CCM

My last post got me thinking. Uh oh. What is the deal with the pathetic state that "Contemporary Christian Music" has fallen to? There has been a dramatic loss of creativity and originality. We can only conclude that the head of every "Christian" record label is asleep at the wheel. The blind are leading the blind.

There was a day that you could trust that a lot of Christian lyrics would be simple, strait foreword, and fresh reflecting the simple, loving faith of believers. The one thing that characterizes Christian lyrics today is "cliche" and not just that but "bad cliche." Why don't we let lyricists out of the pre-packaged box to write something meaningful and intellectually stimulating? Yeah, I'm over-generalizing, but not much. I can't handle ten seconds listening to CCM stations without saying "enough!"

The musical ingenuity of CCM has fallen into the same sad state as the lack of lyrical originality. It all sounds the same. It is very hard to tell the difference between groups. It is a rare moment to hear something truly catchy. The CCM crowd have patented what they feel is a "one size fits all" approach to finding the right songs. The only problem is it is the musical equivalent of a light blue polyester leisure suit and a ruffled shirt. Let somebody record an album without over compressing and over producing it. Get out of your rut. I just don't listen to it anymore because it isn't fresh, relevant, gritty, challenging or strait foreword. Maybe we should ask Larry Norman, the grandfather of Christian rock what he thinks about the state of CCM. We should let people express their humanity in their music. Maybe we should take a lesson from Bob Dylan who can't really sing. Everyone knows he isn't as vocally accomplished as Sandy Patti but who would you rather listen to? His voice has grit... I want to listen to him because he is a musical and lyrical genius.

It is very difficult for people who believe that Christians have something fresh to offer the world to see where we are at.

I should at this point say "Thank you" to all those musicians who are attempting to be creative, fresh and relevant even though their producers try to press them into the mold. Keep going... lets see a musical revelution. Perhaps now is the time to see this happen. Indie musicians have access to affordable home recording equipment. We should be putting our God-given talent to work whether or not we get heard by the "world." We don't need acceptance, we need to be a voice in the wilderness... obedient to the inner-voice of creativity that reflects the creative nature of the God we serve.

OK, rant over.