The year witnessed further fusion, branching, and mixing of new and old sounds...giving Christian Rock a more mature and fuller disposition overall. The Alternative Movement added some good flavor to the CR musical scene, as good artists moved upward. 

 

Looking at the panorama of Christian Rock that existed in 1990, there were several top albums that have stood the test of time.  The third major release of King's X, Faith, Hope, Love (Atlantic), produced by the talented Sam Taylor, was certainly among the best.  The Texas-based trio even had Kemper Crabb play on the CD, which featured several classic songs and the band's trademark Beatlesque-leanings and Speed Soul sonics.

 

The Choir produced another top work in 1990 with their Circle Slide (myrrh), which critics liked then and now.  Maybe their best project, The Choir toured relentlessly during this era...talented enough to be on the myrrh list, an upper-echelon recording company which surprisingly had several CR hits that year.

 

Rivaling both the X and Choir was the 77s, who had two great albums released in 1990, much to the delight of their relatively-huge fan base.  Sticks and Stones (Broken) was produced by 77s-inventor Mike Roe and his Exit Records mate, Steve Griffith.  A compilation of extras, the album had many hot hits and lengthy angst, spattered with mellowness and blues instrumentations.

 

The Sevens' More Miserable Than You'd Ever Be (Alternative) added to the legend with more of the same blues-based, straight rock and roll, yet ballad-infested music that solidified the band's place at the top for years to come.

 

Mike Knott's young label Blonde Vinyl produced a very cool and innovative album called Prints of Darkness by Dead Artist Syndrome, Brian Healy's debut in the field.  It became one of the first Christian Goth works, heralded by Brian's haunting vocals and wordings.

 

Undercover's Balance Of Power (Broken), produced by lead man Ojo Taylor of California Calvary Chapel days was another great release of the year.  Broken also put out Adam Again's classic Homeboys, which jettisoned Gene Eugene and the gang into the best acts of the whole sub-culure.  Taylor and Eugene continued to add pioneering musical elements to the giant melting pot, which for Christian Rock, was swirling faster, deeper, and wider.

 

John and Dino Elefante's Pakaderm Records label created a handful of quality albums in '90, including their own band,Mastedon's Lofcaudio, a sophomore masterpiece...and Guardian's Fire and Love.

 

Punk metal for teenagers was given a boost by One Bad Pig's Swine Flew (Myrrh), a band popular and fortunate enough to have worked with Billy Smiley and Johnny Cash.  Speed metal rookies Tourniquet came out with their Stop The Bleeding (Intense), which was produced by super-brain Roger Martinez of Vengeance Rising...whose own band led the way with Once Dead and the usual awesome cover art. 

 

Soon, newcomers like The Crucified began to garner the largest followings in the Speed/Thrash Metal world.  Even producer/artist Terry Taylor of Alarma Records got in on the action, helping launch the scaterd Few and Sin Disease.

 

Taylor (of Daniel Amos fame) was very busy in 1990, as he also released his bizarre project called The Miracle Faith Telethon (Alarma), which included many of his Swirling Eddy buddies.  Taylor also produced Jacob Trouble's second fun album, Knock, Breathe, Shine (Alarma), which certainly capitalized on their collective love of The Beatles and Sixties' sounds.

 

Two of the finest hard rock vibes came from Step On It by Jet Circus (former members of Europe's Leviticus) and Holy Soldier's debut work of the same name on myrrh (which was the conservative label's first hard rock band), produced by good guy David Zaffiro.

 

In 1990, Rick Elias entered the CR picture with Confessions (Alarma), another Terry Taylor product.  The album was organic, Springsteen-like, and elevated the rocker and his band to new heights, after a decade of playing L.A. clubs.

 

Two of the year's coolest albums came from overseas artists.  From Great Britain came the super-ensemble of Iona (Forefront), who pioneered Celtic Christian Rock, along with The Crossing from Chicago's Jesus People, USA.  The other was Ben Okafor's Nkiru (Refuge/Alternative) that ushered in the first Christian Raggae songs.