Speechless
If he wasn't on your list before, you better add Steven Curtis Chapman to your contemporary Christian music (CCM) superstar group.Speechless, Chapman's 11th album in his 12-year career, reaches new heights and testifies to a songwriting brilliance that is almost unmatched. This album will undoubtedly increase Chapman's score of 29 No. 1 hit CCM singles. For the first time, the ebullient singer/songwriter has made a record with his touring band (instead of with studio musicians) and the tightness and familiarity shows. The opening "Dive" (Chumbawambafans will love the chorus here), "Speechless," and "Fingerprints of God" are its strongest moments; then there's the deeply moving and emotional tribute "With Hope," an ode Chapman wrote for close friends who have lost children and are struggling to find a reason to live. Top-line producer Brown Bannister enables Chapman's beautiful release, evidenced by the final track, "Be Still and Know," which features a lengthy symphonic introduction. At this level, you can't expect dramatic departures from what has worked so well, but what you get here is the work of an artist who is perfecting his muse. Buy this today!--Michael Lyttle