JesusfreakHideout.com: Highlighting 2017 Part One -- Looking Ahead To New Music In The First Half of 2017

For our 11th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Each list contains 10 artists/releases for a total of 20 in total for 2017. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting Second-Half 2017! (For our January to June list, click here!)

1 of 10

#1. John Mark McMillan
Mercury & Lightning

Release Date: August 4, 2017

Renowned songwriter John Mark McMillan never ceases to push the envelope, usually with varying degrees of success. As one of the few industry staples who�s willing to take risks, all of his offerings -whether sloppy and wet or unforeseen- have the potential to keep listeners intrigued.
- David Craft

Right after the presidential election, John Mark McMillan released a clip of his music video for his single "No Country," which will be featured on upcoming album Mercury & Lightning. No context was immediately given for the single, and McMillan felt content at that time to let his music speak for itself. Given the reflective nature of McMillan's music, Mercury & Lightning is poised to be one of the boldest, most somber and perhaps most controversial albums we've heard from him yet.
- Nicole Vacca

Worship releases this year have mainly continued the trend of being bland and forgettable, but hopefully it�ll all work together to make John Mark McMillan�s newest effort feel like lightning in a bottle! All the news surrounding Mercury & Lightning has been nothing if not intriguing, so the album ought to be worth discussing come release time. - Mason Hayne

With the exception of The City Harmonic's beautiful farewell album this past June, we've seen an unfortunate shortage of strong worship releases this year. With news of a new album around the corner, I trust that Mercury & Lightning will give the genre an offering it truly deserves.
- Lucas Munachen

I�ll always be grateful for a worship artist like John Mark McMillan who�s able to balance artistic integrity with unfettered honesty. And really, there�s little reason to believe Mercury & Lightning will betray our expectations, even after the long wait. It�s been established; JMM is one of the more accomplished artists working today, and his unblemished track record more than earns #1 on this list.
- Roger Gelwicks

I�ve always liked John Mark McMillan, but I�d never found myself overly excited for new material from him...until I heard Live at the Knight last year. Something about that live album sparked a greater interest in his music. If I wasn�t excited for Mercury & Lightning before, I am now!
- Scott Fryberger

John Mark McMillan is in need of breaking out of his particular sonic rut. Having seen him live last year, I can report that his songs performed live are better than the slightly more sluggish album versions. I hope Mercury & Lightning lives up to its fearsome title.
- Alex Caldwell

I was bummed last winter when I heard this album was being pushed back, because there is no worship artist out there right now who is more interesting than John Mark McMillan. I will be very surprised if Mercury & Lightning isn�t worth the wait.
- Mark Rice

Visit our John Mark McMillan page for more information about him...

2017 Countdown: July to December

10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Here are a few other artists that made our staff's individual lists that didn't quite make the top 10... Nicole Nordeman, Unspoken, Kings Kaleidoscope, Andy Mineo, K I D S, Family Force 5, Stavesacre, Tauren Wells, JGivens, The Ongoing Concept, & more!