I’ve been trying to figure out what I find underwhelming about “Christian” music. While there are all sorts of Christian versions of music genres – rap, country, deathmetal etc, there is also a genre of Christian sounding music and I find myself wondering if people sing like that just because they’ve heard other Christian singers sing like that and eventually it all sounds the same. The genre consists of bad MOR sounding, wimpy vocalled, badly written songs that are too direct and prosaic and loaded with cliches and over wrought with faux emotion. There is even a subgenre of Catholic Christian music.
The best “Psalm” I’ve heard in years is Damien Rice’s “Cold Water”. The best God song is “Distant Sun” by Crowded House. I find these songs moving and I think it is because they are indirect and acknowledge mystery and there are written by the best song writers in the world, which helps.
Church music on the the hand has a context in which a Christian song can make sense. I’ve been listening to the Catholic Music Express podcast in an effort to be proven wrong and not everything is terrible. I particularly liked a bluegrass song about St Augustine by a band whose name somehow escaped me. I like Gina Ogilvie because she sings like a singer not like a Christian singer.
I’ll keep listening and see if I can get closer to my problem with it.
I AGREE!!