Steven Curtis & Mary Beth Chapman

Maria’s Big House of Hope stands out as a beacon among the typically gray buildings lining the streets in Luoyang, China. The new six-story facility, painted bright blue with white clouds, will administer time-sensitive medical procedures for orphans classified as “special needs,” helping to insure every child a place in the adoption system and an equal opportunity to find their own adoptive family. (See video here.)

The center is yet another arm of Show Hope, founded by the Chapmans to care for orphans by promoting adoption into the body of Christ, via various projects and financial assistance. With 120-plus beds, on-site volunteer housing, a dental suite, and an entire floor dedicated to children ineligible for adoption because of long-term conditions, Maria’s Big House of Hope also houses a special hospice area, where kids with terminal illness can be “cared for and loved until they find their eternal home,” explains Show Hope co-founder Mary Beth Chapman. “Our hearts are to help even the least of the least. I know, so passionately, God is in this project.”

Jason Crabb “Jason Crabb”

Style: Fiery country gospel; compare to Darius Rucker, Pat Green, Little Big Town

Top tracks: “Somebody Like Me,” “Walk on Water,” “One Day at a Time”

In a nutshell: Making the public pilgrimage from adolescence to adulthood as frontman for his siblings’ now-legendary band, Jason Crabb’s fire-and-brimstone singing style has made him one of gospel music’s most sought after male vocalists, defying genre with his famous smoky growl. On his first record minus the family, the young preacher brings a word from the Lord

Sara Beth Geoghegan “Tired of Singing Sad Songs”

Style: Captivating acoustic storytelling; compare to Sara Groves, Andrew Peterson and Shawn Colvin

Top tracks: “Ooh, We Need Jesus,” “Opening,” “The Other Side of the Cloud”

In a nutshell: Recorded on her grandmother’s piano in her Nashville apartment, independent singer/songwriter Sara Beth catalogs her experiences of life, love and loss on a new batch of heartache hymns. With the help of Belmont University compadre/producer man Ben Shive (Sara Groves, Andrew Peterson), Tired of Singing Sad Songs eloquently records the young songstress’ provocative odyssey from dark night of the soul to days of grace.

Melinda Doolittle “Coming Back To You”

Justice Is Served On Favorite “AI” Finalists’ First Set
Having been trumped in the final hours of “American Idol” Season 6 by some unforeseen reality TV coup, Melinda Doolittle’s premature elimination has been criticized as the greatest injustice in the reality show’s historic eight-year run.

But listen up. The soul sister is getting revenge, and boy does it sound sweet. Boasting vintage strings, dirty tambourines, chiming bells, one perfectly placed horn hit after another and the funkiest three part background vocals this side of the ’60s, Coming Back to You is completely retro but brilliantly modern, a mature R&B/funk debut to balance today’s pop/rock tween scene.

Don Poythress “Wash Away”

Style: Corporate worship with a country flair; compare to Paul Baloche, Andrew Peterson, Ty Herndon

Top tracks: “Brand New Day,” “Wash Away,” “The Faithful Love of Jesus”

In a nutshell: Today’s Christian music release schedule rarely features a record with explicit country colors. But Nashville-based worship leader Don Poythress knows a little about the genre; his songs have been recorded by country notables like Tim McGraw, Clint Black and Kellie Pickler. Combining his dual professions, the veteran songwriter releases his first live worship recording full of rootsy dobros, bending fiddles, and chiming pedal steel

Press Play

Social Justice Spotlight
With its debut record chiming in at No. 2 on the Christian sales charts and No. 45 on Billboard’s Top 200, high-profile media appearances like “The Today Show” and “Fox & Friends” and a massive digital presence, Press Play’s street week press release reads like a new artist dream.

But out-of-the-box popularity isn’t the only thing driving the high-energy pop/rock six-piece to perform. In an industry that is as much business as it is heart, Press Play is bucking the system, donating every penny of its debut, Life is Beautiful, to the Los Angeles-based Dream Center. Meeting the physical and spiritual needs of inner cities across the country seven days a week, 24 hours a day, the outreach-oriented non-profit hosts hundreds of programs in an effort to restore hope in the darkest corners of the United States

Toby McKeehan

Mac Daddy
It has been nearly eight years since Toby McKeehan traded his legendary career as one-third of Christian music supergroup dc Talk for a solo gig as TobyMac. But this particular morning it is not his national platform that needs attention. With five kids ages 10 and under, Toby’s wife, Amanda is enjoying her morning at the gym while Mr. McKeehan finds his way around the fort of five, juggling the daily responsibilities of homelife before heading to the studio for another day of work and creating

Tracy Lawrence “The Rock”

Style: Country; compare to Kenny Chesney, Darryl Worley, and Brad Paisley

Top tracks: “Dear Lord,” “Somebody Who Would Die For You,” “I Know Where Heaven Is”

In a nutshell: Fulfilling a promise made to his parents to one-day record an inspirational record, Country staple Tracy Lawrence releases The Rock, his second independent CD on his own homegrown label. With heavy-hitting faith-based songwriters like Craig Morgan weighing in, the entire record is full of explicit Christian hope

Christy Nockels “Life Light Up”

Style: Stadium-sized pop/rock worship; compare to Lincoln Brewster, Hillsong United, and Chris Tomlin

Top tracks: “No Not One,” “A Mighty Fortress,” “By Our Love”

In a nutshell: Name today’s most popular worship leaders and you’ll come up with a list of mainly men. But after building a ten-year musical legacy as a charter member of the Passion movement and half of CCM husband/wife duo Watermark, Christy Nockels is coloring the male-dominated genre with some much-needed feminine flair

Kirk Franklin

CCM Readers’ Choice Profile: Best R&B Artist
A genre-defying artist whose larger-than-life persona and inventive brand of spiritual music has earned him millions of fans worldwide, Kirk Franklin has single-handedly changed the face of gospel music forever. And he doesn’t even really sing.