1995: The Best Year Ever? The Top 30 CCM Albums of 1995

Introduction by Michael Lytle

We’ve gathered to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of one of the strongest years in the history of Contemporary Christian music. Some consider 1995 to be the dawn of the golden age of CCM. Others would consider this year to be the end of peak CCM.

Personally, I would put 1995 right in the middle of CCM’s glory days. Christian artists were seeing sales numbers and commercial success like never before, while being allowed greater freedom to experiment and flex their artistic muscles than in previous eras. It made for a great mix of commercially appealing and aesthetically vibrant tunes and those of us who were around for it will always be grateful.

Indie labels like Tooth & Nail and 5 Minute Walk were putting everyone on notice that they were to be taken seriously. Hair Bands from the late 80s and early 90s were trying to figure out where to go now that grunge music had taken over the rock ‘n roll mainstream, and the early 90s crossover success of pop artists like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith would start to happen more frequently in the mid to late 90s, giving other artists hope they could be next.

1995 was a few years before the praise and worship virus infected the Christian music scene. Many artists were killed off by this abrupt change in lyrical expectations. Others embraced the worship trend and went on to even greater success, and a few went underground and continued to make thoughtful music with challenging lyrics. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. In 1995 we were just enjoying excellent music by faith informed artists as they attempted to communicate their worldview through their lyrics. It was a great time to be alive, and we are glad you’ve joined us for this look back.     

For this article we’ve decided to rank the top 30 CCM albums of 1995. We had 7 voters submit their personal list of top albums and we combined those 7 lists into one master list that we are unveiling today. The contributors to this article are Michael Lytle, Phill Lytle, David Lytle, Josh Balogh, Eric McClanahan, Caleb the Spy, and Chris Coppenbarger.

Today we will share albums 30-11 and next week we will present the top 10 albums of 1995 along with a few other treats. Before we get into the list here are a few notes to consider.

1. No live albums or “best of” albums were considered for this list. We really wanted to get Steve Taylor’s Liver on the list but decided that live albums have an unfair advantage since they often serve as more of a “greatest hits” of an artist’s catalog.

2. No Third Day on the list. We don’t have a long-standing feud with Third Day (at least not one that we are aware of). We are even happy they are reuniting and coming out of retirement. The reason for not including them is that their debut album was released three different times over the course of three different years. We decided that the 1996 release on Reunion records would count as the “official” release and would therefore not qualify for our 1995 ranking. Come back to our site in exactly one year and you may see it show up on the best albums of 1996!    

3. Unlike our top 100 albums countdown from a few years ago, we are not limiting ourselves exclusively to rock albums. Anything released under the broad CCM umbrella was eligible to make our list regardless of musical style.

4. Jesus Freak is on our list. Sorry for the spoiler this early on, but in light of the allegations against Michael Tait, many of which he has admitted to, we felt like it was important to address the elephant in the room upfront. Our voters were given no instructions on whether to include DC Talk on their lists. For our take on the first round of allegations against Tait go here, and for a thoughtful article on separating art from the artist, check out this article by one of the contributors to this countdown.

5. This list isn’t an attempt to rank the most influential albums, and it’s definitely not a ranking of how popular each album was. Each voter was asked to rank their favorite albums of 1995 in order, and the final ranking was compiled from there. Whatever criteria they brought to the table to inform their rankings were their own.   

Enough preliminaries – Let’s get to the list!

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30. The Innocence Mission – Glow

I guess technically The Innocence Mission is not CCM, but we consider them CCM-adjacent and two of our voters include this album on their lists. For my money Glow is their best album and an absolute classic. While I appreciate the minimalist approach on their recent records, I will always prefer the full band sound captured on Glow. Husband and wife team Don and Karen Peris have been making music together for over 35 years. Karen’s lyrics have a literary, poetic quality to them that reward repeated listens. If music described as delicate, introspective, and atmospheric is intriguing to you then give this album a spin. (Michael Lytle)  

• Highest Ranking – 11 (2X)
• Appears on 2 out of 7 lists

29. Johnny Q. Public – Extra Ordinary

Who knew such a rollicking guitar-based attack could come forth on a band’s debut, and at such a young age?! I was today years old when I learned that the two guitarists for Johnny Q. Public were teenagers when this gem of an album was recorded and released. That’s impressive. With influences far before their time like Led Zeppelin and Cream, the band brought a modern flair to a classic sound.

The result? An album that flirts with the line between classic rock riffs and ’90s alternative rock angst. Extra*Ordinary roars out of the gate with “Preachers Kid,” “Body Be,” and “Black Ice.” Each of the trio features wailing guitars, thumping bass, and full-throated vocals. “Body Be” is the best track and rightfully received a music video treatment and attention from MTV, a big deal in that era. Other highlights are the playful “Women of Zion,” the Charlie Peacock singing a Newsboys-esque “Big Top,” and the cover of Larry Norman’s “Reader’s Digest.”

Overall, this is part of the cream of the crop of stellar ’90s alternative rock albums. If for some reason you were a dummy like me and knew of the album, (but mostly just “Body Be”) and never did a deep dive, remedy that immediately. You may just find as I did, that this one deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as many of the iconic albums of 90s CCM. (Josh Balogh)

• Highest Ranking – 13
• Appears on 3 out of 7 lists.

28. John Elefante – Windows of Heaven

John Elefante brings his incredible vocal chops from the band Kansas to Contemporary Christian Music with this release. Not only was this John’s first solo¹ dip in the waters of CCM, it was also mine: the first time I ever turned on a CCM radio station, “That’s Why God Made The Moon” was the song that was playing. 

Also featuring the hits, “This Is What Love Is” (said to be a response to Foreigner’s hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is”) and “No One’s Ever Died for Me Before”, John’s first solo album was a resounding success in the Christian music landscape. (Eric McClanahan)

• Highest Ranking – 8
• Appears on 4 out of 7 lists.

27. Big Tent Revival

Ah, the memories! This album soundtracked a road trip to youth camp in 1995, when my friend and I could get our hands on the boombox. Top-to-bottom, BTR brings the gritty southern rock n’ roll on standouts like “Thief in the Night,” “Something Bout’ Jesus,” “Message from the King,” “Faith of a Little Seed,” and my overall favorite, “Count on You.” But Steve Wiggins and company also knew how to slow things down for a story on other highlights “Two Sets of Jonses’” and “The Ballad of Arlis Richards.” The former is likely the song most 90s would remember almost immediately. “It’s a boy!” anyone?

Overall, this debut from Big Tent Revival has stood the test of time, and I love to revisit it occasionally each year alongside hearing “Count on You” and “Two Sets of Jones” on my 90s playlist. (Josh Balogh)

• Highest Ranking – 8
• Appears on 4 out of 7 lists.

26. Various Artists – One Way: The Songs of Larry Norman

Forefront records honored the godfather of CCM by having many of the artists in their stable record covers of his songs. Not everything works, but there are some outstanding versions of Norman classics on here. Big Tent Revival, Grammatrain, and Dana Key separate themselves from the pack, but I’ve kept coming back to quite a few of these songs over the years. I wish the tribute album to the most important figure in the history of the genre would have featured artists from more than one record label, but I am thankful that we have this record and wish we had more tributes to the pioneers of the CCM scene. (Michael Lytle)   

• Highest Ranking – 10
• Appears on 3 out of 7 lists.

25. Whitecross – Equilibrium

There is a specific style of hard rock music that [Whitecross vocalist] Scott Wenzel’s vocals are perfectly suited for. Unfortunately, this album is not it. For some reason I still really enjoy this record. I had not revisited it for many years (decades maybe?) before my research for this article. My memory told me this album was a metal band trying to sound like a grunge band and maybe it is, but it works. Just about every song is good and having guitarist Barry Graul (Mercy Me, Whiteheart, Halo) handle some of the lead vocals gives those songs the extra punch they need.

I was not expecting to like this as much as I did so many years removed from its release, but I’m glad I rediscovered this underrated gem. (Michael Lytle)

• Highest Ranking – 12 (2X)
• Appears on 3 out of 7 lists.

24. Guardian – Buzz

It was 1995, and that meant the glam metal, big hair rock bands had to either alter course or die. (Or so they thought.) Guardian had already shown themselves capable of evolution with their acoustic-driven album Swing, Swang, Swung from 1994, so taking another step away from their established sound was not that big of a stretch.

Buzz is all crunchy guitars, an uncompromising rhythm section, and tight rock and roll. Produced by Steve Taylor, who also co-wrote on the album, the songs are at turns funny, biting, and profound. Jamie Rowe’s vocals were perfectly suited for this new sound and Tony Palacios (guitars) proved he was capable of playing any style required. 30 years later and Buzz sounds just as good as the day it was released. (Phill Lytle)

• Highest Ranking – 11
• Appears on 4 out of 7 lists.

23. Whiteheart – Inside

I’ve made no secret of my love for Whiteheart. (I’ve probably written well over 20,000 words about them for Rambling Ever On.) And while Inside is not my favorite album from them, when I looked over the musical landscape of 1995, I could not find 30 better albums. Inside absolutely deserves to be on this list. In fact, I would argue that while the album as a whole has its ups and downs, the first and last tracks are so good, they earn the album a place on this list on their own merits. (Phill Lytle)

• Highest Ranking – 5
• Appears on 3 out of 7 lists.

22. Grammatrain – Lonely House

Christian music didn’t really have a grunge band despite all the artists on Seattle-based Tooth & Nail records. Along comes Grammatrain on Forefront Records with their debut. Elements of Soundgarden and Nirvana bleed through while maintaining their own unique sound with songs like “Believe”, “Drown”, and the title song. I still have and wear my “Believe” t-shirt from the 1996 tour with Petra, Whiteheart, and Johnny Q. Public. This album landed at number 21 on my list, so I wasn’t too far off from the rest of the voting. (Chris Coppenbarger)

• Highest Ranking – 19 (2X)
• Appears on 6 out of 7 lists.

21. Love Coma – Language of Fools

Produced by Michael Roe (of the 77’s), Language of Fools is one of alternative rock’s hidden gems. The guitar work alone is worth the price of admission. This is an album that sounds exactly like the year it came out, yet somehow still sounds fresh today. In fact, it sounds better than almost anything being produced today. It has that special quality of every instrument sounding crisp and clear and perfectly identifiable, instead of sounding like one compressed wall of bland.

Bonus: the two mid-tempo ballads, “Astronaut” and “Tomorrow Takes Too Long” are absolutely sublime. (Phill Lytle)

• Highest Ranking – 13
• Appears on 4 of 7 lists.

20. Mike Knott – Strip Cycle

Mike Knott passed away just over a year ago, but this album stands out as one of his best, even if it was his only Tooth & Nail release. Mike’s songs are just an honest expression of who he is. He was not one to shy away from taboo topics or buck the trends of Christian music. This album is no different, touching on tattoos (“Tattoo”) and drugs (“Rock Stars on H”). This has a more acoustic feel than previous albums but is probably my second favorite behind Rocket and a Bomb. Favorite songs include “Tattoo”, “Burnin’ on Fire”, and “Rock Stars on H”, though the whole album is great. This landed at number 1 on my list for 1995. (Chris Coppenbarger)

• Highest Ranking – 1
• Appears on 5 out of 7 lists.

19. Petra – No Doubt

Christian rock veterans released their 15^th studio album in ’95. While it isn’t one of their best, most of our voters thought enough of it to include it on their lists. There is no doubt (see what I did there?) that Petra was in a transition phase at the time of this record. Long time keyboardist John Lawry had left the band the year before and founding member and lead guitarist Bob Hartman was no longer touring with the band, although he was still writing songs.

The transition went further than changing personnel though as the band was trying to figure out what sound would propel them into the second half of the decade. This album is all over the place musically, but the good (“Right Place”, “Think on These Things”), outweighs the not so good (“Heart of a Hero”, “More than a Thousand Words”). (Michael Lytle)    

• Highest Ranking – 16
• Appears on 6 out of 7 lists.

18. Luxury – Amazing and Thank You

The debut from the Georgia group put out a punk influenced melodic alternative rock that feels reminiscent of a 90’s version of The Smiths. It has a lot of variety and enough catchy moments to keep you engaged. I picked this one off the shelf purely based on the amazing cover art! (Caleb the Spy)

• Highest Ranking – 14
• Appears on 6 out of 7 lists.

17. The 77s – Tom Tom Blues

What I admire the most about my favorite band, the 77s, is their lab experiments with blues and rock. The band was all over the place stylistically, but what I love best were the two albums in the late 90s that had an unparalleled bluesy sound. The most complete of these is EP, but it was only 5 amazing songs. Tom Tom Blues features my favorite thing about my favorite band—“Rocks in Your Head” and “Honesty.” These two hard hitting bluesy numbers start the album off with a bang. I love everything about these songs, but what I love most is the attitude. It’s dripping with moxy.

From such great highs the album lets up a little but continues to impress. It’s has several good songs and some experiments that are less successful. One of my favorite experimental songs is “Gravy Chain.” It’s a ridiculous song, but it makes me feel like an old fart yelling at neighborhood kids on his front law—just the kind of person I want to be when I grow up. (David Lytle)

• Highest Ranking – 4
• Appears of 5 out of 7 lists.

16. Fleming and John – Delusions of Grandeur

This husband/wife duo debut is a female-fronted rock album with no equal. Female-fronted rock was not new, but there was something different about this one. Multi-instrumentalist John Mark Painter arranged, co-wrote, and produced the 11 songs while also playing multiple instruments, primarily the guitar. This is primarily a rock album with a few ballads such as “Rain All Day” and “Love Songs”. There is not a bad song on this album, so they are all my favorites. (Chris Coppenbarger)

• Highest Ranking – 4
• Appears on 6 out of 7 lists.

15. Bride – Drop

Drop is what happened when Christian music’s best heavy metal band decided to tone things down, pick up a banjo and a mandolin, add layers of percussion, bring in gospel singers, and break all the rules. The mid-nineties were a peak time for creativity in Christian rock and Bride’s Drop is probably the most creative album of this era. It’s hard rock with a little of everything else (blues, bluegrass, gospel, world music) thrown in, and it worked. Not all the songs hit home runs, but the unique feel of the album is unforgettable. (David Lytle)

• Highest Ranking – 1
• Appears on 3 out of 7 lists.

14. Plankeye – The Spark

This album blew me away in 1995, it instantly became a favorite of mine. Plankeye’s second album was a monumental jump forward in production and song craft. The album opens with a perfect one two punch of “It’s a Perfect Day Jerome” and the quintessential Plankeye song “Open House.” There isn’t a bad song on the album as they rip through 11 songs that combine punk, grunge, and a dash of power pop to create a wonderfully balanced alternative rock album. If you are interested in hearing more of my thoughts, I did cover this album on The Album Anniversary Podcast. (Caleb the Spy)

• Highest Ranking – 4
• Appears on 5 out of 7 lists.

13. MxPx – Teenage Politics

After this album came out, I wanted this album to be my personality. I wanted to look like them, I wanted to be punk rock! Another sophomore album that is a huge jump forward in production and song craft! It’s fast pure skate punk with wonderful performances. To this day they still close down their sets with “Punk Rawk Show.” Listening back all these years later the album is more anti-authoritarian than I had remembered but in a very safe Christian way. And yes, if you are interested in hearing more from me about this album, I covered this album on The Album Anniversary Podcast! (Caleb the Spy)

• Highest Ranking – 2
• Appears on 4 out of 7 lists.

12. Rich Mullins – Brother’s Keeper

I don’t know that many fans would say Brother’s Keeper is their favorite Rich Mullins album, but the fact that it still has a strong placement on this list just goes to show how strong his catalog is.

The final album of Rich’s that was released before his untimely death in 1997 (more releases would come after) finds him baring his soul in the typical (but never boring) earnest fashion that fan had come to admire and adore him for. Highlights here include the tender ”Let Mercy Lead”, the folky “Cry The Name”, and the bluesy country of “Quoting Deuteronomy”. (Eric McClanahan)

• Highest Ranking – 7
• Appears on 6 out of 7 lists.

11. Black Eyed Sceva – Way Before the Flood

This is my favorite album of 1995. This is one of the most talented groups ever. Jeremy Post is the most underrated lyricist of all time. And the lyrics are one of the biggest highlights here, they are fantastic. Songs are deep and rich. Other songs are introspective and a little dark at times, they feel real and raw. There are great storytelling moments in a couple songs that make you feel something while other songs make you think about philosophy and life’s hard questions.

But let’s not overlook the musical performances here either, their sound is so unique, and the musical performances feel very mature for a debut album. Never have distorted guitars felt so tight and succinct. Very few records get a 5-star rating from me, but this is one of them. If you want to hear more of my thoughts on this album, I covered it this week on my podcast! So, check it out – The Album Anniversary Podcast. (Caleb the Spy)

• Highest Ranking – 1
• Appears on 5 out of 7 lists.

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Let’s wrap this up…for now.

There you have it, albums 30 through 11. Let us know what you think in the comment section below or on any of our social media platforms. We love to interact with our readers. Be sure to come back next week for the top 10!