Another year has gone by as 2009 comes to a close and 2010 is in front of us.  It’s time to reflect on what was in Christian music with the best of the best.  The following is CMSpin’s Top Twenty Albums of 2009. 

All the albums included in this list are quality releases from today’s hottest Christian artists.  So without further delay, here is the official CMSpin Top 20 Albums of 2009.

20.) Casting Crowns - Until the Whole World Hears (2009)
Comment:  It's hard not to have a Casting Crowns album in a 'top of' list.  While not as strong as past efforts, it’s a solid album nonetheless.

19.) Bethany Dillion - Stop and Listen (2009)
Comment: Soulful, spiritual, perfect.

18.) Stryper - Murder by Pride (2009)
Comment: Rock and roll can still sound like the past, appealing to the current crowd at the same time as the 80's kids.

17.) Hawk Nelson - Live Life Loud  (2009)
Comment:  Hawk Nelson is crazy. 

16.) Barlowgirl - Love and War  (2009)
Comment:  Another solid album from the Barlowgirl trio.  2009 was the year of Twitter for the girls.  Check out their Twitter accounts, it’s quite entertaining.

15.) Kutless - It Is Well  (2009)
Comment:  It Is Well is unlike any worship album we have ever heard.  You will love it.

14.) Britt Nicole - The Lost Get Found  (2009)
Comment:  Britt continues to show she belongs at the top of the Christian charts.

13.) Flyleaf - Memento Mori  (2009)
Comment:  Awesome album and a voice that haunts you.

12.) needtobreathe - The Outsiders (2009)
Comment:  It's hard to follow up an amazing album like needtobreathe's The Heat from 2007.  That being said, The Outsiders is a very good album and worthy of a top spot for 2009.  

11.) Pillar - Confessions  (2009)
Comment:  While not the longest album in this list by any means, it's still a solid effort that deserves recognizing. 

10.) Skillet - Awake (2009)
Comment:  Sometimes it feels like Christian radio beats Skillet songs to death with the massive amount of play time they get.  It almost makes the songs unappealing after you have heard them so much.  It’s kind of like eating too much chocolate.  Yeah, it's good but not for every meal.  Thankfully the band gave us new music to digest!

9.) John Reuben - Sex, Drugs and Self Control (2009)
Comment:  This one squeaked in at the very end of 2009.  John really did well on this one.  Funny, snappy and full of craziness. 

8.) Matt Kearney - City of Black and White  (2009)
Comment:  It was surprising how good this one is.  Matt really put an amazing album together.

7.) Red - Innocence & Instinct (2009)
Comment:  Red's latest album shows us that they are one of the best heavy bands around in any market.  Innocence & Instinct has excellent music and presentation. 

6.) The Fray - The Fray (2009)
Comment: Classic, pure and meaningful rock.  The Fray just makes good music.

5.) Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down  (2009)
Comment: They never seem to fail.  Relient K continues to churn out amazing music.  This one is no letdown.

4.) Leeland - Love is on the Move (2009)
Comment: Leeland had a coming out party with this one.  Love is on the Move is a classic and shouldn't be ignored. 

3.) Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane  (2009)
Comment: While nothing can really compare to Switchfoot's A Beautiful Letdown, this new release is the best since that ground breaking album.

2.) Jars of Clay - The Long Fall Back to Earth  (2009)
Comment:  This huge album is the most memorable Jars of Clay to date.  It could easily have shared the top spot for 2009 with TFK.  The song Closer is about as good as it gets.

1.) Thousand Foot Krutch - Welcome to the Masquerade (2009)
Comment:  TFK demonstrated that they are on top of the game with Welcome to the Masquerade.  They did everything right on this one; the best music, awesome lyrics and presentation from web to album packaging.  The best album of the year!


There it is, the CMSpin Top Twenty Albums of 2009.  You can find all of these albums here.  We can only hope that 2010 is just as good.  

Thank you for supporting CMSpin over the past year.   In the coming year, we will continue to dish up the news about faith based music along with interviews, release information, CD reviews and much more.  Until then, stop by our Facebook page and become a fan.  You can also get daily news from the CMSpin Twitter page.