There was a time in my life when I basically only listened to contemporary Christian and Christian rock music. It wasn't that I had any moral issues with music that wasn't written in the service of the Holy Spirit but something about it really connected with me on a deep level. These days I am very selective about the spiritual music I listen to. I like the praise and worship conglomerates (Hillsong, Bethel Music, Elevation Worship, etc.) and I still like the kind of cerebral anti-CCM music I championed in the early 80s (Daniel Amos, the 77s, Resurrection Band, etc.).
A band I used to love in the early 80s that straddled the line between sacred and secular music was The Alpha Band. Led by former Bob Dylan & the Rolling Thunder tour members T-Bone Burnett (O Brother Where Art Thou), Daniel Mansfield and Steven Soles, they released 3 albums on the Arista label that became immediately obscured as potential fans scratched their heads, perhaps overwhelmed by the uncompromising originality the group displayed in their music but even more so with their lyrics, which were keenly observational, tastefully adding just enough religion into the mix to not scare anyone off while providing the faithful with some deep thoughts to ponder.
I've looked for The Alpha Band several times in the years since I've used Spotify and today I got lucky...I don't know when their 3 records were added but they are there now and I plan on refamiliarizing myself with their awesome catalog during the next few days.
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