TOP 20 FAVORITE SONGS OF 2025 (MY OPINION, OF COURSE)

XIII Minutes at Kingdom Come Festival, June 20, 2025. Lead vocalist Jerrod Cunningham also does vocals and guitar for I Am The Pendragon.

I am writing this on Sunday night, December 28th, for posting on Monday. Yes, that means 2025 is almost in the books, so it's time for me to give my year-ends posts. Year ends, because I'll not only be looking at my 20 favorite 2025 songs (posted on the 29th), favorite fiction and non-fiction (10 of each both posted on the 30th), and my look back at 2025 (31st), but also will give my thoughts on the new year (January 1st and 2nd).

This year, I debated on giving the list in alphabetic order plus revealing my number 1 (this refers both to songs and books), but decided to do something different, and give my favorites in order. 

I'll start by looking back. My previous favorite songs were "Truth" by Divine Martyr ('22), "WarCry" by TheoTerran ('23),  and "My Path To Walk by David Pataconi ('24). So you can say David, also being half of TheoTerran, has a two year streak going. Will he continue that streak? 

Like last year, I'll mark new artists to me from this year (marked with an asterisk). On the other side, there are groups I've followed for at least 20 years each: Amy Shreve (I met her and her husband Gary Wixtrom at a Voice of the Martyrs Conference in 2003), Mad at the World, and some obscure band called Petra - anybody heard of them? 

I'll include a link at the bottom for my Spotify list, in case you want to hear the songs on my list.  I would recommend that... but I'm biased.

Ready? Here we go.

20. "Summer Storm" by Rosalie Hovencamp.*

19. "Pain" by Sending68.*

18.  "King of Kings" by BibleWithLife*

17. "Deliver Us" by Petra.

16.  "The Storm" by End Of I.

15.  "Hope Found Hope" by Mad At The World.

14.  "How the Story Ends" by Amy Shreve.

13.  "All Things" by Sovereign Grace.

12.  "Reign Forever" by Citizen Crown.*

11.   "It Wasn't For Nothing" by The Band JAREN.*

10.  "Laodicea (Unplugged)" by Tierra Vacia.

9.   "Resistance" by Divine Martyr. 

8.  "Holy" by David Pataconi.

7.   "A Better Country" by Amy Shreve (though Gary Wixtrom sings lead on this one).

6.   "The Gospel" by Olivia Lane.*

5.   "Atonement" by I Am The Pendragon.

4.   "Enough" by TheoTerran.

3.   "War Cry" by The Band JAREN. 

2.   "Dear Martyr" by Behold the Beloved.

And now, may I have the drum roll? 

Any guess on who I put on top?

And my #1 song of 2025...

1.  "Stay" by XIII Minutes!

Here is the promised link in case you want to hear these songs.

Jeff's 2025 20 Favorites.

ALBUM REVIEW - "MODERN PSALMS II" BY DAVID PATACONI

Photo borrowed from David Pataconi

Last year, I took the 20 day challenge of posting covers of albums/CDs that influenced me. Not the first time: I did it before in 2020, and was surprised that the selected ones didn't change. One exception, though: TheoTerran's self-titled album made my list, the only recent album that had that honor.

Now if you're wondering what TheoTerran has to do with a review of "Modern Psalms II" by David Pataconi, then you aren't aware that Pataconi is half of TheoTerran. While there are differences in sound, both are heavily electronic projects. 

Included on this album is "My Path To Walk," a single that was released last year (2024), and was my favorite song of that year. There are a lot of other excellent songs on this project. My favorites included "Holy," "Psalm 18 (You Are My Light)," "Psalm 56 (My Shield)," Psalm 121 (Lift My Eyes Up)," "At Your Feet," and the fantastic closing instrumental "Hope in the Void."

My favorite song from '23 was TheoTerran's "WarCry." As mentioned above, my '24 favorite was Pataconi's "My Path to Walk." Even though this is only mid-March when I'm writing this, I would not be a bit surprised if my favorite song for '25 is from "Modern Psalms II."

 

A MONTH OF SELFLESSNESS? THAT'S A MONTH I'D GLADLY CELEBRATE!

Courtesy of David Pataconi

I had a friend who had the idea of creating a Christian calendar. It included changing the names of the days of the week and the months, reflecting, if I remember correctly, Christian virtues with at least the days. 

The biggest flaw was his months, in my opinion, is that it completely departed from our Gregorian calendar. Why is that a flaw? Because it separates those who use this calendar from the rest of the world and makes it harder to communicate. 

The Jews have an answer. They number their years the same, except instead of using B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (The year of the Lord), they refer to those designations as B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (The Common Era.) They have created an effective alternative that works in the real world.

Those who read my blog know that I have an alternative to Halloween that either coincidentally or providentially  (take your pick; you can guess which one I picked) happens to be the same day of the year as Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg door (otherwise known as Reformation Day).

In our culture, the focus has moved from days to months. We have Black History Month (February). We have Women's History Month (March). I don't know if they expanded Earth Day to the entire month of April, but it wouldn't surprise me. And many know what some designate the month of June as.

Well, my musician friend David Pataconi, member of the band TheoTerran as well as a solo artist, has proposed a wonderful alternative. He has designated June as "Selflessness" month. I think that's an excellent alternative.

The best thing is that it's not confrontational. Rather, it is how I choose to see that month. If someone want to encourage me to celebrate their month, sorry, but I've got other plans. 

When I was a member of an Assembly of God church in the mid-80's, I noticed that the denominational magazine had a designation for each week. For example, one week was to recognize their version of the Scouts. I've thought for years of doing the same, especially in this blog. Maybe I should just simplify and make it a month. 

And celebrating June as the month of Selflessness a great start.. 

MY TOP SONGS, 2023, ACCORDING TO SPOTIFY

Me with David Pataconi of TheoTerran

First Blog of 2024! Excited? And what better way than to look at what Spotify considered my Top Songs for last year!

I first discovered that Spotify formed a playlist of my Top songs based on airplay two years ago. I did notice, though, that there were some songs that I wasn't familiar with. So I had several "Ballot Stuffing" playlists, to see if I could get a "Top Songs" that reflected what I was actively listening to. 

Result? Mission Accomplished! I did have a few songs that I didn't think belonged, but not the way it was the previous years. Next year, though, I'll try to rotate through all my playlists and see what that looks like.

But I'm sure all my musician friends are holding their breath to see how they fared. I'll try to minimize the duration of the suspense. (Hey, doesn't Duration of Suspense sound like a good band name?)

I'm going to include a link to the list at the end, but I'll go through statistics. I figured out that there were 62 different artists on the list. 20 of those appeared more than once. Pardon me, therefore, if I don't list the 42 single entry artists (you can find them on the list mentioned above).

Nine had a pair of entries. One of those was Sovereign Grace Music, which made me smile - one entry was the studio version of "Behold Our God," while the other was the live rendition. Joining them were, in alphabetic order: Margaret Becker, Forsaken Hero, I Am The Pendragon, Rich Mullins, Rusty Shipp, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Soundless Whisper, and Yanni.

How about those who had three entries? I'm glad you asked! These six, again in alphabetic order, feature Franz Berwald (classical composer), Jodie Essex, Felix Mendelssohn, Reclaim The Day, TheoTerran, and Zahna. 

Math time. The number of songs in these three levels, adding 42, 18, and 18, equaling 78, with 22 remaining, Likewise, the artists in each level - 42, 9, and 6 - comes to 57, which when subtracted from 62 leaves 5. So who are those top 5 artists based on entries? Drum roll please. 

In  second place, we have a four way tie between Battled, Divine Martyr, Raviner, and True Revival, with four songs each. And on the top with six songs - Eyes Aflame!

But let me change angles. I mentioned the link will have the list of the 100 in order, but I'll be nice and give you the top 10 songs, recorded by 8 different artists. Ready?

Number 10 - "Remnant"  by Ignescent

Number  9 - "Frontline" by Idle Cure (an old timer on a fairly modern list).

Number 8 - "Sentenced To Life" by Reclaim The Day.

Number 7 - "Not The End" by Eyes Aflame.

Number 6 - "You Chose Me" by Toni LaShaun.

Number 4 - "Underneath" by Zahna.

I hear you all! You're asking about #5. I have a reason. You remember I mentioned there are 8 different artists doing the top ten, and I've listed 6. Are any of the 6 in the remaining 4 slots? Nope. Have the final two artists split those four? Nope. Divine Martyr has filled up three of the top five slots with "Mystique" (#5), "Truth" (#3), and "Fear" (#2).

So who is #1? Come on, you should have it figured out! What band is represented by the gentleman next to me in the picture at the top of this blog? The number one song belongs to "Battle Cry" by TheoTerran!

As promised, below is the full list. Are any of your favorites on it? 

Jeff's Top Songs 2023, per Spotify

 

JEFF'S FAVORITE SONG LIST FOR 2023

The Concert by Gerard van Honthorst

I'm going to start my favorites with the longest list - my favorite songs of '23. I use that term loosely - some of the songs might be technically '22 or maybe even '21, but I'm including songs from the most recent project of groups that I didn't know about till this year. I'll also include links to reviews of the album featuring the song. I'll also include a link to a Spotify Playlist that includes these and favorites of the last two years. So you ready? 

Here is my list of my 20 favorite songs from '23, and yes, as usual, I'll be putting them in alphabetic order. 

1. "Behold Our God" by Sovereign Grace Music. Excellent worship song - one that we sing at Northside Baptist, and when we do, it takes a while to get that one out of my head.
2. "Eden" by Amy Shreve. Her newest song, and it's among my favorites by her. I've had the honor of hearing her and her husband Gary Wixtrom several times in the past.
3. "Falling Stars" by I Am The Pendragon. It's been a pleasure getting to know guitarist/lead vocalist Jerrod Cunningham this year, and enjoyed hearing them at Kingdom Come Festival. Album Review Link
4. "Forever" by Divine Martyr. A cover of the Kari Jobe song, and I like this version better. I had the privilege of hearing them this year at Kingdom Come Festival, though I don't think they did this during their set.
5. "From The Silence" (Acoustic Version) by Battled. Artist Interview Link (I'm including the  interview link because I didn't do an album review, but also they're one of the few musicians I've interviewed this year).
6. "Heartbreak Embrace" by Eyes Aflame. Excellent rock song. They opened their set at Kingdom Come Festival, and Sarah Shue's singing on this song completely blew me away. Album Review Link
7. "I Know The One Who Knows" by The Chigger Hill Boys and Terri. Yes, a Southern Gospel song (or more technically Christian Bluegrass) made it into the list! 
8. "I Stand" by Crimson Overtone. This is probably older than their Assimilate EP; definitely a song I listen to when I need encouragement. I hear a little of them at The Pit Fest. 
9. "Not The End" by Eyes Aflame. Another song that takes a day or two to get out of my mind. See album review on entry 7.
10. "Orchestrate" by TheoTerran. I don't believe this is a single from their self-titled album, but it's my favorite from that project. They performed at Kingdom Come Festival, but I didn't get to hear them because I left early. :'( Hope to hear them next year. See album review on entry 1.
11. "Red" by Raviner. Great song! I don't think they did this during their Kingdom Come Festival set (I could be wrong), but it's an excellent song. Album Review Link
12. "Relief" by Taken Under. I first heard it live last year at the Get To The Point Festival, when the band was calling themselves "Tempus Unum."
13. "Rise And Reclaim" by I Am The Pendragon. Probably the hardest song on this year's list. Link to their album review on entry 4: Isn't "The Castle Of Lost Hope" a great title and concept? See album review 
14. "Say Goodbye" by Reclaim The Day. It was on the '22 EP "Psalms," but was released as a single this year. Great song, and a cool video as well. Album Review Link
15. "Show Me How To Live" by Rusty Shipp. Great song and excellent lyrics. I heard them at Kingdom Come Festival this year, though I don't think they did this or my other favorite song. This song isn't on their most recent release. 
16. "The Sword" by True Revival. On my lists, I avoid telling my rankings, but on this list, I'll mention that this was my favorite song this year. Of course, since it's about the Word of God... Album Review Link
17. "True Revival" by True Revival. Hmm... both the song name and the band sound familiar. Could it be because they're also the above song? I had the honor of hearing them twice this year, including the Pit Fest. By the way, if you want to see their album review link...
18. "Us And Them" by Rusty Shipp. Yes, I mentioned them a couple of entries before. This song is from their most recent album. Album Review Link
19. "WarCry" by TheoTerran. First song I heard by them, and it's one that often sticks in my head. Album Review Link 
20. "Your Love" by BRVVE. I got to hear her do this live at Kingdom Come Festival.

If you want to listen to them, they are on this playlist, starting at #33: Favorites '21-'25 

And speaking of playlists, next week I'll have a blog on what Spotify decided were my top 100 songs for 2023! 

ALBUM REVIEW - THEOTERRAN BY THEOTERRAN

 

One thing I enjoy - albums that are best enjoyed listening to it in its entirity from beginning to end. Some of these are concept albums, some are not. I've listened to two great projects in the past few weeks that fit this category: "Dark Side Of The Ocean" by Rusty Shipp and Theoterran's self-titled debut project. I reviewed the former recently, and have the honor of focusing on the other now.

This project has a great opening in "Gates Of TheoTerra."  and continues to the end ten songs later with "Undefeated." Before listening to this, I was acquainted with their first two singles "WarCry" and "Empty" (both are on this album). The former is a song that has been repeating in my mind the past few days, and I was excited to hear its opening when I got to that point. Their newest single, "Static," is also a solid song, as is "Reanimate."

However, I definitely have a favorite. "Orchestrate" caught my attention from the beginning of the song.

I highly recommend this project. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube, as well as their homepage and their FaceBook page.