As laid out in its name, downhere deals in a grass roots brand of ministry that extends beyond the bandstand and among its fans. Co-founded by pastors’ sons Jason Germain and Marc Martel, this Tennessee-based band infuses it modern rock influences with inspirational lyrics. On “Let Me Rediscover You,” from the band’s latest album, On the Alter of Love, Germain and Martel’s heartfelt vocals soar over dramatic guitars, rich strings, and mellifluous piano arpeggios.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. Members of Baltimore-based Ashes Remain embrace their spiritual beliefs, yet don’t claim to be holier than thou. The band readily shines a light on personal struggles throughout What I’ve Become, yet we’re especially digging one of the debut album’s most uplifting tracks, “On My Own.” Amidst a rocking music palate that buzzes with fuzz guitar, vocalist Josh Smith paints an optimistic picture of a grounding force, a figure that provides a ray of hope when everything else looks dim.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. These dapper gents make the concept of paralysis by analysis sound smoother than linoleum. “Black & White” starts as a piano ballad brushed with falsetto crooning and then becomes a rollercoaster ride — much like a romantic relationship, the focus of this soul-pop jam sprinkled with disco rhythms. The slow-then-fast see-saw hits a jazzy stride with a string-accented breakdown that’ll make you want to get up and get on down.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different artist each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. Music is a powerful component of worship, but even more so if it comes with arena-filling arrangements and throaty lead vocals that would appeal to fans of Coldplay, Muse, and The Killers. Abandon specializes in exactly this kind of sound. Its latest single, “Feel It In Your Heart,” has roots in alternative rock, but its message has a spiritual perspective: “Oh you can turn it up as loud as it will go/But it will never make its way to your soul/until you feel it in your heart.” Amen!
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. When Jamie Grace was only 11 years old, she was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. Now this Atlanta based singer/songwriter is telling her story through contemporary Christian music. The inspirational tune, “Hold Me,” would be right at home at a campfire sing-along with its feel-good acoustic guitar strumming and tobyMac’s ragga stylings. A catalog of troubles — from bad-day blues to a crisis in time-management — are no match for the soothing power of the Lord.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we’ve been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. How does a group stand out in the now-bustling intersection of hip-hop, pop, and electronic music? By endorsing a positive attitude and celebrating life all over the place. Blanca, Manwell, and Pablo a.k.a. Group 1 Crew do just that on “Live It Up.” The Dove Award–winning trio compresses the anticipation of a night out into an energetic three minutes; its energy and message taps into the chemistry that propelled The Black Eyed Peas into the stratosphere.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. Audrey Assad, a Christian singer/songwriter from Phoenix, makes the kind of mature, achingly beautiful, acoustic folk tunes that are right at home on Lilith Fair. Set to a murmuring piano accompaniment, “The House You’re Building” shows off Assad’s ability to wax and wane from falsetto to breathy in the space of a minor note.
IMPORTANT: Downloads are only free on iTunes for approximately 1 week from this post date.
