We Are Leo - Hello Review

We Are Leo released a brand new album today, titled "Hello". I have been anticipating the release of this album ever since I watched "We Are Leo" perform live.

We Are Leo has a very current sound that I think people will love. They also have a great message, the lead singer David said "What we are aspiring to do is write and sing songs that will express a real sense of God's love to young hearts and minds… songs that will become anthems of faith, hope and new life. I want to make music that grabs people’s attention; that is relevant to them musically and spiritually." The EP "Hello" starts off with the energetic pop/rock song "Supernova Sunrise". This catchy song gives you just a little taste of what you will hear on "Hello". The second song "Heartbeats" has more of an Electronic sound that I absolutely love. There is also some female vocals on this song that just add to the already great sound. This is one of my favorite songs on the EP, mostly because of the sound but it also has good lyrics. The third song "Oxygen" has more of a rock/pop sound. This song also has very encouraging lyrics basically saying don't give up, God has got your back and he will be your Oxygen. The fourth song "Seventeen" is a little bit slower song but very encouraging, reminding you that you can have a fresh start.

The fifth song "Colors" is an encouraging song, but it is even more than that, the one line that I really like is "You are exactly what I needed". The sixth song, which is also the radio single, "Live For Love" has a very fun sound. This song would be another one of my favorites from "Hello". The seventh song "Remember You" is an track with out lyrics just some slower music. I am not exactly sure why this is on the album but when I find out I will let you know. Last but not least the eighth song is "I'm For You" this song is another one of my favorites. I haven't heard it that much but yet it is already stuck in my head! It is an encouraging song saying that God will be with you and take care of you no matter what. I would give this EP a 5/5 stars, it is just that good. We Are Leo is definitely a band you are going to want to keep your eyes on. I would recommend "Hello" to fans of Owl City, Tenth Avenue North, The Afters or pretty much anyone that like Pop/Rock/Electronic music.

              Track List

               1. Supernova Sunrise

    2. Heartbeats

3. Oxygen

    4. Seventeen

5. Colors 

           6. Live For Love

             7. Remember You

                                                                          8. I'm For You

Manafest Renegade Video

Manfest released a brand new music video for his song "Renegade". This song is from his newest album "The Chase" and it features Trevor Mcnevan (of Thousand Foot Krutch). I really like this song and so of course I like the video! Check it out and let me know what you think!

Robert Pierre - I'm All In Giveaway

My Friend Justin, of Justin's Christian Music Spot is giving away a copy of Robert Pierre's CD "I'm All In".

This is Justin's first giveaway on his blog. He gave "I'm All In" 4 out of 5 stars. Anyone can enter the giveaway, so go enter and while your there check his other cool music related posts. You can enter the giveaway Here.

The Drummer Of Hawk Nelson Singing?

Yes you read that right. I was able to see Hawk Nelson live last weekend along with some other bands like KJ-52 and Beckah Shae. Me and my mom went to Irie Fest, it was suppose to be at the fairgrounds but then it got rained out, so last minute after the festival heard already started they had to move the event to a near by church. Now some people got upset, but to me I was just stoked that they didn't cancel it. Anyway....I'm getting off topic. Due to the storm Hawk Nelson along with a couple other bands had to play an acoustic set. Now I am a sucker for a good acoustic set, I love them they are so much more personal and just more unique. Well unique is exactly how I would describe Hawk Nelson's set. This video is of Justin (the drummer of HN) singing "California" while Jason (the lead singer) is playing the drums and doing the guitar with his voice. It is absolutely hilarious and I might I say Hawk Nelson is a group of multi talented guys. Check it out!

Awesome video, right? I love the fact that they made the best of their situation. So although some people were upset that the concert had to be moved, it was for the better because I highly doubt Justin would have sang if they show would have went according to plans. So just remember if you feel like you are at your lowest and everything that can go wrong has went wrong, it can only go up from there.

The Skit Guys - Show Me The Funny Review

Tommy Woodard and Eddie James are The Skit Guys. They have been best friends ever since high school. They teach God's word to people all over, with hilarious skits.   Their DVD "Show Me The Funny" has 5 absolutely hilarious skits, plus The Skit Guys Mini-Series, Bloopers, Commercials & a bunch of other cool stuff! The videos that are featured on this DVD are: "Psalm 139", "Mr. Bootsy", "Joseph", "Adam & Eve", and last but not least "Mercy". Of these videos my favorite would be "Adam & Eve" because it is really funny and plus has some teaching. I would highly recommend this DVD or any of the Skit Guys DVDs to anyone that likes to laugh, but I also think that the skits would be great for a Youth Group or a Bible study.    You can watch some of the Skit Guys funny videos on YouTube, but they also have even more videos that you can watch and buy on their website (skitguys.com). You can also buy the scripts for their skits on their website, the skits would be great for youth groups, Sunday school or even church. Another cool thing is the Skit Guys go on tour. So you can go see them live (which is even better, trust me). To check out their tour dates and see if they are coming to a city near you, check out the Calendar on their website. I figured that since I am reviewing their DVD and telling you that their videos are really funny, I should probably prove it to you. This video isn't on the "Show Me The Funny" DVD but it is still really funny. I hope you love it!     You can also Follow @skitguys on Twitter and "Like" them on Facebook.   I received this DVD free to review, but all opinions are 100% mine.

My Very First Blog Award! - Liebster Blog Award

Wow! I'm SO excited, my first blog award! I would like to thank Melanie at 'Christian Bookshelf Reviews' for awarding 'The Christian Music Junkie' the 'Liebster Blog' award.

The Liebster is awarded to bloggers with less than 200 followers. It is an opportunity to shine the light on great blogs and their authors in an effort to build readership.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.

2. Give the Liebster Blog Award to five bloggers and let them know in a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Have faith your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

5. Have blogging fun!

And now, for the new winners of the Liebster Blog Award:

1. The Sckpanhead
2. Justin's Christian Music Spot
3. Life With Lisa
4. God Tunes Reviews
5. Jay's Musik Blog

We Are Leo: Releasing New Album

The new and upcoming band "We Are Leo" is releasing a brand new album on August 30th called "Hello". I am very excited for this album, I can't wait to see what the album is like.

 Also if you live in Wisconsin or a surrounding area I have some cool news for you. "We Are Leo" is having their album release party on August 26th in Kenosha WI. It only costs $10 and when you buy a ticket you get a copy of their new record! If only I lived in WI! LoL To find out more info on "We Are Leo" and their album release party, check out their Facebook Page. Now for those of you who don't feel like checking out their Facebook page right now, don't worry because I've got you covered! You can listen to We Are Leo's new single "Live For Love" right here! Enjoy!

David Crowder Band Beard Off!

Premier Productions is having a David Crowder Beard Off. Cool, right? Now if you have never seen a picture of David Crowder you won't understand why they are having a beard off....you see he has a very unique beard.....

So the contest is to find the best David Crowder Beard. It can be a fake or real beard, on a guy or girl. The Grand Prize winner will get an all inclusive flyway trip for two to David Crowder Band’s New York City Concert! Including Airfare, Hotel, & 2 VIP Passes! Pretty cool, right? Sadly I didn't find out about this in time to enter or to let you guys know so you can enter....but YOU can vote for the best beard. You can vote once everyday and you can vote on as many beards as you like EVERYDAY. So lets say you can't decide between three beards, you don't have to decide you can vote for all three each day! The voting portion of the contest ends September 18th and the winner will be announced on September 19th. If you want to check out these hilarious pictures and vote for your favorites you can go Here.

Crazy Love Book Review

Before I read "Crazy Love" I had heard alot of great things about it, that is what made me want to read it. Some of my friends had recommended it and Hawk Nelson named their newest album "Crazy Love" after the book, so I figured it would be worth it to read this book. I was right it was definitely worth reading.

The book is basically Challenging Christians to not be normal, or not to be the typical Christian. I agreed with alot of the teaching in this book about not being a lukewarm Christian. There was just one part that I wasn't sure about, in one of the chapters Francis says "As I see it, a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there's no such thing. To put it plainly, churchgoers who are 'lukewarm' are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven." Now I do not know everything and I don't claim that I know everything but I am not sure I really agree with that. There are two verses that I would like to share with you guys first is Revelation 3:15-16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth." and then the other verse "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" - Ephesians 2:8. So depending on how you believe you can twist a verse to fit what you believe. Just wanted to show you those verses and I know you all have your own opinions, which is great.

All in all "Crazy Love" has alot of good points that make you stop and think. It has alot of challenging parts. One part that I want to share says "Most of us use 'I'm waiting for God to reveal his calling on my life' as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn't that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God." That is only one part in this book that really spoke to me an really challenged me there were also other parts.

I really enjoyed reading "Crazy Love" as I said it spoke to me in alot of ways and it has made me look at my relationship with God, it didn't make me doubt if I am actually a Christian but it could some people. Just know who you are and whose you are and don't let the challenges in this book make you doubt your relationship with God, just let them challenge you to become the Disciple God wants you to be. I would give this book a 4.5/5. To pick up your own copy of "Crazy Love" check out this page. If you have read "Crazy Love" let me know what you thought.....leave a comment or shoot me an at thechristianmusicjunkie@gmail.com

KJ-52 Friday Freestyle

I am a HUGE fan of KJ-52 (if you didn't know). He is a really cool guy, with alot of talent and an amazing message. If you don't know who KJ is check out his Facebook Page. KJ also does this really cool thing on Friday's called Friday Freestyle. Now the name pretty much tells all, but I will still explain it. Basically on almost every Friday KJ will tweet on post on Facebook saying that it is time for Friday Freestyle. Then you tweet him back or comment on his post and give him a random topic to rap about. He takes the first four (so you have to be fast) and then he raps about it and posts a video. The tricky part is you don't know what time on Friday he will ask for topics, it could be anytime! This is one of my favorite Friday Freestyles, it is very funny.

Hyland - This Love Is Free - Music Video

I recently came across this video while watching a Christian music video TV show and I really like the sound of the song and the message. I hope you guys like it.

Shonlock - Never Odd Or Even Review

Shonlock released a new album on called Never Odd Or Even. Cool random fact I noticed when I got the album is that Never Odd Or Even backwards is still Never Odd Or Even.

I love the style of music on this album it has a Rap/Hip Hop style. The only bad bad part about a Rap/Hip Hop album like this is all the songs are good but they all kinda sound the same, so to listen to the whole album all the way through isn't as good. The album starts off with the catchy song "Something In Your Eyes". I love the beat in this song it also has a techno sound that sounds alot like the music you would hear on mainstream radio. The second song on the album is "Could U Be" this song is a little slower but still has a good sound. The third song is "Hello" and I love the sound of this one. It reminds me of something you would here TobyMac sing, which makes sense because Shonlock is part of the Diverse City Band. The fourth song is "Simple Man" and I absolutely love the sound of this song, it is probably one of my favorites. It has a good beat and I love how fast the rapping is! The fifth song is "Bet Ya House" and I also love this song. It is very upbeat and it has a part when a group of girls sing/cheer and clap, it sounds really cool. This song would be awesome in concert!

The sixth song is "Set It Off" this song is upbeat like most of the other songs on this album but it just isn't quite as good in my opinion. The seventh song is "You Act Like" and this song is a slower song. The slower song is good though because it helps to make more of a variety of sounds on the album so I like the slower songs. The Eighth song is "Cheers" and this is another slower song but it has a good sound with good lyrics. The Ninth song is "Scarred" is a little bit slower but it is more upbeat than the two songs before it, so it is kinda a medium song. I didn't like the sound of this song as much because it repeats the chorus alot, but it has good lyrics. The tenth song is "Monsta" and this one has a cool sound with good lyrics. The thing I loved the most about this song is how is seemed to keep building up to the chorus, I love when songs do that. The eleventh song is "Q2GO" and this song has a good sound. I love the name Q2GO because in the lyrics of this song they sing "I'm waiting on my Cue To Go" (aka Q2GO). The twelfth song is "Get Free" and it is a medium song. (haha that is my new way to explain the song) This song is more Rap than Hip Hop and like most Rap songs the lyrics are really good. The last self-titled song on the album is "Never Odd Or Even" I like the beat in this song. The sound of this song is okay but I love the lyrics. All in all "Never Odd Or Even" is a great album that I would recommend to fans of TobyMac and Lecrae. I would give this album a 4/5 stars.

Track List
   1. Something In Your Eyes
   2. Could U Be
   3. Hello
   4. Simple Man
   5. Bet Ya House
   6. Set It Off
   7. You Act Like
   8. Cheers
   9. Scarred
   10.Monsta
   11. Q2GO
   12. Get Free
   13. Never Odd Or Even

I received this album free to review but all opinions are 100% mine.

Hundredth Blog Post Giveaway!!!

I have reached my hundredth blog post and so I want to do something special for you, my dear reader. So I decided to do a giveaway! Now I have done giveaways before but this one is a little different, because I am giving away 4 prize packs with stuff from Hawk Nelson and Justin Lookadoo.

The Grand Prize is a copy of Hawk Nelson's new album Crazy Love (which comes with their acoustic CD the Light Sides) and a Signed 8x10 poster of Hawk Nelson.

The Second Prize is a brand new copy of Justin Lookadoo's book 97. This is one of my all time favorite books!

The Third Prize is a copy of Hawk Nelson's Summer EP and a Large I Heart Hawk Nelson T-Shirt.

The Fourth Prize is another copy of Hawk Nelson's Summer EP and a signed Hawk Nelson Postcard.

To Enter all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favorite post is that I have done so far. 

For Extra Entries you can:

1. Like The Christian Music Junkie on Facebook
2. Blog about this giveaway. Please leave a link to your blog so I can check it out.
3. Follow me on Twitter @Drummin_4_Jesus
4. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page. You may do this daily just make sure you leave a separate comment every time you do so. Also I need you to give me a link so that I know you did it ;)
5. Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect.
6. Tweet about this giveaway. You may also do this just make sure you leave a separate comment every time you do so. You can use this sample tweet if you want:

2 Celebrate @Drummin_4_Jesus 100th post, U can enter 2 win stuff from Hawk Nelson & Justin Lookadoo. http://goo.gl/uWnoi

Please make sure that you leave contact info in at least one of your comments so that I can contact you if you win. This giveaway ends August 22nd at 8pm EST. I will send the winners emails and you will have 48 hours to reply or I will have to choose a new winner.This giveaway is only open to people in the United States or Canada, Sorry. If you have any questions feel free to email me thechristianmusicjunkie@gmail.com.

The Winners have been randomly selected and contacted!