Casting Crowns w/ Corrie Carlson

More so than most bands whose albums regularly reach gold- and platinum-level sales, Casting Crowns enjoy the luxury of a career on their own terms. In fact, those terms are vital to their success. The co-ed septet has been a mainstay on Christian pop radio since the group's 2003 self-titled national debut, which launched a string of moderately rocking hits squarely aimed at their base. When they're not touring, recording or writing, the band members work positions in youth ministry at the Baptist church they all attend near Atlanta. Were it not for the group's encounters with kids and their parents, relating their shared faith to each other and the rest of the world, they'd have none of their songs. Of course, it helps that those songs are often as catchy as anything Ryan Seacrest is counting down on Sunday mornings. Beaver Dam native/Chicago transplant Corrie Carlson adds her own spins on praise and worship, building on the established template of the female contemporary Christian singer with strong arrangements and production on her independently released work. (Jamie Lee Rake)