John Mark McMillan. This is pretty much a no-brainer now, but when I first started listening to JMM people were maybe familiar with "How He Loves" and that was about it. Now he's the big thing. Everybody knows his songs, and not just "How He Loves," which is awesome considering he's written tons of other beauties. His music, and his philosophy on music, has been a huge influence on Like A Child, almost since we started. And he has influenced the way I write probably more than any other musician out there. What He has done for Christian musicians is open up the door to a whole new style of songwriting. He doesn't just turn scriptures into songs; he makes new words, new ways of saying old things. Here's an example:
Kevin Prosch. This dude is the father of prophetic worship and I didn't start listening to him until last year really. I know we had some of his tapes when we were little but I can't remember them. The only album I've heard all the way through is "Palanquin," but that's enough. He writes in this album like a modern day King David. The honesty is astounding. These aren't just pat worship songs. These are songs that come from the depths of a human being's heart. Here's an example:
Matrimony. This is a little band we saw open for JMM last summer. Cool folky kinda stuff. Check it out:
Benjamin Dunn & Friends. This is a really cool band that I just started listening to. Creative music and something that all worship should be: genuinely joyful. Here's an example:
Jonathan David Helser. Another guy I recently started listening to. Really powerful, moving music. Check it out:
There's more but I'll leave it at that for now. Blessings and joy!
- Jesse
