The latest part of the ongoing series chronicling, in no particular order, the greatest 1001 recordings made by Christian artists

652. V*ENNA - WHERE I WANNA BE, 2000. From the album 'Where I Wanna Be', Movation.
For one brief moment it looked like the renowned songwriting duo of Mark Pennells and Zarc Porter were going to break through bigtime with girl duo V*enna. Producer Porter skilfully replicated everything that was cheesy but infectious about the Britney Spears approach to hitmaking and Sharnessa Shelton and Lucy Britton blended well together over the teen pop rhythms. But suddenly Sharnessa decided to return to the States and the duo disappeared leaving Lucy to eventually become Mrs Lindz West and part of LZ7. The duo left behind this eminently catchy track which overcomes its gorgonzola qualities by its sheer poptastic verve.
Tony Cummings

Debra Killings

653. DEBRA KILLINGS - MESSAGE IN THE MUSIC, 2003. rom the album 'Surrender', Verity.
A mid tempo handclapper where some punchy backups provided the appropriate "oohs" in the accompaniment. In fact backups came from Debra herself who has also provided BVs for acts like TLC and Outkast. Debra delivers sassy staccato lines with all the aplomb of a church-steeped singer. Her bass playing is pretty funky too.
Tony Cummings

654. JOSH WHITE - HOLY GHOST REVIVAL, 2010. From the album 'Achor', BEC Recordings.
This Josh may not be the one who gained fame as a folk and blues giant during the '50s and '60s but as this glorious exercise in swamp blues gospel demonstrates, the singing pastor from Portland, Oregon knows how to connect with the roots of American music. With upright bass, raggedy percussion and delicious slide guitar from Tony Furtado, Josh (best known for his work fronting pop rockers Telecast) tells us that there's a "Holy Ghost revival coming this way" that the Spirit is likely to "descend upon my head like a dove/Blow through this room with the winds of love." Timeless.
Tony Cummings

655. MISTY EDWARDS & DAVID BRYMER - THE HARLOT, 2011. From the EP 'Measure Of Love', Forerunner.
The International House Of Prayer based in Kansas City have produced some stunning worship music down the years, much of it prophetic/spontaneous where worship leaders led by the Spirit bring fresh unction to the worship experience. Misty is IHOP's best known vocalist and in 2011 she teamed up with multi-instrumentalist David Brymer to record four lengthy tracks subsequently issued on an EP. This is its stunning epicentre, with Misty's soaring vocals and David's haunting cello never flagging on a song which starts with the biblical narrative of the woman brought to Jesus after being caught in adultery, moves to demonstrate that all of us are guilty before a Holy God then shifts to the heavenlies to remind us that there is one alone who can bestow forgiveness for our sins. A 19-minute, 29-second classic of deep, deep ministry and dazzling spontaneous creativity.
Tony Cummings

656. JON GIBSON - GOD WILL FIND YOU, 1999. From the album 'The Man Inside', B-Rite.
The effort by GospoCentric/B-Rite Records to establish Gibson, CCM hitmaker of the '80s, with the black church constituency sadly failed. But that was nothing to do with the quality of his music. In fact this delicious cut with its mid tempo sub bass groove and Jon's sinuously soulful vocal is among his finest. Jon had previously recorded "God Will Find Ya" on his 1985 album 'Body & Soul' but this version is even better. The song is a simple narrative about a young lady running away and making a series of wrong decisions sung against the haunting refrain that "you just keep running, baby" to which the delicious stacked harmonies of Gibson immediately respond "God will find ya." Captivating.
Tony Cummings

657. LAMB - BARUCH HASHEM, 1973. From the album 'Lamb', Messianic.
Joel Chenoff and Rick "Levi" Coghill who were Lamb were at the centre of the Jesus movement of the early '70s and brought to the emergent music the rich heritage of Jewish folk song and liturgical music. Haunting and emotive their plaintive acoustic songs laid the foundation for much of the Messianic worship music that continues to this day. That this track, like many on Lamb's fine first three albums, brings the sorrowful and joyful cadences of centuries' old Hebraic folk art into the modern music arena.
Tony Cummings

Luther Barnes & The Red Budd Gospel Choir

658. LUTHER BARNES & THE RED BUDD GOSPEL CHOIR - MY GOD CAN DO ANYTHING, 1984. From the album 'He Cares', Atlanta International.
Take a righteous reverend whipping up a great choir (this one founded by Barnes and featuring several family members). Give them a gloriously catchy song and a rhythms section that never lets up. And, as this track shows, you have all the ingredients for a joyful, cathartic whoop-up perfect for the Pentecostal two-step. Barnes has recorded numerous albums with choirs and with his quartet The Sunset Jubilaires. But for me, this is his best.
Tony Cummings

659. MATT REDMAN - 10,000 REASONS, 2011. From the album '10,000 Reasons', sixstepsrecords.
And still Britain's premier worship songsmith continues to pen songs which touch the hearts of the world Church. This haunting anthem has been a fixture on American Christian radio for the last year and is now sung in countless churches. Recorded live at a worship leaders event in Atlanta, producer Nathan Nockels' elegant piano gave Matt a poignant backdrop over which to sing this folk music-tinged melody "Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find/And on that day when my heart is failing/The end draws near any my time has come/Still my heart will sing your praise unending." A modern hymn classic.
Tony Cummings

660. DISSIDENT PROPHET - UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, 1995. From the single, MGL Granite.
In 1995 the Midlands-based rock band Dissident Prophet released this breathtakingly haunting slowie on a mainstream-targeted single. Over a building rhythm featuring some dazzling ebo guitar, singer Andy Jennings exudes passion and fervour on a wistful song. Sadly MGL Granite Records went bust soon after its release and "Unconditional Love" didn't become the smash it deserved to be. But for those fortunate enough to possess a copy, "Unconditional Love" is an unforgettable track.
Tony Cummings

661. PLUMB - CRAZY, 1997. From the album 'Plumb', Essential.
Plumb were, of course, a band before singer Tiffany Arbuckle retained the name for her solo career. And as this album, produced by Jars Of Clay's Dan Haseltine and Matt Bronleewe, demonstrated the group she fronted started off as a left-of-centre alt rock band that took in everything from 'Jagged Little Pill'-era Morisette-styled songs to trance-like numbers reminiscent of Bjork. But even the Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Music - much prone to making comparisons with big mainstream stars - had to begrudgingly admit that "Crazy" doesn't sound like anyone in the general market. The multi-layered track is truly memorable while Plumb/Tiffany's piercing vocal bringing out all the nuances of a song the singer later described as "a sarcastic song about people who look to celebrities or other idols." In our celebrity-obsessed age it's a lyric that still has much relevance.
Tony Cummings

662. DION - ONLY JESUS, 1981. From the album 'Only Jesus', Dayspring.
The lazy, bluesy voice of the Bronx-born doowopper was to become one of the most recognisable voices in popular music history. In 1968 after a dramatic encounter with the living God had rescued the pop star from the clutches of heroin abuse Dion DiMucci proceeded to make a series of fine gospel albums. This, the title track of his second album for Word Inc, is among his very best, a haunting slow anthem of healing and adoration. Despite its in-your-face Christocentric lyric it has been praised by plenty of non-believers. Record Collector magazine called it "a minor-key gem".
Tony Cummings

Canaan

663. CANAAN - ROCK'N'ROLL GYPSY, 1973. From the album 'Canaan', Dovetail.
Country rock obviously had its roots in the US, but some of the Jesus music practitioners were too intent on cloning the Eagles to be memorable today. It took this four piece from, of all places, Blackpool, Lancashire to make one of Christian country rock's finest albums. The band were tight enough to capture some of those Crosby, Stills & Nash-style harmonies but raw enough, with Gus Eyre's frequently fuzzed guitar, to stop it from blanding out. Gus actually sang lead on this track (other leads on Canaan's debut were sung by Bob Frazier) and wrote this catchy song which paints a vivid picture of an itinerant musical evangelist prepared to live a hard travelling life for the sake of the Gospel. Just what the hard gigging Eyre was to become in the subsequent decades. A timeless piece of British Christian music history.
Tony Cummings

664. CHRISTINE GLASS - I BELIEVE, 1997. From the album 'Human', Tatoo.
When the 'Human' album emerged in 1997 reviewers threw up such comparisons as P J Harvey and Suzanne Vega to describe Christine's feathery, sometimes almost whispery, light vocals over experimental harmonies and unpredictable accompaniments. Whatever the difficulty in pinpointing her influences all were agreed that this lady who had once trained as an opera singer and who had subsequently been the art editor for Word Records was an exceptional talent. Some of her lyrics were decidedly dark but this one is a bold confession of hope in Christ ("Jesus is coming and love will conquer all someday"). A haunting song.
Tony Cummings

665. BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA - NO MORE, 2001. From the album 'Spirit Of The Century', Real World.
Since the aged quartet who for long years had travelled the Gospel Highway found an unexpected new audience among white rock and folk devotees, their albums have been of mixed quality. For a start even the most devoted fan must admit that those glorious voices are past their prime while sometimes the songs they've recorded have been less than wisely selected. But this reading of an old, old spiritual, recorded for Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, is breathtaking. The late Jimmy Carter sang a laid back bluesy lead, Clarence Fountain, George Scott and Joey Williams came in with a droning backup and a band-made-in-Heaven featuring David Lindley's swampy slide guitar all make for another reminder of the true roots of most 20th century music.
Tony Cummings