Rapture Ruckus is a fun band. They are sort of - in my opinion - a blend of rock and pop. These are three of my favorites and, if I'm being honest, possibly the only songs I know by them :)
Head Held High is rather serious but handled tastefully. It deals with the roughness of life and yet how we all have worth and can hold our heads high in that.
I don't know about you, but I frequently fall into the lie that I'm the only one dealing with something, or only I struggle with such and such. It's not true. We are in life together and we deal with things together.
This song is SO MUCH FUN! As someone who has never fit in with the world around me, I enjoy a song celebrating being different. It's encouragement to not give up and to stick to my convictions. If the world looks down on you for following Christ, being small, looking different, remember that you were created in the image of God and He doesn't make mistakes. Ever!
I cannot believe I forgot to post about Winter Jam!!! There are going to be some great artists on the tour this year.
Britt Nicole My cousin got to see her on the tour a few years ago, but she only did the East Coast before Christmas, so she was not there when it came to my area. I was so bummed! But now I get to see her live and I am thrilled!
Tenth Avenue North My first concert was TAN's "The Light Meets The Dark" concert when that was their newest CD! I love their first two CD's but then they came out with The Struggle and it was like I was listening to a different band. I did not like it at all, especially the singles. I didn't hear much off of Cathedrals, but I liked a couple of the songs (the singles were great!) and with Followers, I feel like they've returned to the style they had at the beginning; at least a little bit.
Hopeful song: it's so hard to pick one, so I'm not going to try.
Thousand Foot Krutch I was SO EXCITED to see that TFK was the rock band this year. I like them (and Skillet) because they are rock but generally aren't screaming. The last time they were on WJ, I didn't know much of their music, but I will appreciate them more this year :)
Hopeful song: probably Courtesy Call (even though there is a brief screaming part)
Andy Mineo I really don't know much of his music, but I like rap, and I'm looking forward to hearing him. Honestly, I mostly know him from his collaborations with other artists.
Colton Dixon Last time Colton was on the Tour, he only had one album and the popular songs from it were not great favorites of mine. These days, I like more songs than I don't like, and I'm very excited to hear him.
Hopeful song: again, this is hard. I think I'm going to have to pick Limitless Newsong Always the staple of WJ, Newsong has some fantastic music. Here is my Spotify playlist of my very favorites. Hopeful song: I'm gonna go with Swallow The Oceans
OBB They're back! Winter Jam's Pre-Jam Party is a great place to discover awesome new artists. I bought OBB's debut album the last time they were at WJ and they've come out with some really good music since then. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing their new music live.
Pentatonix does a phenomenal job with Christmas songs and their version of Mary Did You Know is pretty much the only way I like this song. The group is incredibly talented and gives a fresh sound to age-old carols. Happy Listening!
Originally on his album "Life Is Not A Snapshot", Wilson created a Christmas version of his song "Sing". It really is quite appropriate for Christmas even in its original version, as it's all about praising and worshiping God! Happy Listening!
This is the Group 1 Crew after Blanca left. I love the upbeat tempo of this song and the message that speaks to the struggle we all face - doing what we don't want and not doing what we do want. G1C asks God to remind us of who we are, to "wake us up" when we forget or "get amnesia". It's very clever and very accurate.
The music of this song just begs to be danced to! It's fun, upbeat, and just makes your mood lift (even if you're already happy :). The chorus is unique because it is similar to familiar hymns of Christmas time, yet fresh and new.
