Louder Than The Music

Welcome to a brand new feature on LTTM called 'My Favourite Albums' where we ask a Christian artist about their all time favourite Christian album and also their favourite Christian album of the moment. In this first blog in the new series we went out and asked Beth and Mandy from pop-rock band GoldDigger for their favourite albums.

MANDY

Delirious? - Live And In The Can

One of the most influential albums I got into at the start of my Christian life was probably Delirious? Live and in the Can. I remember going to Delirious gigs and just loving being a part of some BIG worship times where I really thrived of that corporate thing of being with loads of people with big noise and an amazing atmosphere as well as finding really intimate time to work through some big issues I had with God. There was a lot of stuff going on in my life and being a bit on my own in a really noisy place was the most comfortable place I could be in. Delirious were amazing worship leaders and I really needed that kind of creative environment to explore worship in so it was great for me but even better was when I took my little brother along one night who only came to get out of having a babysitter he didn't like and he became a Christian that night. He now heads up Resound Media who support and resource Christian artists in worship and the contemporary scene - I'm glad he didn't choose the babysitter option that night! Live and In the Can was just cool to have - it was a CD IN A TIN - whats not to love about that!? But the live factor is awesome - the passion and the energy for worship is right there loud and clear and it was played and played and played many times. Fave song? Obsession.

Philippa Hanna - Watching Me

A current album that I love?? I'm going to keep this one close to home actually. There is something really special about hearing what people are writing who are local to you and part of your community - a bit like when Churches write their own original worship songs which reflect whet God is doing amongst them at the time. However this album 'Watching Me' from Philippa Hanna both has that local, personal feel for me ,as well as definitely ticking the world class box for many many people across the world. Philippa's vocal is stunning and it's great to hear someone who's worked so hard in the secular music industry, with such outstanding technical ability in both her vocal and her songwriting and who's not intimidated by anything being released to pen songs that reflect that she's just met Jesus and is working out what a relationship with him is. I love the honesty and real language - that is so important in worship - I find it hard to connect with songs full of the churchy 'frilly language' but this album leads me in worship because of its raw honest and simple - and yet musically its ridiculously, crazily clever. This is a few years old now and she's released 2 since then as well but this one remains a favorite because it is just full of revelation that is just really contagious. I love it. My fave song... if I have to choose - Higher... or Thirsty... or King of Kings... or One Truth.

BETH

Delirious? - Audio Lessonover?

Gosh, it's really difficult to choose without being a bit cliche and going for a Delirious album or a soul survivor worship album from 10 years ago!! I was brought up in a Christian family and so probably the earliest influence on me musically was Psalty the singing songbook! I think I will have to be a bit cliche and go for a Delirious album... although I'm a bit controversial as my favourite album was probably Audio Lessonover?! There's something about "waiting for the summer" that takes me back to being 13 again and hanging out with my mates at a youth group social. Not very worshippy, but it just encapsulates a certain time in my life, when I was really starting to find out what it meant to be a Christian.

Brooke Fraser - Flags

This is Brooke Fraser doing her "secular thing" which I think I prefer to her worship stuff. She's a great songwriter, with wonderful narrative, and this album is always on in the car! It wasn't available on general release in the UK so I had to import it, but it's now available online - she's performing in the UK in the Autumn and I really want to go see her in Manchester. I have two favourite songs off this album, the opening track, "Something in the Water" and "Who are we fooling?" a duet with the amazing aqualung. It's an incredibly sad yet hopeful song, about a marriage breaking down yet those ties being unbreakable. I'm not married yet, in fact I'm getting married in a couple of months time, but my fiance and I still love this song and sing along in the car - depressing but brilliant anyway!

Find out more about GoldDigger at golddigger.org.uk