WOW Hits 2005 marks the tenth installment in the best-selling series of annual compilations, offering an economical way to acquire the radio hits. However, there's also been a struggle between historical accuracy and music marketing. The WOW titles suggest these are next year's hits, but they're largely comprised of this year's hits, and some are taken from CDs released in 2003.
Getting past the semantics, the 2005 edition of WOW Hits does feature most of the biggest Christian radio hits over the last twelve months, including MercyMe, Stacie Orrico, Jeremy Camp, Chris Rice, Jars of Clay, Mark Schultz, and Selah. "Future hits" are also kept to a minimum, including only a few inevitably popular songs from tobyMac, Caedmon's Call, and the new #1 hit from Steven Curtis Chapman.
This collection also focuses on new artists more than before, appropriately including Building 429, Matthew West, Bethany Dillon, and BarlowGirl. But a song from Nate Sallie's generally overlooked June 2003 debut? How'd that happen? It's also odd that 2004's breakthrough singles from Casting Crowns and Todd Agnew-"If We Are the Body" and "This Fragile Breath"-were overlooked for their newer singles.
Note the absence of mainstays like Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and Rebecca St. James-three artists who could've been included for their popularity, yet wisely left off because they didn't offer the strongest material this past year. The most notable exclusion is Switchfoot, though something in their agreement with Columbia Records likely prevents it. Still, why not include Delirious, Pillar, Skillet, and Shane & Shane instead of Darlene Zschech, Jaci Velasquez, and Audio Adrenaline?
Questions of accuracy and comprehensiveness aside, this is a strong WOW collection, offering a reasonable snapshot of the last year and a current introduction of what Christian music has to offer.
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01.
Here With Me - MercyMe
02.
All Things New - Steven Curtis Chapman
03.
Who Am I - Casting Crowns
04.
You Are My King (Amazing Love)- Newsboys
05.
More - Matthew West
06.
You Raise Me Up - Selah
07.
Letters From War - Mark Schultz
08.
Unspoken - Jaci Velasquez
09.
When I Fall - Rachael Lampa
10.
Ready To Fly - FFH
11.
Disappear - Bebo Norman
12.
You Were There - Avalon
13.
Everyday People - Nicole C. Mullen
14.
There's Only One (Holy One) - Caedmon's Call
15.
Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)- Chris Rice
16.
Pray - Darlene Zschech
17.
Gravity - Shawn McDonald
Entry last edited by on 07.08.08
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| Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 3:
Great collection| Posted July 13, 2009
I was over the moon when I saw "Who Am I" on this CD. One of my all time favorite songs. Matthew West's "More" is a nice addition, and Selah's "You Raise Me Up" actually includes the second verse Josh Groban left out! :) Chris Rice's song nearly had me in tears. Caedmon's Call's song "There's Only One (Holy One)" has their great lyrics. A nice set of songs.
naaaa| Posted October 07, 2008
i don't like this disc as well as i do the second one. i do like the song "who am i" by casting crowns though.. that song rocks! FFH's song is ok, and some of the others are ok, but overall ...........yeah
Pretty good| Posted June 02, 2008
This disc of WOW Hits: 2005 is a good preview of all that Christian music has to offer. Smash hits from MercyMe ("Here With Me"), Steven Curtis Chapman ("All Things New"), Casting Crowns ("Who Am I") and Matthew West ("More") all benefit the album greatly, not to mention the stirring Avalon power ballad "You Were There". Fans of upbeat CCM won't be disappointed either, with Jaci Velasquez's infectious tune "Unspoken" and FFH's "Ready To Fly".
The album is also sprinkled with pleasant surprises. Darlene Zschech (pronounced "check"), most famous for her smash hit "Shout To The Lord", is featured on the disc with her catchy worship song "Pray", while Selah's stirring "You Raise Me Up" does nothing but make the album better. Rachael Lampa's fan-favorite "When I Fall" is also included.
However, this disc of WOW isn't without its flaws--Nicole C. Mullen's "Everyday People" and Bebo Norman's "Disappear" are nice, but pale in comparison to their other album-mates with boring melody lines.
But, all things aside, WOW Hits 2005: Disc 1 is a nice compilation of some great songs from the year before. While not every song will amaze, the majority will manage to find a place at the top of your most-played list.
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