For our 7th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Normally, we select our top 25 most anticipated releases for the whole year, but we realize that it's tough to really gauge EVERYTHING that may release throughout a given year when we're making the list in January. So, for 2012, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December, and we're using this format again for 2013. Also, each list contains 15 artists/releases for a total of 30 in total for 2013. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting First-Half 2013!

	11 of 15   #11. Hawk Nelson Made Release Date: April 2, 2013 After the departure of former frontman Jason Dunn, the remaining Hawk boys decided to keep going. As a staple in CCM nowadays, it'll be interesting to see what this new Hawk Nelson will bring to the table.         - Cortney Warner What will a lead vocalist switch mean for this talented band? I have no idea, but I hope their new freedom on this album will include a refined spin on their more pop/punk sound.         - Nathaniel Schexnayder Can Hawk Nelson survive the loss of frontman Jason Dunn? We're about to find out. Let's hope the lighthearted pop rock/punk never stops.         - Timothy Estabrooks Who knows what will happen to Hawk Nelson with a new singer at the helm on what could be a make-or-break album for the band's future. It's likely that fans of the band will stick with them and love the album, but I'm not sold just yet. Time will tell where Hawk Nelson will go from here.         - Michael Weaver The buzz surrounding Hawk Nelson's newest album, Made, has largely centered around the departure of longtime front man, Jason Dunn. Yet, what's been lost in all of the noise, has been the exceptional talent of new lead singer, Jonathan Steingard. His work as Fox Run and The Natural Anthem produced some of the most enjoyable solo releases of the last decade prior to his involvement with Hawk Nelson. Is this the same band? No. Will Made be great? No doubt.         - John "Flip" Choquette Visit our Hawk Nelson page for more information about them... 2013 Countdown: 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 ©January, 2013 Jesusfreakhideout.com