What an amazing year of quality music!  It’s our tradition to pool the talented resources of our 10-member critics’ panel (yes, the panel grew by 1 this fall), and vote on the best, most creative, most artistic albums by Christian songwriters over the last year.  On the eve of revealing the “Top 11 Gourmet Albums of 2011,” we realize that there were some albums that almost made the Top 11, but just missed out.  These Honorable Mentions are still worth celebrating and sharing as some of the best art to grace our ears this year.

Odd Soul – MuteMath

Ever since I had one of the concert experiences ever seeing MuthMath live in 2009, I’ve been looking forward to this release.  Our critic Jeremy said, “MuteMath is a band that can’t sit still - their creative, frenetic energy (perhaps musical ADHD) has led them to color outside the lines of genre and reinvent their sound(s) once again.  Odd Soul is an eclectic mix of awesome.”  While this album misses some of the radio-friendly mass appeal that their prior release Armistice had, it may be even stronger on artistic levels.  Our panelist John said, “Odd Soul has everything you want in a Mutemath record; impossibly articulate instrumentation backing up lyrics that seem to mean something important even when you can’t understand exactly what they are about.”
 

The Cymbal Crashing Clouds – Ben Shive

“Ben Shive's sophomore release is brilliance from start to finish – a strange, glorious journey that melds the timelessly quirky sounds of The Beach Boys and Sgt Pepper-era Beatles with poetic lyricism.”  This is how one of our critics described The Cymbal Crashing Clouds, which we reviewed on this site 5 months ago, and described this album as “a rich and rewarding piece of art that will leave a mark on nearly every ear that listens.” (Click HERE for our full review.)  Our panelist Jen said, “This record dances through dreamlike imagery and soundscapes, then blindsides you with profound truth in quirky modern parables.”  If you like adventurous, experimental, creative indie music, then don’t pass by this gem.
 

Majestic Silver Strings – Buddy Miller

Americana legend Buddy Miller is no stranger to collaborations – and on his latest release, his band of brothers puts on a guitar clinic.  Panelist Andrew stated, “Buddy knows how to insert the best of the musical best (Lee Ann Womack, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Ann McCrary, etc. here) in settings delightfully unusual for their individual talents, but sounding so cohesive and right once completed.  This is a wonderful work of vintage Americana.”  Another of our critics said, “His voice is seasoned and perfect and his guitar playing is somehow timeless and innovative at the same time.”  The album’s highlight is a beautiful duet with his wife Julie on “God Wing’ed Horse.”
 

I Have A Dream (It Feels Like Home) – The City Harmonic

Over the last year, we’ve seen some positive growth in worship music that breaks the mold of cliché lyrics and glossy commercialism.  One of the most refreshing artists to breakout in 2011 has been the Canadian quartet The City Harmonic.  Our critic Rachel describes their full-length debut: “I love the moving and progressive beats and style of this album; they seem to approach worship with reckless abandon.”  Russ on our panel even picked this as his top album of the year, saying: “The fact that The City Harmonic does all this in the context of creative, intelligently crafted worship music – only cements I Have a Dream (It Feels Like Home) as essential listening for anyone expecting more from faith-based artistry.”

Are we off to a good start?  Did you get a chance to hear any of these four albums yet, and what are your thoughts?  On 12/28 we will be revealing our critics picks for The Top 11 Gourmet Albums of 2011.  We’ll be counting down that same list podcast-style on the next UTR episode (available 12/30).  Don’t miss it!