Top 10 Christian Singer-Songwriter Spotlight - Pt. 1
Picture Credit: Manuel Asturias
You can see them now. Pen and pad on a side table, well-loved acoustic guitar across their lap, an overstuffed couch, an orchid on the window-sill.
Singer-songwriters are the bards of the age. Often placing their lyrics in an intimate musical setting, they are the story-weavers, the ones you listen in especially close to glean what their words hold.
From Leonard Cohen to Neil Young, from Joni Mitchell to Paul Simon, our historical moment is building off of a continued era of pioneers who have stood up on a stage, with naught but 6-six strings and their voice to back them, and told us what our hearts and theirs look like.
We have the gift of a crowd of sagely, humorous, empathetic followers of Jesus who have put to music and melody what life with God looks like.
In a genre where the core elements are so consistent, it is an incredible moment to connect with an artist who says an ancient thing in a fresh way.
That is what you will get here – below you will find your next favorite Christian Singer-Songwriter!
In this article you’ll dive into:
The Top 10 Christian Singer-Songwriters
Recommended album to start with for each
Our favorite lines from each songwriter
How their work impacted us as musicians
Hop onto your streaming platform of choice, and let’s go meet our lineup.
Top 10 Singer-Songwriters
You asked for it, and here it is – the compilation of singer-songwriters who are writing the odes of the faith.
These are the artists we have gone to when we need someone to articulate our story back to us. When we haven’t had the words, when we’ve needed reminders, these are the pathfinders who have helped us along.
Not in a ranked order:
Zach Winters
Sandra McCracken
Andy Squyres
John Lucas
Sara Groves
Taylor Armstrong
Jon Foreman
Andrew Peterson
Tyson Motsenbocker
Jess Ray
We want you to get to dive into these friends, so here is a playlist of these artists for you.
Shall we make some introductions?
(1) Zach Winters – Tropical and Contemplative
Zach Winters is a guru with nylon strings.
This singer-songwriter and self-producer has crafted some of the most porcelain works of thoughtful art I have come across.
Centered around the gentle warmth of his Spanish-guitar-rich fabrics and lilting vocal stacks, Winters makes songs in hope of Christ’s redemptive summer.
Like many on this list, Winters has been at his craft for a while. He has released 6 full-length works (including his recent Other Side A and B). All of his work has come out of his own household.
This connection to home and family flavors his music – it has a close, magical feel. Home is where your imagination can run wild, and where you can be known. His songs will give you both of these gifts.
I met Winters’ music in the dorm room of my dear friend and fellow songwriter, Schuyler Kitchin, over a vinyl of his record, Monarch. When I was far from home in another country, Winters’ music was what reminded me of where I belonged, and Who was with me.
Also, Abby and I are excited to be opening for Zach this coming Fall on some of his East Coast tour!
Winters is one of our top suggestions because of his poetic lyrics, unique voice, and original arrangements. His music is anything but staid and recycled!
Recommended Starter Album: Love Is a Garden
Favorite Lyrics: “Monarch”, “SLO”, “To the Well”
Impact on us as musicians: Zach is a quaint party. Sometimes his music is saturated in emotive strings and harmonies, at other times you feel like you are reclining on a balcao in the summer heat. But his central influence has been his dedication to the core of a song.
Winters begins his recording by taking the vocals and central instrument. He builds everything around that, meaning that he makes sure his production doesn’t overshadow the heart of the song.
Winters playing “Give thanks” in sunny Mexico.
(2) Sandra McCracken - For Soul and Congregation
McCracken is a quiet pillar of Christian music. You may recognize her name from her acclaimed worship song, “We Will Feast in the House of Zion”, but she is so much more than that!
Sometimes sculpting moments of tender, folksy reflection, sometimes bringing you along in a Country-adjacent driving song, McCracken truly embodies “Christian Singer-Songwriter”. She is a devoted follower of Jesus who processes God’s promises through her art.
It seems her songs are occasionally a mirror she holds in front of herself, at other times they are a lantern she holds out for Christ’s bride.
For me, her songs were an anchor for my very tired and anxious heart when I was abroad. I remember waking up alone in India needing Jesus to be the tiptoes walking on the threshold of the day.
Her record, Songs from the Valley, was a balm. Gently swelling atmosphere, her voice singing with a tenuously confident hope, and the deftly clever production captured me.
I trust it will do the same for you!
Recommended Starter Album: Songs from the Valley
Favorite Lyrics: “Letting Go”, “Fools Gold”, “We Will Feast”
Impact on us as musicians: McCracken makes music that slots into so many moments of our faith journey. I have heard her on a road-trip, on a Sunday morning, and in lonely moments. She has faithfully crafted the works that have crossed into her life, and the diversity of seeds that have come have prospered in many different fields. We similarly would love to make music that would fit in all of these spaces.
Live version of “We Will Feast”.
(3) Andy Squyres – Top Lyricist Suggestion
The most recent find for us, but by no means a new artist, pastor-poet-songwriter Andy Squyres doesn’t pull any punches.
Having garnered a dedicated following on social media for his pungent devotional writing–often following the school of John the Baptist in its sass and candor–Squyres writes to show the downcast Jesus.
Squyres began writing and sharing songs out of a season of tremendous congregational grief. His church experienced a great loss. Following the model of many poet-sages of the faith, Squyres prayed by bringing pen to paper.
His lyrics are a mixture between stunning turns-of-phrase, gut-wrenching elusions, and soul-anchoring truths. While every artist on this list has authored lines par-excellence, we’ll feature more than one “favorite” lyric from Squyres below.
Interestingly, Andy Squyres keeps quite close association with Indie-Folk giant, John Mark McMillan, through McMillan’s label, Lionhawk Records.
Squyres isn’t just a deft pen – his voice is aching, timeless, and mature. You’ll find balanced production enveloping his melodies, and will keep coming back for more.
Recommended Starter Album: Poet Priest (also check out his “Voice Memos” version!)
Favorite Lyrics: “Dead Horses”, “Kingfisher”, “Your Bring the Morning”
Impact on us as musicians: Squyres’ lyrics have shocked us into inspiration. His tensioned embrace of trauma and redemption is both galling and grounding. Squyres has looked into the belly of darkness and seen Christ rise victorious. We are excited to write lines that do the same.
Lyric video for “Dead Horses”.
(4) John Lucas - Most Gentle Sound
John Lucas sings cutting truths gently. Equally at home in the singer-songwriter and folk crowds, this delicate crooner has a whispering voice and poetic lines.
His North Carolinian lineage lends his writing a sometimes-twang. The aesthetic and subject matter makes you want to listen closely, and most of his songs would be equally suited to closing your eyes on a Sunday afternoon or a montage scene in a movie.
He writes on family, forgiveness, quiet love, regionalism and religiosity.
Frankly, I had seen his name pop up in my Spotify playlists for years before I really gave his music a chance. Typing him as “another breathy Indie guy”, I missed that this was an artist who was dishing out pearls.
His Bible Belt Sessions Vol. 1 is a masterpiece. The arrangements are well balanced, lyrics fresh, and his voice perfectly suited throughout. It is an expert example of melody, subject matter, and music woven together in a seamless relationship.
Recommended Starter Album: The Bible Belt Sessions, Vol. 1
Favorite Lyrics: “Stained Glass”, “Come Judgement Day”
Impact on us as musicians: John writes from his locale, into his locale. We want to do the same.
“Stained Glass” played out in the open.
(5) Sara Groves - Setting the Standard
Sara Groves is going fourteen albums strong!
Her songwriting is a paragon of honed excellence. In a culture that prizes the quick rise of stardom, Groves is a testament to consistent excellence.
I first became exposed to her through the Rabbit Room podcast (the Rabbit Room being the brainchild of Andrew Peterson, featured in Part Two of this article…coming soon), where she and acclaimed producer/songwriter Ben Shives talked about the dynamic between songwriter and music producer.
She talked about songwriting as the act of collecting and noticing. Being vigilant to have eyes open to life and the Lord, then returning to the page and melody to spin those elements into a work of beauty.
She doesn’t just make her own work, Sara and her husband have also founded Art House North, a creative collective in their hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Have both ears open and mind engaged when you check her work out! She’ll drop a wealth of gems.
Recommended Starter Album: Conversations (older) / What Makes It Through (newer)
Favorite Lyrics: “Rendezvous”, “Cheshire Cat”, “Scientists in Japan”
Impact on us as musicians: Groves has kept at it. In a career that seems so flash-in-the-pan for many creators, she is an inspiration in how she has continued to show up as an artist and fuel others to do the same.
Groves playing “Blessed Be the Tie”
If you’re still hungry . . .
Check out part two of this article (coming soon). From church music to holy angst, from a rock-star’s gentler side to song titles befitting a subreddit heading, you’ll find more friends who have put our story of faith into song.
If you’ve liked the artists above, we think you would enjoy our music as well! While our sound spans from Indie-Folk to Alt-Rock, our lyrics are firmly situated in the singer-songwriter tradition.
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We also have compiled our favorite singer-songwriters into this playlist, for your listening pleasure!