your Love Broke Through: The Keith Green Story, an hour long documentary
that tells the story of Keith's spiritual journey and ministry years. This
well done movie will do much more than provide you with a "Keith Green"
timeline: it will inspire you as you see how Keith's amazing fire for God
propelled his life. It is this DVD that makes this collection worth your
money, since old and new fans alike will enjoy watching Keith’s story.

That said, I can't help but wish that more people would flock to Keith's
original albums rather than these cheap collections. When you take a bunch
of songs and throw them together, the original context is lost, replaced by
some A&R agent who is more concerned with making money than sending a
message. So, treat The Ultimate Collection as the stepping stone that it is:
go on and discover the Keith Green that lives outside of label hype and
media spin. He was no ordinary pop star…why treat him as one?


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, APRIL 22 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

BRING IT ON - OASIS PRAISE
Hollywood, CA's Oasis church is one of those churches that dares to be
different, which is why they have services in a converted warehouse. Chances
are, you won't find this to be your typical praise album either.

CHEESES OF NAZARETH - FIVE IRON FRENZY
For Serious Fans ONLY: Those who follow the band's every move and have seen
most of their tours will love this disc, chock full of rare recordings and
tons of jokes. However, if you want to know what Five Iron is musically, go
for one of their normal albums... if this band has ever been normal.

HISTORY MAKERS: ANDRAE CROUCH
HISTORY MAKERS: JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT
HISTORY MAKERS: PHIL KEAGGY
The only artist that still is making music in Sparrow's first line of
History Makers releases is Phil Keaggy, but the "History" in "History
Makers" means that it's just as old as your parents. So find some selected
tracks from the early works of these foundational Christian artists, and you
may find a new way to bring back the 70s and 80s into fashion. On the other
hand, if you already have all of the artist's music on CD, you don't need to
get this.

HISTORY MAKERS: THE BEST OF CHRISTIAN POP VOL. 1 1970-1985 - VARIOUS
HISTORY MAKERS: THE BEST OF CHRISTIAN ROCK VOL. 1 1970-1986 - VARIOUS
HISTORY MAKERS: THE BEST OF GOSPEL VOL. 1 1965-1990 - VARIOUS
HISTORY MAKERS: THE BEST OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP 1973-1985 - VARIOUS
So you wonder what it sounded like back in the day? Well, yeah, this is the
music that my parents have on records downstairs. So, if you want to get in
touch with what the generation gone by listened to, select the genre and
you'll have a good sampler. Otherwise, if you used to listen to this stuff,
dust off your vinyls and turntable and start playing or go buy them again on
CD.

HOLY CULTURE - CROSS MOVEMENT
For years, the Cross Movement has been in the Christian hip-hop world
bringing the gospel to flow-loving listeners everywhere. They even have
their own charity which allows them to do free concerts to get the message
out. Holy Culture, no doubt, is the best yet from the crew and THE PICK OF
THE WEEK at cMusicWeb.com

KRISTY STARLING (self-titled)
Thanks to an American Idol knockoff on NBC's TODAY show, Kristy Starling has
been thrust into the spotlight. While we have figured out that she can sing
well, we might have to wait a bit for some more meat.

MILAGRO - JACI VELASQUEZ
Jaci works overtime and puts out her second disc in the last month, as well
as her first movie. This time around she is singing to the mainstream Latin
music artist, but still bringing the message of Christ's love to
Spanish-speaking people around the world. If you want to know what good,
clean Latin music sounds like, this is probably your ticket.

YOU'RE WORTHY OF MY PRAISE - VARIOUS
A unique release from Maranatha which features many different styles of
artists performing worship songs, such as Tammy Trent, Chris Tomlin, and
Scott Faircloff, with enough new songs to keep you interested too.


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