Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (Recent Releases) (Paperback)

by Mark Allan Powell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In what may be the first-ever reference work of its kind, the 1,000-page Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music profiles Christian musicians, songwriters and producers, in addition to secular artists whose faith has influenced their music. Author Mark Allan Powell (who is actually a New Testament scholar of considerable repute) says he wandered into a Christian bookstore five years ago and discovered that more than a quarter of the shelf space was devoted to contemporary Christian music. There was not, however, a single book on the subject a lacuna that will be amply corrected by this enormous, funny, informative tome. Powell is a man of considerable opinions, whether he is defending Amy Grant's album Behind the Eyes as possibly the most painfully honest recording ever produced by any artist or arguing about the impact of Rich Mullins's tragically short career. On a basic level, the book will be utilized as an encyclopedia by people who confuse Jars of Clay with Point of Grace. But in a more profound way, readers who appreciate Powell's assertion that contemporary Christian musicians are actually amateur theologians whose perspectives are helping to shape Christian history will marvel at this book's stunning combination of breadth and depth.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A prominent theologian whose work usually focuses on the historical Jesus, Powell (New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary) has compiled an exhaustive opus on popular Christian music dating from the 1960s to the present. Included are 1700 alphabetical entries on well-known singers, songwriters, and bands (Stryper, Amy Grant, BeBe and CeCe Winans, and Petra), newcomers (P.O.D., Creed), and more peripheral figures (Bob Dylan, Kansas, and U2). Each entry features personnel, a discography, a link to the official/endorsed web site (when available), a critical and biographical essay, a list of Christian radio hits (if any), and awards. Although entries on artists who have experienced personal tragedy or controversy sometimes contain a hint of "kiss and tell" tabloid flavor, the essays are thorough and generally superbly written. In his introduction, Powell also does an excellent job of defining Christian music. Rather than relying on the content of the music (which is often ambiguous) or the performer's faith (which is even more so), he leaves the act of classification up to the fans, observing that "such labels are always audience-driven and are based unapologetically on perception." To add even greater value to the modest retail price, a CD-ROM with audio clips, links to artists' web pages, and album information accompanies this volume. The only reference book of its kind, this is highly recommended for all public libraries and for academic libraries with contemporary popular music and/or sacred music collections.
James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1000 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565636791
• ISBN-13: 978-1565636798
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #626,889 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, October 24, 2002

By	Gord Wilson "alivingdog.com" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

From the sleepy title, I expected "Amy Grant" to be the hardest rocking entry, but a majority of the 1900 plus artists profiled are justifiably termed "rock": Stryper? Sam Phillips? Mortal? Deliverance? P.O.D.? MXPX? Yup. They're all here. Powell's original title was much more telling: "Parallel Universe: A Critical Guide to Popular Christian Music."

Powell is nothing if not critical. "Opinionated" was the word the store clerk used. So are all the great rock writers; so are all the great rock books, and despite its encyclopedic format, this is a great rock book. Surprisingly, the author is Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary; not surprisingly, therefore, he argues with the theology in some songs. For instance, he doesn't agree with the idea of "the rapture" popularized by Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth, and the "Left Behind" series, and prevalent in numerous Jesus Movement-era songs. Most significantly, he takes these artists and their music seriously. This gives the whole genre of gospel rock more signficance than it is often felt to warrant, and certainly more than the tag "ccm" suggests.

If rock rings true, it's because it's about real life. CCM, on the other hand, often sounds phony, stressing the ideal over the real, and marketing over the music. This has left many artists confused, angry and disenchanted. Powell deftly captures the undercurrent of alienation, and the love/hate relationships many artists have with their labels. He also graphs the rise of independent labels like Tooth'n'Nail, and the backlash against business-as-usual "corporate rock." The result is that many artists emerge as "survivors"--ground up and spit out of the music machine, but still standing; Powell's underlying conviction is that it doesn't have to be that way.

Accordingly, he doesn't sidestep the divorces and drugs, lies and lawsuits that attend real history; rather than tarnish these artists, the effect is to increase their street credibility: they emerge as real people instead of cardboard cutouts. By even greater magic of his pen, Powell makes us see all that out-of-print vinyl as a significant part of music history--far too important to relegate to the dustbin of "cookie-cutter" ccm.

Some of the short entries are too short, and many are incomplete, understandable given the mammoth scope of the project. Powell wisely chose to include brief entries when information was unavailable, rather than leave artists out. Some of the long pieces, however, are truly outstanding; the ten page Bob Dylan bio ranks among the best bits on that artist I have read. Again and again I looked up obscure artists I was sure would not be among those present: Larry Norman; After the Fire; Malcom and Alwyn; the Lead; Andy Pratt; Robin Lane; Cliff Richard--each time I was amazed to find that Powell had already been there and done that.

The hefty retail price tag may have kept the ECCM off most fan's light reading list, but Amazon's low price makes it a great gift for music lovers. Powell includes a searchable CD Rom disc and websites for bands to pump up the value, and at 1,088 pages, it's really more reading than three Harry Potter books. Professor Powell has done music fans a great service with this ground- breaking book, unearthing more than forty years of virtually unknown history--yet for all that, it's a very enjoyable read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian Music Gets Taken Seriously At Last, February 14, 2003

By	Albert Willis (Bartlesville, OK) - See all my reviews

Christian rock is adored by a few but is generally ignored within the world of pop music at large and within most segments of Christianity (outside a little ghetto of "evangelical" Christians who sometimes think they are the only ones). Now, in one fell swoop, that has changed forever.

Mark Allan Powell is a world-famous theologian and also a professional rock critic who has worked in the secular field for over 30 years. With this book, for the first time in history, Christian rock is being taken seriously within wider parameters of both religion and culture. He didn't need to do this, and I guess he's not getting anything for it (donating royalties) but he offers it to church and society as "a gift-and as a tribute to some people (the artists) who have made (his) life more meaningful and enjoyable."

What's most important is that the book is a critical resource, not just a collection of press releases. Powell provides all the necessary info about every artist and then also summarizes major reviews of their work that have appeared in the Christian media (gripes from some reviewers about Powell being too "opinionated" fail to notice that 98% of the "opinions" are those of other critics, which he merely reports). Such attention to critical reception is absolutely essential for Christian music ever being taken seriously outside of its own little fan club.

Powell obviously loves this music and strives to put a positive spin on every artist, even those who have been trashed by other critics. Still, he is more interested in promoting Christ than any particular singer or band, much less himself or his own ideas. ....

The book is a simply incredible achievement that will be deeply appreciated by all but the most small-minded.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From an included musician, October 4, 2002

By	Marsha Stevens (Costa Mesa, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am having such a wonderful time catching up with "old friends". I say "having" because it would take almost the whole 7 years Dr. Powell spent writing the book, to actually read it from cover to cover. It is full of anecdotes, information, backgrounds and the trivia that connected all of us who worked so hard to make music that told our generation about Jesus. While we are covered "warts and all", as one reviewer has said, the author was careful to check out facts and only publish information that was already public knowledge - there is no dirt-digging, backbiting or tabloid aspect to the reviews. Reading it on the CD-ROM is especially nice since every mention of reviewed artists is highlighted and linked to their portions, and all artists with current websites are linked to their parts of the book, so jumping around within genres or groups is quick and easy. I'll be interested in how it goes for the publisher to have provided the CD-ROM with the book, since its inclusion no doubt has made the "used" copies so easily available. Thanks for all your work, your humor and your tender spirit, Dr. Powell.