Rising Stars: Christian

Ascendance is a concept Christian artists understand very well, so you know we’re taking it seriously when we talk about rising stars in Contemporary Christian Music. Brandon Heath has been firing on all righteous cylinders since his demo CD was released as Early Stuff in 2004, showcasing an incredibly warm and rich tenor (much admired by Carrie Underwood, who asked Heath to sing at her wedding) that positively glows on “Your Love” from 2011’s Leaving Eden. Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae impresses mightily with the worshipful rhymes of “Background” — a highlight on 2010’s Rehab — and Francesca Battistelli adds pop-whimsy to her message on “This Is the Stuff.”

Can Christian bands rock? Like a righteous hurricane, as you’ll hear in Next Steps.

Rest assured, the latest crop of up-and-coming Christian artists knows how to bring the rock — and if you could reach heaven faster by climbing amp stacks, these bands would definitely have a head start. Australia’s Revive relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to boost the momentum of their Christian rock career, and with the title track from 2010’s Blink, they create the perfect balance of sonic heft and anthemic praise. Texan five-piece Luminate, fronted by the charismatic Sam Hancock, tells an atypical prodigal-son tale on “Coming Home” and matches it to the demands of the loftiest arena, and Canada’s the City Harmonic induce a glorious urge to fist-pump on “Manifesto.”

In Deep Cuts, the sublime talent of Thad Cockrell steals the spotlight.

You may not have seen them coming, but these are the Christian artists you’ll be hearing from for a good long while . . . and now you can say you heard ’em here first. Thad Cockrell, the son of a North Carolina Baptist minister, possesses an incredible voice that’s humbling, unassuming, and inspiring all at the same time, and with a musical heritage that takes in early work with former members of Whiskeytown, he has become a vital presence in Christian alt-county and secular circles: check out “A Country of My Own.” Aaron Crider fuels “Hallelu” with an impassioned, piano-rocked blast of faith, and Worth Dying For takes a riff-crunching path to His glory with “Savior.”

In the blink-or-you’ll-miss-it world of Contemporary Christian Music, stars are born when you least expect it, and sometimes they come from the last place you’d think to look/listen. But now you don’t have to predict the changing tides of Christian pop on your own — we’ve done it for you. From the inspirational pop-rock of former American Idol contestant Jason Castro (“You Are”) to the stadium-ready devotional power of Sanctus Real (“Lead Me”) and the natural song-craft of JJ Heller (“What Love Really Means”), these are the tracks that are finding new footholds in the CCM firmament. Take a voyage of discovery, and be careful to mark the moment you first encountered some of your favorite new Christian artists.