Maybe no band has been as big an influence — or generated as much anticipation — for me in following Christian music over the last 15 years as Third Day.
What an incredible message, with constantly catchy music that runs the gamut from slightly harder, guitar-driven to acoustic ballads, all with a very clear faith front and center. And to look around the full arenas when the band plays here, and to look at the music charts, a lot of people agree!
And all led by one of the best singers around, the sometimes-powerful, sometimes-gentle Mac Powell, who’s way too humble to admit or even care that he’s among the top vocalists in popular or ‘religious” music.
And few albums will be as anticipated in 2008 as Third Day’s upcoming “Revelation,” which launches on Tuesday, July 29, a week from today.
The latest word has it that Third Day’s new song “Call My Name” is currently the No. 1 Christian song in the country.
In just a dozen years, it’s Third Day’s 25th song to reach the top position on a Christian music chart.
And in those same dozen years, speaking personally, it’s been fascinating to watch the Atlanta-area band mature and develop in millions of exciting, and looking back at where they started, unexpected, ways.
They’ve traveled quite a ways, from a very Southern-rock-sounding — very good, but a little nervous — band that I first saw at a Baltimore-area megachurch in early 1997 to the fully-assured chart-toppers playing a wide range of ballads, worship and guitar-led rock I saw in packed arenas in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
There are few better songs to hear in concert than “Consuming Fire,” “Come Together,” “Your Love Oh Lord” or really just about anything from their “Offerings” worship CDs.
And “Revelation” is arriving in stores with a lot of the same promise.
Following the release of “Revelation,” Third Day will hit the road for summer festival appearances and the highly-anticipated “Music Builds” tour with Switchfoot, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and Jars of Clay.
Are members of the media allowed to say “Wow!” ?
Visit www.musicbuildstour.com for updated information on the tour, which for now is coming closest to hear in Washington, D.C. and New Jersey.
Along with those two-dozen-plus No.1 radio singles and more than 6 million albums sold, Third Day has won countless Dove Awards for best album, song and band of the year.
And it’s a trademark of how good they are, that when you ask fans to pick a favorite song, 10 people might give you 10 different answers.
Third Day’s veteran fans will notice the absence of former guitarist Brad Avery.
Third Day and founding member Avery decided to part ways, the first lineup change since the quintet came on the Christian music scene.
The rest of the familiar faces are there, starting with frontman Powell. There’s also excellent, group-sound-defining guitarist Mark Lee, Tai Anderson on bass and David Carr on drums, and joining the band is a touring member, Scotty Wilbanks on keyboards.
It will be interesting to see where this always-fascinating, always-insightful, band atop the Christian charts defines itself here in 2008.