A bracketed number indicates my 1-5 rating. Bolded entries indicate they're part of my music library.

1: avoid it -it's either dull or irritating --enough to make me turn it off.
2: unimpressive, but it's not quite enough to make me change the radio-station
3: I might listen to this on purpose, but not normally buy it. I'd pick it to play if I owned a radio station.
4: This stuff is easily good enough to buy for my personal collection.
5: I'll buy this, and eagerly await future releases -maybe even buy loaner-copies.

• Abandon Kansas: [4] Modern rock.
• Abbington: [4] Hard emo-like alternative.
• Accapella groups: [4] Middle Of the Road (MOR). Undefineable, not rock, but what? Any Accapella group is a fun listen. --Really easy to sing to!
• Ace Troubleshooter: [3] Speed-punk with a heavy edge.
• Across the Sky: [3] Modern rock. On the rocking edge of AC.
• Adam Again:[4] Interestingly indescribeable. Heavily classic rock influenced --fringe, artsy
• Adie:[4] Female soft/light rock. Former vocalist for Benjamin Gate.
• The Afters: Almost-rocking SCCM, like Mercy Me, Delirious, Among Thorns. VERY similar to 4 Him's Obvious album.
• Todd Agnew:[4] gravelly vocals to solid modern rock with lots of retro and blues flavor.
• Aleixa: [4] Intense female vocals to ethereal mix of traditional and electronic instrumentation.
• The Allen Family: [5] Southern Gospel / Traditional. This is a warm family ministry. Fun, approachable, ages ranging from toddler through parent. Yeah, It's odd I include this style, but I got to see them in concert in Branson, MO. They were the highlight of all the shows I attended.
• All Star United:[4] Rock with a ska/punk flavor. Slightly too much white noise.
• All Together Separate:[4] Electro-alternative, until you expect it, then they throw in a style change. A fun listen.
• AWE (Alternative Worship Experience): [3] Praise and worship. Cliche lyrics, but to nice instrumentals.
• Rick Altizer: [5] Eclectic alternative. sounds of glam-rock, new wave, Rick Springfield, Joe Walsh and Bob Dylan seeped into the mix.
• Amined: [4] Heavy alternative with some emo-flavorings.
• Among Thorns:[3] Rock, but a bit on the lethargic side. similar to Mercy Me and Delirious.
• Amos:[4] retro/psychedelic rock
• Richard Andrew: [4] Acoustic Rock. Strong, scriptural lyrics.
• Angelica: [4] Big Hair and Spandex '80s rock. Lots of Aerosmith/Van Halen/Motley Crue flavor.
• Annie: [5] Jangly guitar but not white-noisy. Beatlesesque with a little Pink Floyd. Despite name, it's a male band.
• Anointed: [1] SCCM (WTU: tender, moving, rhythm and blues grooves, undeniably pop, power ballads)
• ApologetiX:[5] the Christian Weird Al Yankovic --taking mainstream hits and putting Christian lyrics to to them. They're really a fun listen.
• Apt Core:[5] Great, scripturally solid lyrics generally spoken to really laid back synthesizer and electronic music.
• Riley Armstrong: [4] acoustic, diverse and refreshing rock. Fun to hear on CD and moreso in concert.
• Susan Ashton:[2] nice voice, but too country for me. She's stereotypical of a female vocalist.
• Atomic Opera:[4] Heavy metal without screaming or thrash. Lyrics to make the Christian think. Not for everyone.
• Audio Adrenaline: [5] Power Pop with hints of Southern rock. I've gotten all the Audio Adrenaline I can find, and have even bought loaner CDs. They lost a bit of their "adrenaline" with Lift and Worldwide, but I'm hoping those CDs were just stray experiments. (WTU: energetic rockers, righteous, loud and proud, hip-hopped rockers [I gotta qualify that -hip-hop refers to their first two CDs -definitely not later ones.])
• Aurora:[3] Here's a girl-group that's just edgy enough to almost get a 4. They've got power-pop instrumentals, but just a bit too much girl-group harmony to warrant a 4.
• Autovoice: [4] Electronica/Industrial --very programmed.
• Avalon: [1] SCCM (WTU: big pop sound, bouncy dance pop) They've got a techno/synthesizer re-mix CD which rates a 4!
• Bar Judah: [4] Rock to hard rock. Like Pillar without the rap live, but lots more subdued on CD.
• Barlow Girl:[4] three sisters who can really rock. Not typical girlgroup stuff.
• Brian Barrett: [3] Not really rock. More country, with some rockabilly numbers.
• Beanbag:[4] Heavy emoish alternative with rapcore, glamrock and industrial flavors.
• Margaret Becker:[2] SCCM, but with a very pleasant voice.
• Belivable Picnic: [5] Retro-Hard rock. Similar to PFR. Also sounds lots like Wild Cherry ("Play That Funky Music") in places.
• The Benjamin Gate: [5] electronic/synthesizer/rock/AOR -laid back electronic hard rock distortions. Similar sounds include the Beatles' "Blue Jay Way", King Crimson, Kraftwerk, Aldo Nova, Rock & Roll Worship Circus and Blondie-like vocals (but an octave lower and a twittering sort of vibrato). This sounds odd, but there are also hints of a heavy metal ABBA. (WTU: blockbuster)
• berman: [4] Melodic hard and heavy alternative. Refreshing change from yelling, screaming or rapcore.
• Between Thieves [5] No questions rock, with strong retro influence.
• Big Daddy Weave: [BOD 4] Slightly dulled rock like Delirious?, Among Thorns, but lively enough to bring the [4]. Really daring stuff for AC/SCCM radio stations.
• Big Tent Revival: [5] Rockers, with an occasional hint of country and Southern rock.
• Donna Biram: [4] Edgy, but very pleasant folk
• BK & Associates: [4] Programmer/instrumentalist who plays for other popular rappers (yes, rap with a 4).
• Blackball: [4] diverse, from retro-R&B to hard rap.
• Black Sabbath:[5] Only the 1971 Master of Reality album, and not even the whole thing. No, Really! Aside from "Sweet Leaf", read the lyrics! I was VERY surprised!
• Steve Black: [4] On that precarious edge between rock and country. Great lyrics on appreciation of life.
• Bleach: [4] Hard rock to heavy metal. Harder than classic rock, with quite a few songs bordering on irritating due to the incessant cymbal-use. (WTU: intense, unique)
• Blind Boys From Alabama:[4] Gospel can be a pleasant change from rock
• BOD: "Benefit of Doubt" abbreviation I use a fair amount here.
• Bread of Stone:[3] Rock, but slightly on the softish edge.
• Maire Brennan: [4] Soft, somewhat eerie Celtic music.
• Lincoln Brewster:[1] very scriptural, like a modern psalmist, but very stereotypical and lyrically cliche. Slight Phil Keaggy sound.
• Bride: [4] Heavy Metal instrumentals with a whiney/squeeling-sounding vocalist. If you like big hair and spandex metal and a Geddy Lee-like (Rush) vocal sound, you might like Bride.
• Brides of Jesus: [4] Bluesy soul-rock with lots of '60s psychedelic influence. (Musically, of course)
• Broomtree:[4] Heavy girlgroup. on the white-noisy side. Somewhat like a cross between Superchic[k] and Dakoda Motor Company.
• Brother's Keeper [2] Stereotyped Contemporary Christian Music (SCCM)
• Scott Wesley Brown: [1] Praise and Worship, but definitely NOT rock. Strong message albeit preachy and cliche.
• Ray Boltz:[3] MOR/pop --Almost transcends the stereotype, but...
• B.O.B. (Bunch of Believers): [5] Fun, even though ska. "Homeschool Girl" is about my daughter! They probably didn't know it when they wrote it, but it REALLY fits her, even down to the scholarship.
• Bumblepuppy: [5] Artsy, ethereal late-classic psychedelic --attention-grabbing! Sounds lots like Pink Floyd.
• The Bunters: [5] Pure swing/big band. Millennial Swing is the album, and the name of the band was quite difficult to find.
• Burlap to Cashmere:[4] classic folk-rock sound similar to Peter Paul and Mary, but harder and with an Irish-sounding twist.
• By Grace: [4] Retro melodic rock. Three-man independent band out of Clinton, MO.
• By the Tree: [4] retro-rock with somewhat punkish vocals.
• Cadet: [4] Alternative that strays into many styles -accordion, psychedelic... Lots of heavy sounds.
• Caedmon's Call:[3] SCCM folk-flavored light rock. a bit slurred and nasal on the vocals. (WTU: acoustic electric, soul-infected horns, deep folk roots)
• Calibretto 13:[4] rockabilly, punkish vocals, fun. Cutting lyrics aimed at worldliness and hypocrites.
• Jeremy Camp:[3] Alternative vocals, to mostly soft rock. Voice often does octave-jumps.
• Steve Camp:[3] '80s-style arena rock
• Kelly Campbell:[4] very approachable acoustic soloist, singing of local events. Might not have wide appeal due to the local nature.
• Carman: [4] Rock/pop/MOR/Gospel -extremely versatile -one negative: Carman seems to taunt the devil when the Bible says to flee him. He also portrays God and Jesus in less-than-credible conversations.
• Bruce Carroll: [2] light Southern Gospel --no more needs be said.
• Casting Crowns: [3] Lively AC. Great in concert, a bit too much keyboardy strings on CDs.
• Ceili Rain:[3] SCCM with a Celtic flavor
• Greg Chaisson: [5] Texas blues rocker on the line of ZZ Top or George Thoroughgood.
• Chaos is the Poetry: [4] Ethereal, psychedelic, jazz, funk rock with lots of retro sounds.
• Steven Curtis Chapman: [2-4] friendly pop/light rock
• Charmaine:[3] 2s and 4s on the same CD. Some fairly heavy stuff, followed by some sticky-sweets. Her vocals are fairly gimmick-free, but some slight breathiness and nasal sounds slip in at times.
• Chasing Furies: [5] hard folksy -like the heavy Heart stuff. Imagine Benjamin Gate slightly acousticized (made-up word -sorry).
• The Chemistry: [3] Punk-emo-alternative, but without the screamo that usually accompanys emo. Lots of pout in the vocals.
• Chevelle:[5] Hard Alternative with a dark side.
• The Choir:[4] A band on the edge --of both mainstream and Christian accptance. Experimental with the music, and lyrics can be a bit controversial.
• C.C.Overflow: (Christian County Overflow) see Remnant
• Chronos: [5] Orchestral, jazzy rock. Similar to ELO, Meatloaf, Mannheim Steamroller, Trans Siberian Railroad.
• Church of Rhythm: [3] I turned this one up. Interesting instrumentals, but to boyband vocals.
• Cirleslide: [5] Alternative with classic and artsy influences. Lots of ethereal stuff.
• Clash of Symbols: [4] Slightly punked artsy metal.
• Clay House: [3] retroish soul. Some good ones, many too lethargic for me.
• James Clay:[5] versatile, from folk and reggae to hard rock done acoustically.
• Clear:[5] Beautiful blend of rock and folk with a strong Celtic flavor. No-fault female vocals.
• Ashley Cleveland:[5] Blues rocker! Gravelly female vocals, reminiscent of Janis Joplin, or somewhat like Carly Simon.
• Cloud Merchants:[4] light alternative. (WTU: similar to INXS or The Choir)
• Joe Club: [3] No-questions country rock.
• The Clumsy Lovers: [5 musically][3 lyrically] Bluegrass, Celtic, folk, rock. Fun music, but cryptic, even sometimes vulgar lyrics.
• Code of Ethics: [4] depending on which album you get, they range from hard electro-rock, to techno, to even boyband-electro-disco on their first CD.
• Mark Collum: [2] soft praise and worship --on his first CD. If his recording sounded like he did in concert, he'd get a strong 4. In concert, he's praise and worship, but with a solid rock backing.
• Column 5: [5] Synthesizer/Sci-Fi, reminiscent of Kraftwerk. Story art, songs on their first CD really aren't dependent on the story, but have a significant meaning of their own.
• Common Children: [4] retro-alternative
• Considering Lily: [4] Almost girlgroupish, but with an interesting artsy rock touch. Fairly electronic.
• Continentals:[2] The epitome of the stereotype! Soft and mushy and cliche and preachy.
• Alice Cooper:[5] I'll only say check out his post 1994 stuff! (The 2003 CDs, Eyes of Alice Cooper is weak, at best, and Hell Is is not recommended.)
• Lanny Cordola:[5] Artsy instrumental rock with a faintly '80s flavor. There's lots of interesting stuff going on, and some most excellent guitar in some songs. The style ranged from Celtic, then medieval, and on to melodic heavy metal.
• Steve Counsel:[4] solid classic and blues rocker.
• Cowboys and Monsters:[4] electronic/techno mostly instrumental.
• CrackaJack Crew:[4] Fun rap. Picture "Rubber Duckie" done thug rap.
• Craig Watson & U.4.E.A.: [4] MOR to '70s/'80s arena/nightclub rock.
• Crashdog:[3] punk
• Crooked Smile:[4] classic sound with vocals alot like Moody Blues.
• A Cross Between: [3] rock to soft rock with Foreigner or Eagles flavorings. At times they sound a bit boybandish.
• Curious Fools:[4] pretty much run-of-the-mill alternative.
• Cush: [4] laid-back, almost anesthetic alternative. Relaxing yet interesting.
• Dakoda Motor Company:[4] hard rock with punk flavor
• Daniel Amos:[4] retro rockers who've been around a while.
• Danielson Famile:[5 -but with discretion] This band is BIZARRE! They display an ability to rock hard, but don't. Instruments range from squeeky-toys to pan flutes, banjos and pullies that need oil. The vocalist's screeching falsetto sounds like he's trying to imitate either a fly or a mouse singing. They really have to be experienced.
• David and the Giants:[2] soft MOR SCCM
• David Benson Group: [5] What if Ozzy Ozbourne got saved? He'd probably sound like the David Benson Group. I played a track for my son, and asked him who he thought it sounded like. His first response to the instrumentals was, "Black Sabbath? No, you wouldn't..." Then David Benson began to sing, and he said, "Ozzy?" Only available at www.mp3.com --If you order one, get the Premonition of Doom CD rather than the EP. It's lots more polished-sounding.
• David Crowder Band: [4] Power praise and worship. Lennon-like vocals, synth/techno flavors. Some white noisey spots. Similar to Paul Colman Trio. Lots of classics incoprporated into the lyrics.
• Geron Davis: [2] Very SCCM/MOR. Concerts are sung to recorded music.
• Dear Thaddeus: [4] Modern rock, gimmick-free female vocals.
• DecembeRadio:[5] Rock with lots of retro flavor.
• Al Denson: [2] arena rock. cliché lyrics at times. I've heard that '80s-like style described as "love and above" lyrics.
• Derald (Derri) Daugherty: [3] Listening to the CD, Acoustic Worship, there's a soft rock sound, and it's almost too-cliche lyrically. Sounds like Tom Petty or Terry Taylor.
• D.C. Talk: [4] alternative/pop --lots of rap and hip-hop (WTU: heavy grunge, gritty style)
• Dead Artist Syndrome: [5] New wave meets alternative with David Bowie and even some Beach Boys sounds.
• Dead Poetic:[3] alternative death-metal. Would have been a 2, but I give the benefit of doubt when it's borderline. The vocalist shifts back and forth between a great alternative and a yelled/growled death-metal voice.
• Dear Ephesus:[4] alternative
• Def12: [4] modern rock with lots of retro flavorings. Ozzy Ozbourne, Cat Stevens, and even David Bowie came to mind while listening.
• Eddie DeGarmo: [3] soft arena rock to MOR
• DeGarmo and Key: [4] a sound like Van Halen with Sammy Hagar -borders on the '80s big hair and spandex stereotype.
• Deitiphobia: [5] Massivivid by another name. Hard rock/Techno
• Delirious?: [3] dulled-down rock. Similar to Mercy Me and Among Thorns. (WTU: U2-like, ever-changing, modern pop)
• Deluxtone Rockets: [5] Swing/Big-band rock
• Demon Hunter:[3] hardcore growled/yelled vocals
• Al Denson: [2] Arena pop. SCCM
• Jeff Deyo: [2] SCCM soft-rock
• Die Happy:[4] classic metal
• Dig Hay Zoose:[4] hard artsy rock
• Bethany Dillon: [5] No-fault intense vocals set to power pop music.
• Dime Store Prophets: [4] Retro Rock. Vocalist sounds similar to if Cher was male.
• Dingees: [3] Is there such a thing as Skunk music? combination of Ska and Punk.
• Disciple:[4] Heavy rock with an '80s big hair and spandex flavor. They're OK, but the yelling gets a bit intense. Their Christianity is every bit as intense as the music.
• Dogs of Peace: [4] Classic Rock
• Donderfliegen: see Deitiphobia or Massivivid. Donderfliegen is the same band by yet another name.
• Downhere: [3] The "daring edge" of AC music. Rock with it's bite dulled down.
• Bryan Duncan:[3] lively revival organist/entertainer style.
• Bob Dylan: [4] classic sound, but it's still Bob. check Slow Train Coming and newer.
• Eager: [5] Classic-like retro-rock. Hard artsy John Lennonesque.
• Earthsuit:[4] Alternative
• East West: [4] industrial with rap flavors. Like Skillet, but with more force. (WTU: hardcore guitar thrashers, metal, rock, rap)
• East to West: [1] Breathy arena boyband SCCM.
• The Echoing Green:[4]electronic artsy
• Edified: [5] Hard rock with lots of bass. Three-man independent band from Clinton, MO. --no CD as of time of this entry (9/'05).
• Elder:[5] industrial
• Electronic Preachers:[4] Sermon high-points set to electronic music. Some sound technoish.
• John Elefante:[3] Billy-Joelish, but slower and softer rock.
• Elms: [4] Classic '60s/'70s pop with a punk flavor (WTU: pop rock)
• Empty Tomb: [4] Classic rockers with spacey Hawkwindish flavors.
• Joe Engle: (WTU: modern rock, electrifying)
• Michael English:[2] Stereotypical of CCM praise and worship. Slurred, breathy, warbled...
• Eowyn:[5] Edgy, ethereal rock leaning toward the hard side. Intense no-fault female vocals. Often compared with Evanescence. I hear similarities, but Eowyn sticks to the musical side of heavy when Evanescence dabbles with noise. Carly Simon-like in the vocals.
• Trisha Eros: [5] Studio rock, ranging from artsy to hard. No-fault female vocals, and lots of family input. This is fun stuff.
• Escaping the Armada: [3] Hard and heavy --screamo. Without the screaming these guys could easily warrant a 5 --but then again, I'm an old guy.
• Ian Eskelin: [4] former vocalist for All Star United. Power pop with punk flavors. Unlike his boybandish pre-All Star United (iAN) stuff.
• Gene Eugene:[5] art rock, often with semi-cryptic lyrics.
• Evanescence: [4] I'd give a 5, but they're a bit too cryptically Christian, if really at all. Modern rock with heavy, alternative, electronic, industrial flavorings. Intense no-fault female vocals. Check out ONLY their first CD, Fallen. After that, they succumbed to the lure of worldly popularity in both lyrics and actions.
• Everlife: [5] Solid rock, with faint girlgroupish flavorings
• Everman: [3]softish rock.
• Everybodyduck: [3] Soft acoustic country praise and worship rock. Nice male/female harmonies. Relaxing.
• Everyday Sunday:[4] Modern rock to power pop. Switchfoot, Big Tent Revival, PFR and Believable Picnic all came to mind when thinking of comparisons.
• Family Force 5: [5] pop/rap/heavy fun rock. Clean party music.
• FFH (Far From Home): [4] Light rock, but catchy (WTU: lush pop harmonies, acoustic foundation, new pop) FFH has a special something: I don't particularly like the male vocalist's high, nasal voice, but I still like the band's overall sound.
• Mark Farner: [4] Former lead vocal and guitar for Grand Funk Railroad, but adopted an arena rock sound when he went into Christian music.
• Feezel:[4] classic metal
• Louise Fellingham:[3] vocalist from Phatfish. Beautiful voice, but a bit soft and mushy for me to rate more than 3.
• Fell Venus: [5] Blend of hard rock and industrial. Melodic yelling with lots of ethereal spoken/sung vocals.
• A Few Loose Screws: [3] Garage-band punk
• Fine China:[4] Electronic/almost-techno light alternative. Vocalist is alto, and sounds a-sexual lots of times, rather than male.
• Fire People:[4] modern rock, frequently with traditional acoustic instruments.
• Five Blind Boys From Alabama: (see Blind Boys from Alabama)
• Five-Iron Frenzy: [3] punk/ska --but they've got great instrumentals. Humorous, and jabs at church weaknesses.
• F.O.G. (Five Old Guys): [4] classic hard-rock to heavy metal.
• Flyleaf:[4] Female vocals to heavy rock --almost hardcore.
• Fold Zandura:[4] Spacey psychedelic rock with techno and retro flavors.
• Foreverafter: -comments forthcoming-
• Forever Changed: [4] Heavy alternative with emo-flavored vocals.
• Form: [4] Praise and worship rock
• 4th Avenue Jones: [4] Rock/rap/hip-hop/soul. Fun light rap on life issues.
• 4 Him:[2] (SCCM) One of the vocalists sounds amazingly like Carly Simon. (WTU: pop, new sound, moving melodies, straight forward lyrics)
• Aretha Franklin: [2] Gospel-diva with a bit too much gimmick in the vocals. I guess she's good at what she does, since she's so popular, but I'm not in her target audience.
• Kirk Franklin: [1-4] Gospel meets mainstream sound. Some really good stuff, but too much mush.
• Fusebox:[4] (light rock)
• Galactic Cowboys: [5] fun, hard alternative --Get 'em while you can, they've broken up.
• Generation Y: [2] Arena praise and worship
• Ghoti Hook: [3] Punk.
• Give Me Sound: [4] Modern soul/rock
• Christine Glass:[5] According to the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (Mark Allan Powell), Ms. Glass is an alternative artist and sounds a lot like Suzanne Vega. She's got a very pleasant, no-fault voice, backed up by an interesting mix of instrumentals --not heavy, but really not light, either.
• Glass Harp:[5] Genuine classic rock! I thought I'd never hear 'em, much less find 'em on a used CD rack. Phil Keaggy's first band. Mix together Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, and the mellower Beatles and you'll sort-of get Glass Harp's sound. The CD I found was originally released on vinyl in 1972.
• Global Wave System: [4] Industrial rock.
• Gloryland Quartet: [4] Southern Gospel? OK, my son's fiancé is part of the group. Anyway, Southern Gospel is a very pleasant break from time to time, and most-fun to sing along with.
• Ben Glover:[4] light rock, but message can really step on toes.
• God's Original Gangstaz:[3] Laid back rap with reggae flavors. Faint sneer in the vocals, but not really anger. Word choice could be better. I always thought "niggger" (spelled like that to bypass filters) was a derogatory term.
• Good News Garage Band:[5] Classic blues rock with some country flavors.
• Grammatrain:[4]hard alternative -slightly dark. Too bad they're not together anymore.
• Amy Grant:[3] the classic female vocalist in CCM. Clear and not gimmicky
• Natalie Grant: [1] Nearly epitomizes the stereotypical warbling female vocalist.
• Keith Green: [2] lite AC rock/MOR
• Steve Green: (WTU: sense of urgency)
• Tierce Green: [2] MOR SCCM
• Gretchen:[4] hard and heavy with female lead vocal. Similar to Evanescence or Eowyn, but with more emphasis on metal flavors.
• Grits: [4] laid-back rap
• Sara Groves: [4] Pleasant clear voice, to edgy soft rock/folk (WTU: neo-folk)
• GS Megaphone: [5] Alternative/heavy, but not hardcore. (WTU: impassioned vocals, guitar rock)
• Guardian: [4] heavy metal, but hints at an '80s sound
• Michael Gungor: [3] Acoustic lounge jazz rock. Vocals breathy and somewhat slurred.
• Rhonda Gunn: [3] MOR to country, but with a few blues rock gems.

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