JesusfreakHideout.com: Highlighting 2014 Part One -- Looking Ahead To New Music In The First Half of 2014

For our 8th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Each list contains 15 artists/releases for a total of 30 in total for 2014. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting First-Half 2014!

4 of 15

#4. NEEDTOBREATHE
Rivers In The Wasteland

Release Date: April 15, 2014

Ever since I saw these guys open for Jars of Clay before releasing their sophomore album The Heat, I've been a believer in NEEDTOBREATHE's incredible talent. Their latest has been a long time coming and, after finally being gifted with a chance to hear it, I can confidently say Rivers In The Wasteland has been worth the wait.
- John DiBiase

I'm pretty glad this band has become a perennial favorite these days. The new track I heard live last summer was quite promising, and everything else afterwards has followed suit. Needless to say, this was an easy pick for the 2014 list.
- Roger Gelwicks

Another album I've been anticipating that saw some delays is finally arriving for a spring release. If the first songs we've heard are any indication, expect even more rootsy, folksy Americana goodness from the NEEDTOBREATHE boys. This should be worth the wait.
- Jen Rose

These fellows from Possum Kingdom, South Carolina have not put out a bad album yet, and the early returns from Wasteland are promising. "Difference Maker" is a chilling tune that has closed their shows for more than a year now, and it's available now. The harmonies offered on this song, and the lyrics about making a difference in this world, are worth the price of admission by themselves. A band like this, that can effortlessly straddle multiple genres, is a treasure. Long live the Rhinehart brothers.
- Alex "Tincan" Caldwell

NEEDTOBREATHE has firmly established themselves as one of the Christian Music industry's finest crossover acts, and now with four excellent albums under their belts, calling them "veterans" is becoming more accurate with each passing day. Any new material from the South Carolina trio is welcome and worth getting excited about.
- Mark Rice

It's been a pleasure to watch NEEDTOBREATHE grow with every album. While many bands follow the formula, this one pushes it, so I'm eager to hear the latest results.
- Mark Geil

NEEDTOBREATHE is one of those bands that never had any trouble catching on in the mainstream. Why? Because there's something about their music that people connect with. It's been three years since the band's last full-length release and it will be interesting to see how they've changed. One thing is guaranteed though- they never let us down.
- John "Flip" Choquette

Visit our NEEDTOBREATHE page for more information about them...