The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music

Compiled, written and edited by Barry Alfonso, The Billboard Guide To Contemporary Christian Music presents information on hits, trends, controversies, stars, and more in the world of contemporary Christian music. An A-Z encyclopedia format, The Billboard Guide To Contemporary Christian Music provides basic biographical information on the most well-known artists, a solid history of Contemporary Christian Music since its origin, and a great deal more. The Billboard Guide To Contemporary Christian Music is highly recommended as a resourceful introduction and guide to an increasingly popular music genre.

The three pieces at the beginning of this book (counting the introduction, and the two long essays) are very educational to anyone who has listened to CC music yet never fully understood the historical precedent for its various anomalies. I thought it was key that Mr. Alfonso mentioned the Council of Trent point regarding forbidden images and the spiritual arbiters who raised the alarm to "protect us" from unsuitable art. This attitude still seems to be circumscribing the current, carefully polished CCM image. I also enjoyed the little story about Abe Lincoln's parents at the tent revival-they might have been describing a Benny Hinn revival from last week. I guess there really is nothing new under the sun. The characters the author spotlights in his introduction are all fascinating, or at least he makes them seem so. It's interesting that he chose to trace the baton back to these odd-balls instead of dwelling on the rather banal stories of most of the current stars. His appreciation for the music is obvious, and the generous encyclopedia entries are done with careful sensitivity to the artist's intent. There are no harsh generalizations or condescending cheap shots about the music. Each artist's merit is weighed on singular terms, and each is given credit for his/her/their positive contributions to the genre. I also enjoyed Alfonso's interview with Bruce Cockburn, especially Bruce's funny line about not wanting to be labeled a Christian-artist (hyphenated), "I'm also a Christian who goes to the bathroom". Thanks for the enlightenment. This is a highly readable book, not just a quick reference tome. I hope it sells as well as it deserves to sell. I'll make sure my Christian friends know about it...

This book will almost certainly be compared to mine so I want to be among the first to come out with a strong endorsement of it. Alfonso covers a wide variety of artists in short compass, including all of Christian music's current stars and the most important acts from its thirty year history. A wide variety of styles are represented and Alfonso traverses the varied landscape like a seasoned pro, introducing us to critics' favorites, industry darlings, edgy cult artists, and mainstream Dove Award winners.The heart of the book is it's A - Z listing of over 100 artists. These entries are well-researched and accurate, written in a lively style that never fails to capture the unique appeal of each performer. Christian music fans can review career summaries of their favorite artists and then browse around in the book to discover new performers they might have missed. Or, the book could easily be read from cover-to-cover to gain a good overview of all that the Christian music scene has to offer. It is organized in a reader-friendly format with photos and discographies that make it fun and accessible. Note that the book also contains an introductory history of contemporary Christian music, interviews with several artists, and a helpful index. What more could you want? This is a wonderful book! I can't imagine any fan of Christian music not wanting a copy. (The writer of this review is author of the book Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, published by Hendrickson in 2002).