Top 20 influential Albums on “MY WORSHIP STYLE”

Recently Worship Leader published their list of the top 20 most influential albums on worship of the past 20 years. It is a very cool list, but I walked away thinking there were a few very odd choices. Of course this kind of list is subjective, but there were people on that list that haven’t even impacted the corporate worship of the church just yet. They are too new.

As I chatted with my friend Mike Mahoney on the list and we decided that, since it was subjective to say which CD’s have influenced worship as a whole, we would instead create lists of the top Albums that have influenced our personal worship styles on and off the stage.

Here is mike’s post on it

My top 10 influential CD’s on my worship musical style

  1. Delirious: Cutting Edge – a brilliant CD and the day modern worship changed forever with the first crack of the snare in “did you feel the mountains tremble”
  2. Klaus Kuehn: Healing waters – This CD like no other just brings me into the throneroom
  3. The Choir: Love songs and Prayers – My favorite Christian band of all time with inspiring lyrics and the greatest guitar sounds
  4. At the Foot of the Cross: Vol 1 Clouds, Rain, Fire – This CD may have been the first album to mash ancient and modern worship together. With tons of different artists it meshed so many styles and still to this day sounds relevant
  5. Paul Baloche: Open the Eyes of my Heart – I was surprised this was not on the list above. This album was so rich!
  6. David Crowder Band: Illuminate – This CD introduced us to so many worship songs I still play. Hands down my favorite CD from crowder
  7. Vineyard: More than ever – A live CD with worship leader Robbie Rieder. I love all the songs on this album. “dwell” “sweetly broken” “more than ever” “bless his name” .. not a bad song
  8. Daniel Bashta: Sounds of Daniel Bashta – This CD blew my mind and I am so happy to have new prophetic “WAR” worship
  9. Misty Edwards: tie between relentless and Always on his mind – Misty stirs my soul and teaches me to listen when I lead
  10. Charlie Hall: Flying into Daybreak – Charlie was never afraid to push boundaries with his lyrics, direct it towards God and yet at same time make it accesible.
  11. Kings X: Faith Hope Love – Pure rock, melodic, and Solo’s for God. What could be better
  12. IONA: Journey into the Morn – One of those albums that somehow transport you in worship to another world.
  13. Matt Redman: Facedown – Real, authentic stripped down.
  14. Saviour Machine: Saviour Machine 1 – A christian goth CD that has taught me space, layering and power
  15. Sojourn Music: Over the Grave – The best modern workings of hymns… a perfectly crafted CD
  16. Red Letter: Red Letter Live – More modern hymns that have stylistically changed the way I play
  17. Ex Nihilo: Ex Nihilo Live – More modern hymns that have stylistically changed the way I play
  18. Brian & Jenn Johnson: We Believe – I love the sincerity of this CD and crave for this type of deep worship
  19. Sojourn Music: Split EP – Sojourn singlehandedly brought the art of folk and real doctrine worship back into my playing
  20. Phil Wickham: Singalong – The best Live worship CD of all time. one guy… one guitar and tons of people pouring out to God!

Of course there are more bands and CD’s having an impact on my worship style and will continue to, but these had the biggest impact.

How about you? What would be your top album influences on your worship style?


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10 responses to “Top 20 influential Albums on “MY WORSHIP STYLE””

  1. […] was supposed to be a top-ten list, but Joel had to show me up by going twenty.  I’m going fifteen.   Not all of them are worship albums – three of them are […]

  2. HL Avatar

    We are so much from the same clothe it’s pretty cool I think 🙂 Every CD here except for Klaus I would ditto. I don’t know Klaus’s stuff that’s the only reason. 🙂

  3. @matreames Avatar

    excellent choices on that list. I would agree with most of them… I might have to go ahead and blog my own list.

  4. Joel Klampert Avatar

    HL: I was waiting for that comment!! ha!

    Matt: go for it bro… I would love to see your list… you have a very eclectic style

  5. Rich Kirkpatrick Avatar

    Very nice.

    I am not sure what I would put. I would overlap some of these, while others I do not know that well.

    Two recordings that were game changers, I think for me and perhaps other are “Hungry” by Vineyard UK and years earlier “Give Thanks” by Integrity. I see those as turning points in 1990s and 2000s. The latter to “contemporary” and the first to “modern worship”.

    This is perhaps by the accidental huge sales of those and how it influenced I guess. But, really I put Gungor “Beautiful Things” as a game changer for 2010s.

    Thanks Joel.

    RK

  6. Mike Mahoney Avatar

    Rich,

    That’s pretty funny, actually. One of the catalysts for Joel and I doing this was the fact WL put Gungor on their list. We were like “What?” Not that it’s not a great album, but it’s too new to be on that list. It’s influence hasn’t even been felt yet.

    But on a personal list – go for it. I’d love to see YOUR influences…

  7. Ed Rotheram Avatar

    Nice list Joel – love Brian & Jenn’s “We Believe’ – they’ve managed to capture their “Sunday morning” style from Bethel perfectly on there. Not heard a couple on this list, some good inspiration there. I think, like Mat, that I may have a go with this too – love the idea of a top 20! Bless you mate.

  8. deb hanlon Avatar
    deb hanlon

    lots of really good artists on that list and one in particular that struck me was the kings x album…i have always loved them and even tho not technically “worship’ music many of their songs have the Holy Spirit moving through them…love misty edwards, sojourn and daniel bashta too…sojourn being one of the best nights of music at lifepath…really powerful stuff

  9. David Santistevan Avatar

    Sweet list. Some new things for me to check out. I second Rich on the “Hungry” album. I’d also have to add Passion’s “Hymns: Ancient and Modern” to my list of influences as well as more recently Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reasons”.

  10. Joel Klampert Avatar

    @david… yeah I thought about the hymns album because it was earth shattering at the time, but I think in the hymn realm sojourn and mars hill bands did more for me personally in style..
    and yeah… Hungry as well as some sara groves music would be in the top 25… but now my list is getting long! ha!

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