Nearly at the top

No. 2: Smalltown Poets - Smalltown Poets

The group's self-titled debut remains not just their best, but one of the best albums ever. A combination of great rock and roll, great production and great lyrics put this baby up there.

I'm thinking that a five-piece band is turning into my favorite sound. Two guitars, bass, drums, and a creative keyboardist just get me. Then you throw in the solid production work of John Hampton and Dana Key (yeah, from CCM pioneers DeGarmo & Key) and you just have an incredible sound. My love of Smalltown Poets' sound is exemplified in the ripping intro of "Everything I Hate" and the light reverberations in "I'll Give."

And how about packing a punch...I'll take the first six songs on this album against a string of six of another album any day. Prophet, Priest and King; If You Let Me Love You, Everything I Hate, I'll Give, Anymore, and Who You Are. They show great writing, instrumentation, vocal range, and production.

Now let's talk lyrics. I could rattle on for a while, but I'll keep this short. "Everything I Hate" is about the classic battle that continually wages inside of us. Paul writes about it in the Bible. The war of what we want to do and what we DO do. That battle has never been put into poetry and song so well before.

Now let me devote some time to "I'll Give." This song is one of the best songs ever. This is an example of the instrumentation matching the soul of the song perfectly. This song is what I want my cry to be. If the chorus doesn't say enough (I'll give and I'll hold nothing back) check out the stripped away sacrifice in the bridge...

My hands are open so take what you see
And I'll keep nothing, hold nothing back from me.