Rapture Ruckus - Open Your Eyes Album Review

"Open Your Eyes" by Rapture Ruckus has a mainstream sound without the lyrics. Instead they put encouraging and challenging lyrics that glorify God.

The first song "This Little Light" is a very energetic song. It has a very fun rap/techno/hip hop sound that I absolutely love. This song talks about letting your light shine out into this world. The second song "Going Home" is one of my favorites. I love the hip hop/rap/techno sound. You can't sit still while listening to this song, now you may disguise your movement in just tapping your foot but it still counts as movement! ;) I also really like the lyrics in this song they talk about going home to heaven and how great it is going to be when we get there. The third song is "Air That I Breathe". This song is a little slower but it is a worship song. Now that might sound weird a hip hop/rap/techno worship song, but worship comes in many styles of music. Here is an example of some of the lyrics "What's going on in the world today, It's like we're falling apart, Got to rewind it back sometimes and right back to the start, Got to remind ourselves we're living for so much more,Than what this world has to offer, It's you that I'm living for, And I know that you're here, And I know that you are aware, That I need you more than yesterday, Cause my heart is aching, The whole world is shaking, I can't make it without you". The fourth song "Tonight" was actually on the EP that Rapture Ruckus released before this album. You can read my review of the EP Here. "Tonight" has a fun sound that reminds me of a video game. The fifth song is "Open Your Eyes". This song is amazing! The lyrics help you appreciate what you have. The lyrics tell you two different stories, one of a teenage girl and one of a nine year old boy.

The sixth song "All Things New" was also on the EP. This song talks about how great God is. This song could also be considered a Worship song depending on how you look at it. Any way it is a very good song. The seventh song "Break The Line" talks about breaking the line of fear. There are two really great lines from this song that I love the first one is "Transform and optimus prime it". If your a fan of "Transformers" the movie you will understand that line. The second line is "The voice inside your heart is stronger than the voice inside your head". I just love that line! The eighth song is "Back To Earth". This has more of techno sound that I think is cool. The ninth song "Hold On" is another one that is also on the EP. This song is very encouraging. Saying that God is bigger than your problems so hold on because help is coming. The final song is "Still Climbing". This song talks about trying to be good and having a good relationship with God, but then you mess up and slip but God is right there to catch you.  Some of my favorite lyrics are "I got to push past and emerge the winner, But I'm a dirty sinner, I'm back on my knees, God can you forgive me please, It seems every time I get back up on my feet, Something is trying to pull me down and put me back in my seat, Man I deny defeat in the fire furnace of heat, I know your by my side and you're guiding my feet back home".

I would give this album a 4/5 stars. I love the sound, although alot of the songs sound alike. But the lyrics on the album are really, really good. I would recommend it to fans of Group 1 Crew. So make sure you guys check it out! Also check out the Rapture Ruckus Facebook page and give it a "Like".

Nate Marialke - Your Kingdom Come Review

If you like worship music I think you will definitely like Nate Marialke. This album is full of amazing lyrics, great vocals and really good acoustic guitars.

The first song on the album is "Your Name Is Higher" and it is a great way to start off.  It is a great worship song, it is upbeat and just plain good! The second song "Sovereign God" would definitely be a song you would worship with in church. I love the mix of the piano and guitar. The third song "Rest" is one of my favorites on the album. I just love the sound of the music with the vocals. It is also upbeat with good sounding drums, I'm a sucker for the drums! The fourth song "Your Word" has a good sound like the other songs on this album. The fifth song is "To You Be The Glory" I like the somewhat simple beat in this song, not quite sure why, I just do. The sixth song is a live version of the first track "Your Name Is Higher". I really liked how they added a live song to the album, it gives it a little something extra. The seventh song is "Jesus Emmanuel" is another one of my favorites. The guitar sounds a little different than the other songs and I like the lyrics. The eighth song "Intimacy" sounds a little different but wow it sounds amazing! I absolutely love the piano with the vocals! The ninth song "He Lives" is an amazing song! Really a great worship song with great lyrics!

I would give "Your Kingdom Come" a 5/5 for a worship album. So if you like worship music this is a must own album!!!  I enjoy listening to worship music sometimes but to me the songs always seem to need something else. With this album I don't feel that because Nate Marialke has a very good yet unique voice that I really enjoy listening to. I love the mix of the guitars with Nate's voice and the gentle drums. The only thing is, the songs all have the same kind of sound to me as far as music, but with a worship album that is what you can expect, it isn't bad I just like a diverse range of music. This album doesn't necessarily sound like Tenth Avenue North but I would say that if you like Tenth Avenue North you would like this album. To find out more about Nate Marialke and to listen to some of his music check out his Facebook Page and give it a "Like". You can also check out his website for even more info and you can go pick up your own copy of "Your Kingdom Come". http://www.natemarialke.com/

Music With A Mission Tour

Have you heard of the Music With A Mission Tour? What!?!? You haven't? The Music With A Mission Tour is the fall tour sweeping the nation bringing Christian music to people everywhere. Ok so that might sound a little cheesy. Seriously here is the deal, MWAM is a Christian music tour featuring Hawk Nelson, Superchick, Fireflight, MIKESCHAIR, Manafest, Hyland and more. Sounds cool, right? Just wait it gets better....the tickets start at $15....did you catch that? I will say it again $15. That is a pretty good deal for all the bands that will be there.

If you aren't familiar with the bands that will be on the MWAM tour, I would highly recommend them. Superchick, Hawk Nelson and Hyland are three of my favorite bands. To me this is probably going to be the tour of the year, the only way it could be better is if KJ-52 and Thousand Foot Krutch were going to be on the tour as well. So what are you waiting for? To check out the tour dates and to get your tickets you can go Here. You can also "Like" MWAM on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter @MWAMtour for the latest info. Don't forget to tell your friends!

Also here is another video I thought you might enjoy, it is behind Music With A Mission with Hawk Nelson.

The Afters - Light Up The Sky Review

The Afters newest album "Light Up The Sky" is what I would call a rock worship album. Maybe that is why The Afters went on tour with "The Rock And Worship Roadshow" in the spring of 2011. But I would say that if you enjoy worship music you will like this album or if you like light rock music you will like it. Maybe not love it but you will like it and depending on what kind of music you like you will find at least 3 songs you love.

The first song on the album is the self-titled song "Light Up The Sky" and sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is a catchy song with a good beat. The song talks about God always being there for you. The second song on the album is "Lift Me Up" and it is one of my favorites on the album. It has a somewhat similar sound to the previous song "Light Up The Sky" but it is still really good. The song talks about even if you mess up, God still loves you. The third song is "Start Over" and I love the meaning and lyrics that this song has. The song says that you can always start over. Some of my favorite lyrics in the song are "You only fail if never try, you'll never live trying not to die". "Start Over" has a sound that reminds me of an old Newsboys song, not the voice just the sound. The fourth song is "Runaway" and it is a slower but encouraging song about a runaway.

The fifth song is "I Am Yours" it is a song about belonging to God. It is a good worship song. The sixth song is "Life Is Sweeter" and it is about being very excited to get to heaven to see God. The seventh song "Say It Now" and this is another one of my favorites. It is slower, so I am not sure why I like the sound of it. Normally I'm draw to the more upbeat songs, this is an exception though. It has a good meaning and a good sound. The eighth song "We Won't Give Up" is my favorite on this entire album. This song is more rock than the other songs on the album and it has a great beat! It talks about giving it your best shot and not giving up. I could see this song in a movie, commercial or something along those lines. The ninth song is "Saving Grace" it a slower compared to the previous song "We Won't Give Up" but not super slow. It is about God being there to help you and take care of you. The last song, number ten is "For The First Time" it is a little slower but still has a really good sound. This song talks about having another chance and God setting you free from the past.

"Light Up The Sky" is a pleasant album, that is how I would describe it. To me it wasn't an amazing album but it wasn't bad, it was pleasant to listen to. The only thing that I didn't enjoy as much was that to me a lot of the songs sounded the same, that could just be me though. I would give this album a solid 3.5 stars.

Funny Bunny Contest!

I have come up with an idea.....I have decided to have a Funny Bunny Contest! What is a Funny Bunny Contest you ask, it is basically a funny video contest.

To enter all you have to do is send me a link to your funny YouTube video at thechristianmusicjunkie@gmail.com. You can send as many videos as you would like and they can be videos that you have made or videos that you have found. Just have fun with it! I will pick the top 5 and then, you dear readers will get to vote for what video you think is the funniest! The winner will be awarded the "Funny Bunny Award" and will have bragging rights! You have until September 21st (that is two weeks from today) to submit your videos. Then I will announce the top five. Please keep the videos family friendly and clean, Thanks! So what are you waiting for? Grab your camera, persuade some friends and make a hilarious video! Good Luck!

My Second Blog Award - One Lovely Blog Award

I just received my second blog award from Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. Thanks SO much Melanie!

Okay, the rules are simple - first share 7 facts about yourself and secondly award 15 other blogs!

7 random things about me:

1. I am a concert addict
2. I have an awesome little dog named Minnie (like the mouse).

3. I love onion rigs but hate onions......

4. My walls are covered in posters

5. I love trying to figure out people personalities

6. I used to pretend I was Carmen from "Spy Kids"

7. I wear contacts

Now the 15 awards goes to...

1.  Lisa at Life With Lisa
2. Selena at Sckpanhead
3. Renee at A Glimpse Of Beautiful
4. Christiana at In Defense Of The Christian Faith
5. Tricia at A Lovelier Place
6. Lex & Torrie at Two Sisters & One Dream
7. Jenny at Cupcakes, Sprinkles and Other Happy Things
8. Alice at As In A Mirror

That's all I got.....I don't know of that many blogs run by girls.....if you know of any good ones that I forgot or don't know about, let me know!

Do Hard Things Book Review

Do Hard Things is a book for teens about rebelling against low expectations.

I hadn't heard that much about "Do Hard Things" before reading it. I had heard that it was for teens and that is about it, but the title intrigued me so i decided to read it. As I started reading the book I found out that it is actually written by two 19 year old twins (Alex and Brett Harris). Now I was really interested in reading it because it was written for teens by teens. I actually read all of "Do Hard Things" in a week. Now to some of you big readers you may think that took a while but for me that is fast! I stayed up until 1am to finish reading this book, it is just that good. In this book Alex & Brett talk about breaking the mold of a typical teenager, by going out of your way to do hard things instead of just passing through life. They break down hard things into 5 categories The First Scary Step, Raising The Bar, The Power Of Collaboration, Small Hard Things and Taking A Stand. They also talk about how the "hard things" aren't things that you hate they are most likely going to be things that you are passionate about, but you are just too afraid to do or too lazy to do.

One part in the beginning of the book says "We're not plotting to make your life miserable. We're not recommending that you do any and every difficult thing. For example, we're not telling you to rob a bank, jump off a cliff, climb Half Dome with your bare hands, or stand on your head for twenty-four hours straight. We are not telling you to do pointless (or stupid) hard things just because they're hard. And if your a Christian, we're certainly not telling you that if you work harder or make yourself  uncomfortable on purpose, God will love you more. He will never - could never - love you any more than He does right now. So that's what we're not doing. What we are doing is challenging you to grab hold of a more exciting option for your teen years than the one portrayed as normal in society today."

The book is just full of stories of teens just like me and you that have done hard things and that are still doing hard things. Even though it is geared more towards teens this book would be great for adults to read as well. "Do Hard Things" is now one of my all time favorite books. It makes you look at the little things that you do or don't do. Simple things like doing the dishes before your asked or harder things like getting up and speaking at your church. They are all important and those decisions to do hard things now will help you when your older. A personal thing for me is fear, I am afraid to take that first step out of my comfort zone. One thing that I have recently been learning the hard way is that if you keep putting things off because your afraid to do it, it will never get any easier. Almost every teenager has an idea in their mind of what they want to be when they "grow up" the thing is you don't go from what you are now to what you want to be overnight. You have to be stretched out of your comfort zone and start doing hard things now, so that you can become what you want to be and what God wants you to be.

I would say that "Do Hard Things" is a must own book for every teenager. I would give it a solid 5/5 stars. If you want to pick up your own copy of "Do Hard Things" you can go here. If you aren't a big fan of reading you can also get the audio version of the book for the same price ($12). Alex and Brett also have another book "Start Here" that follows up on "Do Hard Things". I haven't read this book yet, but I am definitely going to! Make sure you check out therebelution.com for more info and events.

Lecrae - Background Music Video

I know I post a lot of music videos.....I just love them. To me a music video makes the song way better. I have another video for you guys......bare with me here.....it is a really great song by Lecrae called "Background". Now Lecrae does have an official music video for this song that you can watch here, but I wanted to post a lyric video, that was you can understand the powerful message that this song has. Check it out!

Warning: This song will get stuck in your head

Great song, right? Leave a comment and let me know what you think, also let me know if there are any other great videos that I haven't posted.

Superchick - Cross The Line Music Video

I have been looking on YouTube for cool music videos when I am bored, and I found a really good one. It is one of my favorite songs from Superchick, "Cross The Line". Now although the video is cool, try to listen to the lyrics they are really, really good. I hope you guys like it!