I'm happy to present my 2nd annual Top Forty Songs of The Year. The way this process is handled is that I take a look at the Singing News Top 80 songs for each month of the year (the December chart is already out) and come up with what I feel are the best of the best. A song makes it onto my chart really for one good reason:it moves me--either lyrically or musically or both.

If I were to be banished from the country and sent to a desert island with an Ipod (Heaven forbid), these are the songs from 2008 I would take with me.

New this year are comments on each of the Top 40 songs and why I think they are special. Equal weight is given in my analysis to a song that makes it to #1 on the monthly chart vs. a song that only makes it to #80. In fact some songs that went #1 on the Singing News charts this year did not make my Top 40. Believe it or not, nine of the 12#1 songs this year did not break my Top 40. Yet, I feel that the overall quality of the songs this year was better than in 2007. As I made a list of songs that I thought might make the Top 40 last year, I wrote down exactly 40 songs. This year, on my first pass through I wrote down something like 72 songs.

Please note that some songs--though not many--made both the 2007 chart and the 2008 chart. What qualified a song to make it both years?It was in the Singing News Top 80 at least one month both years.

Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

1. Words--Heirline....The first time I heard this song was in a weekend concert the Milby Family participated in with Heirline. I believe it was in the autumn of 2006. I was blown away by the song and convicted by it at the same time. I came to the realization during the singing of the song that I was not what I should be in regards to my conversation about others. That type of emotional tie-in is a large part of the recipe for a great song. This song peaked on the Singing News chart in June at # 21, which really surprised me. I think it's one of the finest songs of this decade.

2. The Potter Knows The Clay--Perrys....I believe this song was discovered by Joel Lindsey and Rick Shelton at a Write About Jesus workshop. I love the imagery in this song. The Potter, the clay, the molding, how much pressure it can take, how many times around the wheel. I saw the Perrys sing this song at NQC a few weeks ago, and they used a video clip of a potter spinning (creating) something on the wheel. I thought it was powerful. This song goes down as one of the Perrys' all-time best in my opinion.

3. He Never Sleeps--Mark Bishop....I thought Mark Bishop really outdid himself with the song "I Got Here As Fast As I Could" a few years back, but this song certainly is in the same league. I've heard the verse quoted about "He never sleeps nor slumbers" many times in my life, but I've never heard it put to a song before this. It's the best thing we've heard from Mr. Bishop in a while. Good stuff.

4. Whispered Prayers--Karen Peck and New River....Another great song from the "Journey of Joy" project, which has spawned two other hit songs ("Hey" and "Last Night"). Written by Jeff Steele and Earl Gallaway, this is the finest song Steele has done since "We Want America Back". My favorite part of the song is at the end, where we get a cornucopia of prayers prayed by different people, including Billy Graham. It adds the salt and pepper that make the song zing.

5. Hello After Goodbye--Legacy Five....This song came from Roger Bennett's funeral, where the minister stated "We'll be with him a lot longer than we'll be without him". In fact, a variation of this line makes it into the song. The song offers comfort to all of us who have lost a dear loved one and long for the day we can say hello to him or her once again. This song will be sung at funerals for many years to come.

6. You Amaze Me--Crabb Revival....Crabb Revival came out of the gate smoking with this one. I loved this song the first time I heard it (which is rare for me...most songs have to grow on me). It's a demonstration that the Crabb Family was more than just Jason and some sibling back-up singers. Terah Penhollow is one of gospel music's finest voices. Adam Crabb ain't bad, either.

7. Last Night--Karen Peck and New River....Last year's number 1 song has aged very well. "Last night the disciples had supper with Jesus..." immediately pulls the listener in and involves him in the story of the song. Wonderful songwriting by one of our new faces on the block in SG music, Marcia Henry. Powerful singing by Karen, Susan and Devan.

8. The Broken Ones--Talley Trio....The song opens with "Maggie came home one day with a raggedy Raggedy Ann". I promise you that whoever hears that first line is going to stick around and see what happens next. The songwriter is Jerry Salley, and he is also one of the best around at the craft today. Lauren Talley does some of her finest singing yet on this song.

9. I Would--Ronnie Booth.....The is the same type of song as "The Broken Ones" in that it tells a story and puts you in the ballgame very quickly. Daryl Mosley (of "He Saw It All" fame) wrote it. Early on we discover two boys in a candy store with a moral dilemma before them. Does anybody besides me think that Ronnie Booth sounds a little like Johnny Mathis?

10. 99 1/2--Naomi and the Segos....A neat message with a very cool musical groove. This song has only recently entered the charts and undoubtedly will climb higher. I'm happy to see Naomi and the Segos back on everyone's radar via increased radio airplay.

11. Winner Out Of A Sinner--Reggie Saddler Family....I first heard this one while driving down the road listening to XM Radio and laughed out loud with joy at the great songwriting. I love the energy and harmony of this family. There is something special about them. As a sidebar, I spoke with Reggie Saddler at NQC in September and discovered that he not only sings, but preaches. "I'd rather preach than eat," he said. Well, the message in this song would certainly preach, "God can make a winner out of a sinner."

12. The One I'm Dying For--Isaacs.....A great song that deals with Christ's love for sinners (sound familiar?), using Barabbas as an example. The harmonies, as always with the Isaacs, is exquisite. I believe this one is from their "Big Sky" recording.

13. The Old White Flag--Triumphant Quartet...A departure from the norm by TQ, they do a bluegrass gospel number here. Written by Dianne Wilkinson, this song has a great message about surrendering to Christ. An interesting irony is that the group does a lot of stage antics for laughs during their performance of this song, but it works very well live. A very serious song, a very funny performance when heard and seen in person.

14. The Light Of The Lamb--Whisnants.... I believe this was written by Tony Wood and Twila Lebar. The Whisnants consistently find strong songs. The song makes you think about your arrival in Heaven when "the light of the Lamb will shine brighter than the sun". There is quite a need for terrific up-tempo songs in the SG genre, and this one fits the bill.

15. Mercy Walked In--Gordon Mote....Everybody knew Gordon Mote could play the piano--he is a Nashville studio musician--but he also has emerged over the past couple of years as a great singer. This song puts us in a courtroom drama where the sinner is guilty, but then Mercy walks in. This is Gordon's best song yet, perhaps with the exception of "I Catch 'Em, God Cleans 'Em" the song that put him on the map vocally in SG.

16. Holy Shore--Perrys....I think this is a timely song in regards to the fact that many Christians are discouraged today on their journey. This song is a vehicle of encouragement in telling the saint that "we'll soon be going home". Yet another great song from the pen of Kyla Rowland.

17. The Rock's Between The Hard Place And You--Kingdom Heirs....Catchy title, awesome feel to the song musically. The Kingdom Heirs are incredibly hard to beat when it comes to singing. There is no telling how many times I've hit the "repeat" button in my SUV going down the road to hear this song just one more time. Like "The Light Of The Lamb" by the Whisnants, it's one of the better up-tempo songs of '08.

18. Know So Salvation--Legacy Five....When I was a kid, I remember hearing people say all the time "You don't need a think-so salvation; you need a know-so salvation". Maybe it's that memory that the song evokes that helps make it special to me, but in the end it's superb songwriting and singing.

19. When Jesus Prays--Young Harmony....This is the best thing Young Harmony has done, and what a hook for a song. When you've got the Great Intercessor praying for you, you know the Father is listening.

20. I'm Just Waiting For My Ride--Hoppers.....This song is one of those tunes that finished high on my chart last year (# 5 in 2007)--and still makes it onto the 2008 chart. Though it hasn't aged as well as "Last Night", even so it's got a wonderful groove. I still love to crank it up when I hear it on the radio.

21. Red Letter Day--Talley Trio....Another lay-over from last year, but the difference between this song and the other ones is that it climbs from # 27 to # 21. If you're still liking a song this much after all these months, it's a good one.

22. Jesus Made A Believer Out Of Me--Kingdom Heirs....I love this hook, and I love the intro, which is different for an SG song. And the singing sells it to me as well.

23. There You Are--Taranda Greene....One of the most under-rated singers in gospel music today, Taranda Greene carries the mail on this song. It's a power ballad, and though it doesn't slay me like "Sky Full Of Angels", I do like it a lot.

24. You Don't Know God's Love--Dove Brothers Quartet....I believe McCray Dove re-wrote this song from its original wording. It originated as a Ronnie Milsap country song. McCray cleared it through Crossroads Music to re-write the words and make it a song about God's love, and bada-boom, you have a very likable Southern Gospel song that does quite well at radio.

25. So Glad It Rained--Hope's Call....This song climbs from # 31 on my 2007 chart to # 25 this year. This was from Hope's Call's last recording, "Live To Love". Our record producer, Donna Beauvais, her daugther Jessica Harrison and son-in-law Eddie Harrison made up the group. I love the rain sound at the front end of the song, the wonderful feel to the whole number, and the meaning behind it all. The fact that we love Donna so much no doubt also adds to the song's appeal for us.

26. Jesus Gave Me Water--Mitchel Jon....I never would have guessed that I'd love Mitchel Jon's cover of this song, but alas, it's smokin'. The first time I ever heard it was on a Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver record. I believe Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers did it back in the 1950s. This version is as good as any of the others. Mitchel Jon is an exceptional vocalist.

27. I'm Movin' Out Of Here--Skyline Boys....This is also a cover. I believe the Crossmen Quartet did it several years ago. I love the Skyline Boys' version. When I hear this song I'm reminded that a creative and beautiful music track can really add flavor to a song.

28. Until The Day--Ricky Atkinson & Compassion....I got so excited when I heard that Ricky Atkinson was picking up Loren Harris (formerly with the Perrys) and Greg Cook (formerly with the Florida Boys) to sing in his group that I couldn't wait for the project to come out. Loren is my favorite male singer, and has been for a number of years. Though this initial offering for the new line-up of RAC is a table project, the singing is quite tight. This is a great song, and radio airplay is still bearing that fact out as we speak. I'm looking for great things from this bunch in future years.

29. Look For Me--Booth Brothers....Voted "Song of the Year" at the 2008 Singing News Fan Awards. Squire Parsons wrote it in the late '60s or early '70s for his wife. It's a tremendous song, and probably would have scored higher on my chart if I hadn't heard it over and over all these years. I used to sing the verses to this song in my church's youth group back in the 1990s. To be honest, I think if the song came out original in 2008 it might have been much higher on my list.

30. When God Ran--Kingsmen Quartet.....A Southern Gospel re-make of a CCM song, "When God Ran". Quite a departure for the Kingsmen, pulled off expertly. Excellent singing by lead Bryan Hutson.

31. The Great I Am Still Is--Triumphant Quartet....The bridge on the song sells me on it. Scott Inman continues to grow as a singer, and when he does solo work on thissong it's particularly palatable stuff.

32. I Believe God--Brian Free and Assurance.....At the end of the day, it's really all about "I believe God...I believe His Word is true."Great lyrics, great melody. Our girls' school choir (they go to a Christian private school) picked up this song and started singing it. You might be interested to know that the BF&A project that has "I Believe God" on it was being mixed at the same time as our latest project--both by Joe Carroll.

33. Walk On--Isaacs.....I love the front end of the song and the impeccable harmonies of the Isaacs before the tracks even start playing. There's not much that the Isaacs put out that I don't like. I'm a sucker for family harmony. The percussion work on the song adds a lot to it.

34. I Just Came To Talk With You Lord--Dunaways.....A re-make of an old Dottie Rambo song from the 1960s. Rambo herself performed verse 2 on this cut. Powerful lyrics that move me as much as the first time I heard it.

35. He's Still Been A Good God To Me--Primitive Quartet....I like the honesty and straightforwardness of a Primitive Quartet song. I like the simplistic beauty of the acoustic instruments, and I like the Holy Spirit that I can feel when they sing a gospel song. Here, the Primitives deliver the goods once again.

36. I Cast My Bread Upon The Water--Gold City Quartet....The initial radio release from their new project, "Moment of Truth". I believe it's a cover of an old song, but I can promise you that no one has ever made it sound quite like Gold City. I bought this record soon after its release, and it's a dandy. I think Aaron McCune (bass) and Danny Riley (baritone) are some of the best vocalists in Southern Gospel.

37. You Are With Me--McKameys....Like the Primitives, there's something special to me about the McKameys. They have my rapt attention every time I hear them. Yet another winning lyric here that peels away superficiality and gets down to the simple meat of the matter....no matter where we go, we are surrounded by the love and mercy of Almighty God.

38. When He Welcomes Me In--Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.....Never a better harmony song has been done by DL&Q. I'm a big fan (I have nearly all their recordings), so I know of what I speak. The closest thing would be the accappella barn-burner "My Lord Is Writing" from the "Kept And Protected" project. I believe this was the final recording that Barry Scott and Jamie Dailey did with DL&Q. At the end of the song, the harmonies are so tight and inventive, it reminds you of the accappella Gaither Vocal Band recording of a few years ago.

39. Yahweh--Hoppers....From "The Ride" project, which was produced by Lari Goss. I love Lari Goss. He is an innovator, even after all these years in gospel music. He is at his finest with "Yahweh". My one pet peeve with this song is that it sounds a little too much like "Jerusalem" from a previous project. In any case, the orchestra and the special touch of Goss make this song an artistic winner.

40. Send The Rain--Rochesters....The big sleeper from 2007/2008, I had to put it in my Top 40. This song peaked at # 45 in November of 2007 and was still hanging around on the charts into this year. The song did not make my Top 40 last year because it wasn't on my radar yet, but it's a tremendous song. Like "Words", it really should have gotten more attention.

Honorable Mention:When Those Gates Open Wide--Tribute Quartet....Lyrically and musically appealing, and sung by a top-notch young group. I feel that there is more to come from the Tribute Quartet.

Note:To view the 2007 chart, scroll through my blog entries. It was posted in December, 2007.

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The Reach of Southern Gospel Music Gets Wider