So excited about the playlist this week as we share new releases from 4 artists! New albums or EPs were just released by Audrey Assad, Sarah Hart, Luke Spehar and EPIC the Band, and we have tracks from each to share with you.

First, it’s “Wounded Healer” from Audrey Assad’s new album “Evergreen”. PJ Anderson teams with Sarah Hart on the single “Beloved, Arise” from her new album “Sacrament”. Then there’s the title track from Luke Spehar’s “The Pilgrim” and “Saved by Grace” from EPIC the Band’s “Creation – Wave I” EP, which features a riff from Connor Flanagan. Enjoy!

Song List
EPIC the Band – “Saved by Grace (feat Connor Flanagan)” Amazon iTunes
Audrey Assad – “Wounded Healer” Amazon iTunes
Luke Spehar – “The Pilgrim” Amazon iTunes
Sarah Hart – “Beloved, Arise” Amazon iTunes
Abraham Gross – “Who Am I to You (feat Connor Flanagan)” Amazon iTunes
Dave Moore – “Arise” Amazon iTunes
Matt Maher – “The Cross Forever Speaks” Amazon iTunes
NOVUM – “No Longer Slaves” Amazon iTunes
Vigil Project – “Were You There” Amazon iTunes
His Own – “Nothing Can Separate Us” Amazon iTunes
Katy Blythe – “I Thirst” Amazon iTunes
South by North – “Coming Home (feat Tori Harris)” Amazon iTunes

We’re winding up the Advent season with this week’s show, which will be the last show for 2017. We’re going to take a break for Christmas and New Years, and then we’ll be back in 2018 with Season 5 of the Catholic Playlist sharing more of the best and newest contemporary Christian music from Catholic artists. Lots of great new music coming in 2018, but until then let’s enjoy some Advent and Christmas music, including songs from Matt Maher, Josh Blakesley, Jaime Thietten, The Vigil Project, and leading off is a soon to be released single from Aly Aleigha – “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent”

We’ll be back again in 2018 for a brand new season of the show. We hope you can join us, but until then we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God bless today and every day!

Song List
Aly Aleigha – “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” (To be released soon)
Jaime Thietten – “The First Noel Angels We Have Heard On High (feat Vince Gill)”, “What Child Is This” Website
Vigil Project – “In Need of a Savior (feat. Andrea Thomas)”, “Silent Night (feat. John Finch)” Website
L’Angelus – “O Little Town of Bethlehem” Amazon iTunes
Steve Angrisano – “Emmanuel” Amazon
Matt Maher – “Glory (Let There Be Peace)” Amazon iTunes
Collin Raye – “Away In A Manger” Amazon iTunes
Josh Blakesley – “We Three Kings” Amazon iTunes
Matt Maher – “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” Amazon iTunes
Greg&Lizzy – “O Come All Ye Faithful” Amazon iTunes
Abigail Winzer – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentelmen” Amazon iTunes
Alanna Boudreau – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” Amazon iTunes

It’s only fitting to follow up last week’s ladies only playlist with a guys only playlist this week. That’s exactly what we’ve done as we selected 13 of the most popular male contemporary Christian music artists of the last year. And like the ladies, we had to keep a few guys on the sidelines, notably Matt Faley, Adam Bitter, Brother Isaiah, Cody Roth, Dave Moore, Fr Rob Galea, Joe Zambon and more. Now if you listen to the entire playlist, you might notice that Josh Blakesley isn’t heard. Why? It’s because they are a band, a group, and in fact they are referred to as the Josh Blakesley Band. It’s a technicality probably, but it does give us more options to choose when doing a ‘Bands’ only playlist! That playlist may be coming your way soon. Getting back to Playlist #173, you’ll hear from Connor Flanagan, Dante Schmitz, John Finch, Ike Ndolo, Kyle Sinkule and more.

Song List
Ben Walther – “Ablaze” Amazon iTunes
Chris Bray – “King in His Kingdom” Amazon iTunes
Connor Flanagan – “Waterfall (feat. Shonlock)” Amazon iTunes
Dan Francis – “No Other Name” Amazon iTunes
Dante Schmitz – “Miracles” Amazon iTunes
Fr Kevin McGoldrick – “Oh God You Are My God” Amazon iTunes
Ike Ndolo – “Land of the Rising Sun” Amazon iTunes
John Finch – “Walk by Faith” Amazon iTunes
Kyle Sinkule – “Saul” Amazon iTunes
Mathias Michael – “Mystery” Available after signing up at his website
Matt Maher – “Your Love Defends Me” Amazon iTunes
PJ Anderson – “Rise” Amazon iTunes
Ricky Vazquez – “House of Cards” Amazon iTunes

Sharing the joy of the Gospel through the power of music – that’s what we do here on the Catholic Playlist show – a showcase of the best and very newest contemporary Christian music from Catholic artists only.

This week the music you’ll be hearing is from female artists only — it’s our first ever ‘Ladies Only’ playlist! This ought to be a lot of fun don’t you think? You know, a few years ago we might have had a bit of difficulty coming up with enough female only artists to fill the show without playing someone twice, but that’s not the case any more. In fact, we had to leave many female artists off the list, like Stefania Elsmore, Rebecca Roubion, Teresa Peterson, Sarah Kroger Quaglia, Jackie Francois Angel, Jackie Bissin, and others. I’ll have to make it up to them in a future playlist! But you will hear from Alanna Bourdreau, Sarah Hart, Marie Miller, Dana Catherine, Alverlis and so many more.

Check it out and share!

Song List
Alanna Boudreau – “Champion” iTunes
Jaime Thietten – “Surrendering” Amazon iTunes
Taylor Tripodi – “Here I Am” Amazon iTunes
Sarah Hart – “Joy in These Bones” Amazon iTunes
Tori Harris – “King of Kings” Amazon iTunes
Alverlis – “Love Changes Everthing” Amazon iTunes
Dana Catherine – “My Savior In Me” Amazon iTunes
Katy Blythe – “New & Free (feat. Connor Flanagan)” Amazon iTunes
His Own – “Nothing Can Separate Us” Amazon iTunes
Aly Aleigha – “Race Along (feat. Justin Kostecka)” Amazon iTunes
Marie Miller – “This Side of Paradise” Amazon iTunes
Danielle Noonan – “Undone” Amazon iTunes
Rita West – “Victor” Amazon iTunes

A mix of new and old music can be found in our playlist for episode 20 of season 4 of the Catholic Playlist Show.

Some of the old (can anything really be called ‘old’ yet in Catholic contemporary music?) include 2 songs from Katy Blythe, one that’s very familiar in “New & Free”, and the other a surprisingly good song that deserves air time in “Curls.” Other older songs come from Aly Aleigha, Emily Wilson and Fr Kevin McGoldrick. New music includes Rita West’s “Chosen”, Brother Isaiah’s “Jacob’s Song” and “Arrow” from LEVV.

And finally, Teresa Peterson reminds us that old or new, when we’re in Christ, “He Makes All Things New.”

Song List
Aly Aleigha – “You Are” Amazon iTunes
Brother Isaiah – “Jacob’s Song” Amazon iTunes
Dan Francis – “Jesus” Amazon iTunes
Emily Wilson Hussem – “Beautiful and Yours” Amazon iTunes
Josh Blakesley Band – “Even In This” Amazon iTunes
Katy Blythe – “Curls”, “New & Free” Amazon iTunes
Fr Kevin McGoldrick – “Oh God You Are My God” Amazon iTunes
LEVV – “Arrow” Amazon iTunes
Rita West – “Chosen” Amazon iTunes
Sarah Kroger – “This Is My Story” Amazon iTunes
Teresa Peterson – “He Makes All Things New” Amazon iTunes

Our first logo/icon

Then I came across this post from Danielle Noonan, a talented singer and songwriter who’s been heard many times in the Catholic Playlist:

“I never in a million years envisioned myself being a wife, mom and full time musician. All of those things separately, yes, but if you know me personally, balancing things can be somewhat of a messy and comical experience…for me. So my most recent question to some of my closest friends is why are we doing this? Why, above all things, are we creatives for the church? I don’t ask because I think it’s not worth it but because deep down there’s nothing else we’d rather do more than create beauty for the church and that’s insane. Let’s be honest. Real talk here…There’s nothing glamorous about being a musician in the church. When I travel, especially alone, it’s well…lonely. Who loves airports, being away from their family, not hanging out with their friends, getting calls your kiddos are sick, or you missed a party or school performance. No one in their right mind wakes up one morning and thinks, “hey, you know what, I really don’t want to hang out with my husband and kiddos today so I’m gonna take the red eye and sleep on a couch.” It’s ridiculous, but as a creative, especially a creative in the church we are fighting for our church. We’re fighting to bring beauty, truth and joy into a world that’s broken and not just for the young church but for everyone. We’re fighting for generations who’ve been shown that what they can produce through their hands holds more value than what is produced within their own hearts. Where’s that gotten us? It’s our job as creatives to not just bring beauty to the church but to bring beauty out of it. We can all be mirrors of God’s beauty, love, and redemption and as a creative, meeting people where they are and sharing our music and testimonies gives all of our hearts a chance to be broken just a little more so we all mirror Him.”

And so I’ve found my reason. It’s to “bring beauty, truth and joy into a world that’s broken” – beauty created by talented creatives like Danielle who need an outlet to share their music and testimonies. That’s why I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours listening to music and assembling the best playlists I can with the best and newest contemporary Christian music from Catholic artists only. The slogan I’ve used for a long time says it well – “Sharing the joy of the Gospel through the power of music!”

And now a question for you: Why do you enjoy listening to the Catholic Playlist show? What do you get from it?

Use the comments section below to share. Thanks!

Danielle Noonan
John Finch
Tori Harris

Let us know what you think about the show. Tell us who you want us to know about that we haven’t played yet.  Request a artist or song to be played in an upcoming show.  Whatever it is, we want to hear from you!

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