34 CCM The Year of our Lord 2010 was definitely the year of the heavy hitter. Christian music luminaries like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith released their first studio LPs in years. Perennial best-sellers and award winners like MercyMe, Third Day, Jars of Clay, Newsboys, Chris Tomlin, TobyMac and Sanctus Real also rolled out their latest. And this doesn’t touch up-and-coming acts like Tenth Avenue North, Matthew West and The Afters among them. Needless to say, it’s been a good year. The consequences, however, of having so many acts warranting the necessary hype, buzz, radio airplay and advertising is that some other releases get lost in the shuffle. Thus, to help you sort things out, CCM offers up 2010: Under The Radar to aid you in your quest for meaningful music. 34 CCM by Matt Conner The “Seriously, Thank You For Doing What You Do” Award Gungor, Beautiful Things Beautiful Things emerged in February and was widely praised across the board (including here at CCM). Still, it’s amazing how many have missed arguably the best display of songwriting in 2010. Gungor’s debut, Ancient Skies, hinted at the possibilities, but the title track, “You Have Me” and “The Earth is Yours” exhibit artists perfecting their craft. Y ea r in r ev ie w 2010: Under The radar