Yesterday I received an email from a reader named Mary.
Here’s what it said:
You obviously love music and I do too, I just haven’t really listened to Christian music since Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Carman were practically my only choices. I’m a huge fan of country music and that’s pretty much all I own. I would really love to find some good Christian music to listen to though, I’ve been very convicted lately about what enters my heart through my ears and eyes, and I’m hoping you can help.
Here is the question:
If you had to choose 10 cd’s to take on a cross country road trip (no more than 10!) what would you choose?
Thanks so much!
Oh, Mary – you’re exactly right. I’m slightly obsessed with the music. And about five years ago I really got convicted that I needed to pay more attention to what I was listening to. I still listen to a wide variety of stuff – I like all sorts of music and find it difficult to listen to any one genre exclusively – but I have to say that listening to Christian music on a regular basis has had a huge – HUGE – impact on my thought life.
Also: thanks for the reminder about Carman. Took me right back to youth group circa 1987. Good times.
Anyway, here are the first ten CDs that I thought of when I read your email:
Pages
Alive Forever
The Best of Passion (So Far)
God Speaking
Glory Revealed
A Grateful People
The Twenty-First Time
Tell Me What You Know
Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman
So Far: The Acoustic Sessions
So those are my ten. Until I think of the next ten. And since I’m a huge believer that we shouldn’t let the old hymns fall by the wayside, I’d also suggest having a couple of CDs that feature hymns. Here are two of my favorites:
Greatest Hymns
Hymned No. 1
Not to mention that there is one more CD we should all own because IT IS A CLASSIC, PEOPLE and never goes out of style:
Amy Grant: The Collection
Which brings us to thirteen CDs. There you have it. I did the best I could, Mary.
Finally.
I will also tell you that I’ve been listening to the latest Third Day CD for the last few days, and it is EXCELLENT. It’s called Revelation, and I actually have ten (TEN!) of them to share with you, the internets.
So if you’d like to win one of the new Third Day CDs, leave a comment that tells me your favorite road-trip CD. Doesn’t have to be Christian music – any kind of music will do.
Happy 4th, y’all!
This giveaway is now closed.
My favorite road trip cd pretty much changes every time I go on a trip, but most recently it has been Mandisa.
ANYTHING Caedmon’s Call – can’t believe that didn’t make your list!!! :)
jennifer knapp – kansas
Third Day
Casting Crowns
Bebo Norman
MercyMe
if I’m choosing from secular favs,
REM
Bare Naked Ladies
Gotta love Nichole Nordeman- and of course Amy Grant- we listened to that tape at my house when I was in junior high or something :). My favorite road trip CD would be…oh, choosing just one is SO hard…probably something by Out of Eden…like one of their first few CD’s…Lovin’ the Day is a good one.
I’m in the van little and only for short trips, that I prefer to flip through the radio and listen to all kinds of music rather than just a set CD. But around the house I prefer a cd. Anything works. Except on Sundays. Then I want hymns (our church mainly does “contemporary” music).
I love Caedmon’s Call for road trips! And my hubby loves Third Day!
Favorite road trip CD’s…so many to name…I’ll try!
Christian – Third Day – Offerings
Secular – Eagles – The Very Best Of (ok, it’s actually a 2 CD set)
Not to worry my favorite CD (in my ipod) to work out or run to is none other than Travis’ Alive Forever. Let’s face it, that CD is great anytime.
Also, since Mary likes country music, may I suggest Richie McDonald’s new CD? He’s the former lead singer of Lonestar and just released a Christian CD (I Turn To You) and I like it. Also, anything by the Crabb Family or Crabb Revival’s new CD (The Journey). They’re considered southern gospel, but they fit well with the style you hear on country radio (not quartet style).
I am currently in love with Downhere’s Wide Eyed and Mystified. That would be it right now. Might change tomorrow though.
I heart Third Day. I seem to have some luck on your site, so I am entering again in hopes of winning. And if there is any statutory limits, please know that the last cd I won, I did not really like, so I gave it away on my blog!! But I KNOW I will love Third Day!!!
My favorite, favorite, favorite road trip CD is Third Day Offerings…the first one. Oh my! We WORE OUT two copies! NOT ONE BAD SONG IN THE LOT!
For a road trip, there’s no question: the soundtrack to Top Gun RULES!
So many more than one would apply! I’ll go with my newest fav…Chris Tomlin’s Arriving. BTW…I’m coming out of Lurkville with this comment. =)I love music and have been wishing for some new stuff.
I am an iPod person, but when I travel with my kids and hubby, our music is always fun, kiddie music (They Might Be Giant’s albums for kids, for example). When I’m alone, I have been known to rock out to 90s chartbusters, Paganini violion concertos, Plumb, and even Cake (I am a varied music lover!).
Thanks!
Megret
musesofmegret@gmail.com
anything by John Mayer…keeps my son singing along and happy on the drive
Monk and Neagle would probably be one. I think right now, I would have to say Selah Greatest Hymns. There is a fountain is just amazing!
Well I don’t really have a Cd, I just have my i pod on in my car, so I listen to all my favorite music every time I drive. I have Third day whom I love. I do not have their new album either! A ton Of Michale Buble, some Mariah Carey, Jack Johnson etc, etc. I mean you name it, I have it. My fave right now is Chris Tomlin.
Daddy Rich!! That’s my husbands band,he rocks!
I LOVE Christian music and listen to a ton of it, but for a road trip, I pick Fleetwood Mac Rumours, cause that is what we road tripped to in my youth.
Oh BooMama…does it have to be a CD? Here’s the reason for my question. Growing up on the mission field my family and I did a lot of crossing borders when we went on road trips. The border crossing episodes were quite stressful in the 90’s, so we had a TAPE, yes TAPE that we listened to every time we crossed a border…any border. It was appropriately dubbed “The Border Crossing Tape.” The real name of it was Wacky Weirdos and had songs like Ahab the Arab, The Purple People Eater, Blue Suede Shoes, etc. It was great fun. So when I think of any road trip music anything…I think of the “Border Crossing Tape.” as my favorite of all time.
i absolutely LURVE rascal flatts!
My road trip CD is Amy Grant’s “THE COLLECTION”…
I’d have to take mt MP3
Hands down… Michael Buble (any Michael Buble). Everyone in the family loves him, but my oldest daughter and I just adore him! :)
Well usually when I am in the car with my girls we are either listening to Praise & Worship sung by kids or my 4 year olds new passion Hannah Montana ( How in the world did she discover her when we don’t even have cable????) Anyways I would love a new CD to listen to.
I’ve been singing REALLY loudly to Selah’s Greatest Hymns, particularly “I Need Thee”!
I love to listen to Selah (any CD) and Lincoln Brewster in the car – it’s great to sing along to and so uplifting. We have been known to break out some vintage DC Talk CDs every once in a while just to spice things up.
Couldn’t think of leaving home for even a short trip without my Shaun Groves CDs. White Flag is my favorite, but I really like them all.
The rest, in no particular order:
Robbie Seay Band
Phil Wickham
Nathan Tasker
Toby Mac (Divercity, Portable Sounds and Live and Transported)
Third Day
Salvador
Kutless
Switchfoot
And finally; the deluxe edition of the soundrack to The Phantom of the Opera.
Beth
The cd changes from trip to trip but I always have to have some janis joplin Bobby McGee!!!
Hi! I’m a new reader.
My favorite road trip CDs are:
the theatre version of The Phantom of the Opera
DC Talk Welcome to the Freak Show
Shaun Groves
Josh Groban
So hard to pick just one- Right now I love Carrie Underwood’s new CD and I also like Matt Maher’s new CD.
The Police – Greatest Hits
I love George Strait–and Journey–and my new favorite which is piano—David Nevue–just calms the soul. Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline are faves too. Wow I could just go on and on.
So hard to say… one cd for a road trip…Steve Fee, Burn for You
If the kids are in the car, too, then Veggie Rocks :)
Oh dear. The choices, the choices!
Ok so definitely David Crowder and Third Day…oh and some MercyMe!
And for the times I want something else…some Adventures in Odyessey…oh yes… I am almost 30 and still listen sometimes :o)
Pick ME!
Sheryl Crow’s C’mon C’mon is a must for me on any road trip.
Anything by Apolgetix, too.
If I want to go old school, it has to be the Texas Tornadoes. My dad is a huge Freddy Fender fan, and we listened to him A LOT when I was a kid.
Yay for Third Day!
Anything by Mercy Me! :-)
We just went on a road trip from San Diego, CA to TX, KS, and back, and the CARS movie (Pixar) soundtrack was great. My favorite cd of all time, though, is Ginny Owens Without Condition. Amazing!
I love Third Day!
Just one CD is way too hard! I listen to Christian music almost exclusively, but Kenny Chesney’s older stuff is fun to listen to, also.
oo- seriously- third day!
guess that depends on my road trip partners now doesn’t it?!
Where Magic lives, WDW Official Album is like letting the kids take a mini Dis*ney vacation on the way to anywhere! And Phillips,Craig&Dean Favorite Live Songs of All just replaced P,C, and D Let my words be few. But how can I not throw in Chris Tomlin Arriving? I must. But this week end? Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA.
Being Canadian, a little Bryan Adams never hurts. His Reckless CD has Summer of 69 on it – the ultimate roadtrip song.
I have “Riverdance” in my car permanently. . love it!
I have a tradition of doing a George Strait marathon – usually with is boxed set. Gotta love me some George! If it’s a REALLY long trip my second marathon is Steven Curtis Chapman.
For road trips, I need something I can really sing (b/c I’m usually traveling alone to visit friends.) I have a playlist on my iPod titled “songs for singing” and it’s got everything in my range that I can really belt – stuff by Selah, Emmy Rossum, Imogen Heap, The Coors. Oh, and my Best of Broadway cd.
Mandisa- True Beauty. We ROCK to “Shackles”.
I love Pages by Shane and Shane, also.
First off, I love the Bart Millard Hymned CD!
Some fav roadtrip music;
Eagles Greatest Hits
John Cougar Mellencamp
Alison Krauss & Union Station(Live)
Casting Crowns
Any 90’s rock
And especially my Sounds of the 70’s collection!
Ross Parsley… anything Desperation Band. Love it!!!
Well…my perfect road trip CD is actually a playlist on my mp3 player. I just did this a couple of weeks ago. My best friend accompanied me 14 hours from FL to Regent U. She was HORRIFIED that I did not have any ’80s music, but what I did have was the R&B genre (including my gospel music) on my mp3 which allowed us to bop until the battery ran out. I think each road trip would have a different mix depending….
Dave and Jess Ray…who most of you don’t know, but they are worship leaders at my church and have an awesome and rockin CD! But they are on itunes if you want to listen. And I agree much with Hymned by Bart Millard. There is a second one coming out that I am excited about.
Anything by Casting Crowns is my Christian choice. Bob Seger Live for my secular choice.
Well, before the children, my husband and I loved listening to Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegone CDs. Not music, but that man can tell a story! Now, unfortunately, it’s just Finding Nemo or Dora DVD’s. Sigh!
Who can choose? A good mix CD is always the best – and thanks to this thread, I will be happily making several all the long weekend!
My CD player doesn’t work in my car, but if it did I’d have to say Jennifer Knapp’s Kansas (whatever happened to her anyway?) or probably some Watermark. Those are my faves on my iPod Shuffle when they pop up.
If I have to choose just one…Salvador!
The soundtrack from Get Shorty!
NICOLE NORDEMAN hands down!
I love Stephen Curtis Chapman…anything by him. The CD that has been hogging our home CD player is Chris Tomlin “Arriving”. On road trips however…we’re lucky if we get to listen to 30 minutes of adult music. Our kids have taken over the airwaves of our vehicle. That’s for sure!
Robbie Seay Band’s Give Yourself Away – absolutely amazing.
http://www.robbieseayband.com/default-new.aspx?source=splash
If it’s secular music, I let my husband pick – he is a wizard about good music and every time we travel I wind up saying “you brought THAT? How COOL!”
I wouldn’t leave home without Casting Crowns. WHO AM I is my favorite song. Now hand over some Third Day =)
Julie
Easy.
Hands Down.
A simple shiny plain silver cd with “Nashville” written with a Sharpie. My best friend made it for me when she moved away to Nashville for me to listen to on my way to go see her. It made her leaving just a little less sad ;)
It’s full of old country and a little bit of lord lovin’ tunes too.
That’s some serious Nash Love.
Thanks Melanie I miss you!
Amy Grant’s album Simple Things is my absolute favorite! Also love me some Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Garth Brooks, Reba, and Ginny Owens. :)
I love to listen to TobyMac in the car!
Books on tape are my favorites now, I also listen to Beth Moore Bible studies, I just buy the audio on cd and can listen to an entire study on a trip….awesome!!!
Right now, my two favorites are This Moment by Steven Curtis Chapman and Natalie Grant’s latest (I can’t remember the name of it). If the boys are with me, we rock out to the Newsboys’ Go.
For road trips we dig out the old stuff…Rich Mullins (anything and everything) or Caedmon’s Call (40 acres).
Right now I am really into addison road, and story side B
and and need to breathe
Thanks for the flash back of music. I loved and still love me some Amy Grant. No ones collection would be complete with out her. I also listened to Journey and REO Speedwagon. I love just about all worship music. I can never get enough of Mercy Me, Jars of Clay, and Barlow Girl. I think I feel an IPOD marathon coming on!!
Jeremy Camp rocks.
Shaun Groves, “One Night in Knoxville.” He makes me laugh!!
Road trips…hmmm. Usually a CCM top list I need to preview for worship styles! AND Phyllips, Craig, & Dean worship, AND…oh, I’m too tired to think at the moment, but there are a slew of them weighing down my visor.
normally its my IPOD playlist, but if I have to pick a CD out of the case it will most likely be…
Jars of Clay- Redemption Songs. LOVE IT!
Christian: Kari Jobe
http://www.myspace.com/karijobemusic
She is totally awesome!! Go take a listen
Secular for a rode trip: Prince !!
Happy 4th!
Jill :)
I would love love love to win this. And I’ll sing to you if I do. But that would make your ears hurt and your smile would be forced looking…so I won’t sing to you if I win.
Thank you.
I love listening to Andy Parks (Christian) and vineyard Worship. I also like The Eagles!
Watermark
Fernando Ortega
Third Day
U2
Journey
Hmmm…there are so many, but I love David Crowder and Mercy Me.
There is just something about good “old” rock…Boston can just keep me driving for hours.
I love oldies – music from the 60s. And I love soundtracks from musicals. Anything I can sing along with actually – to which my travelling companions usually say
“umm… YOU may be enjoying that….”
in addition to third day & scc…. i’ve been listening to
broken vessels – unashamed
christopher ames – every day with you
oh – and lest we forget her – jennifer knapp has been one of my faves since “kansas”…. i ordered that one based on the cover…. loved it!
I’ve been listening to Casting Crowns lately and I love ’em!
Favorite traveling song… it was years ago and my best friend and I put so many miles on her van traveling to see family and friends. We packed up the kids every few months and would just head out after dinner. My favorite CD was by Andrew Peterson called Carried Along. My favorite song on the album is “Nothing Left to Say”. Christinaloved “Hold up my Arms” from the Clear to Venus album. Good traveling music.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Suzy Q
Hmmmm….let’s see. I just took a three hour road trip today with my kids. We listened to:
Camp Rock Soundtrack
Daughtry
Ray Charles Genius Loves Company
Well, it’s a Christian CD called All I Have to Spare by an unknown, Nathanael Hency, from Indiana. The entire fam knows every.single.word. Love me some Third Day, too.
Anything by Casting Crowns or Avalon can make miles seem like inches. Thanks for sharing.
When we start on a road trip, we ALWAYS start with Movin’ Right Along by the Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear.
It’s a song that says “let’s start our vacation!”
For those who don’t remember:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w316aA8ed8
I have to say that theee most perky sing-along music I have run-across in a while is Natasha Bettingfield’s (Sp?) newest CD…excellent car fare.
But a close second at present is probably Sara Grove’s Station Wagon: Songs for Parents. I’m just all up in the middle of all that, and the music is excellent on every level for every body in the car!
Undone, by Mercy Me. Anything by Mercy Me!
Christian music…Shaun Groves, Invitation to Eavesdrop. I get to track 3 (Welcome Home) and listen to it, rewind, later, rinse, repeat. That is, until my family stages a revolt and begs for the next song.
Non Christian? Jimmy Buffet. Greatest Hits. Woot!
OH MY STARS AND GARTERS I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT THIS CD TO GIVE TO MY HUSBAND!!!
OK, my favorite road trip song (I don’t really have a whole CD that’s a fave) is “(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles” by The Proclaimers. I remember dancing to that song by the side of the highway on a road trip with my 5 cousins, my aunt, and my mom. (we needed to stretch our legs!) What good times!
Also, nothing starts a trip better than “On The Road Again” by The Veggie Tales!!
I’d have to say Third Day, and not because that’s who you’re giving away. I just love their music, especially the praise albums, and love that my husband will sing along with me. :) Thanks!!
Well, if the girls could pick, it would currently be the soundtrack to “Seussical: The Musical”. =)
Well, each time we take a road trip, my husband creates a compilation CD of various artists (across all genres) that will get us in the frame of mind of our destination. For example, when we went to NY last year, he burned a CD with Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen (OK, he’s Jersey, but its close), Barry Manilow singing NY NY, Neil Diamond, and Frank Sinatra. Quite a mix, but it really set the mood for NY (all of the songs had something NY in them). We can recreate one of these trips just by listening to the CD later. It’s lots of fun and a great way to reminice (SP?) on a cross town drive. We love Third Day and it would be great to have the new CD. Thanks,
Tammy E.
I like to start with a little Steven Curtis Chapman and the Great Adventure.
Marc Broussard’s “Carencro” may be the best CD ever. It’s life changing. SO amazing.
And Chris Tomlin’s “See the Morning”
And let us NOT forget Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits.
3 CDs. 3 hours. Where should I go!?!
Dave Barnes – Me, You + The World. It’s a new favorite. Soulful, spiritual, and fun at the same time. I love how he has some songs just for fun and some songs that definitely have a Christian message. I could listen to any of his music for days at a time. :)
P.S. – I just discovered your blog yesterday & am really enjoying reading it & all the other blogs it has led me to! :) Thanks for sharing!
Anne Murray’s Greatest Hits. Reminds me of childhood road trips in the van. Can still sing every word of those songs even if it’s been years since I’ve heard them.
Also, this is the first comment I’ve left on your blog and I want to say that you bring a smile to my face every time I read your blog and most of the time I’m laughing out loud to the point that my coworkers come to see what’s so funny. So, thank you!