Justus Stout at the Renew The Arts podcast recently said something that resonates loudly: “We need to curate ourselves.”  He went on to say that this especially applies to creative arts – the music, photography, movies, podcasts that we choose to ingest.  Justus continued, “Make sure that the art that you hang onto the walls of your heart and mind are good.”  We often settle for subpar content or subpar quality in the creative arts because it’s easier to grab or access – or even not engage with mentally… it’s fast food art.  On this playlist, we hope you’ll find a hearty feast of well-crafted faith-inspired songs (with all the fixings) that fill your soul with good art.

CURATOR’S NOTES  (HSM NOV-DEC 2019)

There are a lot of nuanced moments I wish I could talk more about (like several albums from our “Best of the Decade” list represented here). However, I have a hunch that the biggest question I will receive is “Why are you playing Kanye West’s music?”  We wanted to make a statement, which is why Kanye’s song “Hands On” is the first track of playlist.  The Christian community often gets excited when “one of our own” gets attention and exposure on a wider platform — think Amy Grant, Switchfoot, or Lauren Daigle.  Yet, that airplay pales in comparison to the significance of having one of the most influential and recognized artists of our generation (one of the Top 20 most-listened-to artists in the world) not only openly and boldly profess his new faith in Jesus as his Savior, but also follows that up with one of the most boldly faith-centered albums you’ll hear all year.  It’s a major moment.  And so this squarely fits with our celebration of “well-crafted and faith-inspired” music.  Will we be playing a lot of Kanye’s music? Probably not, just because we have more of a heart for independent, underdog artists, and Kanye doesn’t really need our help.  But we wanted to take this moment to rejoice his rebirth – spiritually and musically.

TRACK LIST FOR HSM PLAYLIST (NOV-DEC 2019)

Hands On – Kanye West (ft. Fred Hammond)
Good – Dave Barnes
Many Waters – Jeremy Casella
Looking for Some Light – Colony House
Draw – Brettan Cox
Right Fine Picture – Charlie Peacock
Who Cares – Carly Bannister (ft. Ben Bannister)
Let Go – Judah & the Lion
Arms of Orion – Kevin Max
Let Me Do – SHEL
What Gives You The Right – Wilder Woods
Empty Me Out – Liz Vice
Second Guess Girl [Reimagined] – Sara Groves
Trail of Tears – Jesse Jack Murray
Growing Young – Rich Mullins
Ghosts for Tinder – Giants & Pilgrims
Wine – RYVOLI
Death with Dignity [LIVE] – Sufjan Stevens
Love I Am – Jenny & Tyler
Know Your Heart – David Leonard
Come As You Are – The Many
Breathing Underwater – Mike Mains & the Branches
On A Journey – Allie Paige
Voices [Remix] – Switchfoot (ft. Lindsey Stirling)
Time – NF
“Soul, 1971” – Sho Baraka
The Earth Shall Know – The Porter’s Gate
Black Clouds – Andrew Belle
Meet Me At The Water – Christa Wells
Before There Was Time [LIVE] – Caedmon’s Call
Grace – Drew Miller
I Don’t Have Much – Mission House
Don’t Hold Your Breath – Eric Peters
Unraveling – Shelly Moore
Details – John Tibbs
Diamonds & Gold [Remix] – The Gray Havens (ft. Laudr8)
Fortress – Mat Kearney
Rescue Me – Tess Wiley
Comfort in a Lie – Warbler
Closer to Strangers – Eden Wilhelm
Upstream – Ryan Clair
Everywhere I Look – Phil Keaggy
Hey Devil! – CeCeWinans (ft. The Clark Sisters)
Old Friends [LIVE] – Ben Rector
Setting Sail – Mr. & Mrs. Something
Tried & True – Brady Toops
Wait For You – Rivers & Robots
Healing Hope – The Eagle and Child
Everyday Problems – Royce Lovett (ft. Springrime)
Olympian – Propaganda
Higher – Gungor
Mary-Ann – The Promise Is Hope
The Earth is Full – Stephen McNeill
You’re The One – Matt Case
Change of Heart – Phil Madeira
Change – Griffin House (fft. Joy Williams)
All Ye Refugees [LIVE] – Sandra McCracken
The Swinging Bell – Bradford Loomis
Good Things – Jordan Whitmore
Send Me A Sign – Cory Henry (ft. Robert Randolph)
Weight of the World – Lauren Mann
Bright Abyss – John Mark McMillan
Santorini – Burlap To Cashmere
Not Done With You Yet – The Classic Crime
Say So – Holly Ann
Psalm 23 – Zach Winters
It’s the Falling – Chris Taylor
Work Hard & Love Even Harder – David Keener
Circle of Error – Sixpence None The Richer
Whose Good Ol’ Days – Pat Terry
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