'90s Christian Rock/Pop

Though it had already been around for a while, Christian rock/pop really came into its own in the '90s, breaking through to an audience who may not have even gotten to the message until after they'd been mesmerized by the music. DC Talk not only crafted the "Freebird" of Christian music with their '95 smash "Jesus Freak," but they also anticipated the rap-metal explosion by a couple of years. Former new-waver Bob Carlisle's tear-jerking father-daughter ballad "Butterfly Kisses" won both a Dove Award and a Best Country Song GRAMMY®, not to mention planting itself on pop radio. And heavenly harmonizers Take 6 snared a song that started out on the secular side — Ambrosia's "Biggest Part of Me" — made a few angelic adjustments, and took it to higher ground. In Next Steps, faith gets funky when you work up a sweat.

Never let it be said that '90s Christian artists couldn't shake their groove thangs with the best of 'em. Australia's Christian pop princes Newsboys didn't name their '94 album Going Public for nothing — it happened to house the Jesus Jones-like syncopated strut of their breakthrough single "Shine." You might have visions of '90s funk-rock kings Spin Doctors when Clay Crosse mixes Memphis soul, rock 'n' roll, and a fistful of get-down all in the service of the Lord on "Saving the World." And the '70s smash hits of Bill Withers are the soulful source for both the gospel/R&B glory of Kirk Franklin & Nu Nation's "Gonna Be a Lovely Day" and DC Talk's '92 New Jack Swing jumpshot jam on helping-hand anthem "Lean On Me." In Deep Cuts, Christian rockers reach inside for the sounds of their souls.

These are the Christian rockers who dig down deep to come up with a piercing, personal take on their faith. Former Glass Harp frontman Phil Keaggy's got a guitar-god rep most axemen would kill for, but he harnesses his six-string skills and some pure pop sparkle for the sake of praising a higher power on "Everywhere I Look." The late Mark Heard was a folk-rock cult hero with a song-bag full of brilliantly beaming poetry, and his innermost ache for salvation drips from the dramatic images heating up "I Just Wanna Get Warm." But it all might have been different if not for Petra, one of the first Christian rock bands to make it big; they started out in the early '70s, but didn't break out until the explosive 1990 arena-rocker "Beyond Belief" put them on the map.

When the media celebrates the songs of the Clinton era, you'll see the same parade of names trotted out again and again, from grunge greats to gangsta rappers, but let's not forget what a boom time the '90s turned out to be for Christian rock and pop. A dazzling array of the most important Christian artists ever came to fame back then — Jars of Clay, Steven Curtis Chapman, Kirk Franklin, and a heavenly host of others. But you don't have to start spelunking through that decisive decade's Christian music archives to see what we mean. We've done it for you, lining up a towering stack of tracks in the process — the finest songs from praise-and-worship songsmith Rich Mullins to alt-rockers Delirious to God-glorifying girl group Point Of Grace, every one offering an unforgettable moment from a period when Christian sounds truly ascended.