John to sing Christmas Classics on TBN Dec. 22

[sue d.]

John's low register is awesome; He gets no credit for it and should.

I agree totally. He doesn't sing in the lower end that often because it's not his 'comfort zone.' In other words, his voice is more powerful in the higher end, where he can blast it out full force. And that's where he likes to be.

But he's great with the lower register, as exe said.

I really think John should record a Christmas album. It would make a nice addition to my Petra/John Schlitt collection.

He really thinks so too!

[Jan]

I really think John should record a Christmas album. It would make a nice addition to my Petra/John Schlitt collection.

He really thinks so too!

Awesome. I hope he does What Child is This. I love that song, and after he learns the words he could do it better than anyone I've heard.

[rossistheboss]

Wow... John Schlitt is a personal hero of mine. He has been for 20 years. (as well as the rest of petra)

O Holy Night also happens to be my favorite Christmas songs....

However, sadly I must say that this is probably the worst version of O Holy Night I have ever heard.
John's voice belongs on a metal/rock album. He is no Josh Groban. I know i'm gonna get tarred and feathered for this... but this is just my opinion.

There is a whole slew of people put there that would eat up another John Schlitt ROCK or Metal album, and he should be promoted and marketed that way, his voice is nice and scratchy and ready to roll. Just one man's opinion

[sue d.]

Hey Ross! haven't seen you around here in a long time....

Listen to THIS version - very rough - might be more your cup o tea: http://johnwschlitt.com/fans/index2.htm

(for some reason I can't get the FB code to post here... YouTube has it blocked for some reason)

[Jan]

He is no Josh Groban.

Thank God for that!!

There is a whole slew of people put there that would eat up another John Schlitt ROCK or Metal album,

Yep, I'm one of those. But I like the Christmas songs too. Maybe he will do BOTH!

[sue d.]

Maybeeeee!

[brent]

Why metal? Metal in Christian music is dead. Few would buy it. Rock covers a wider demographic.

Whatever it is, it needs to be written by someone outside the Nashville scene. Gosh I am so sick of the tunes and tones coming from that town. Go to LA or NY and get the vibe if you have to. Get tunes written by someone from the outside. Get tunes that capture the emotion and style that John is known for. I don't know everything. But I know when music fits the singer and the singer is into it.

[brent]

Why metal? Metal in Christian music is dead. Few would buy it. Rock covers a wider demographic.

Whatever it is, it needs to be written by someone outside the Nashville scene. Gosh I am so sick of the tunes and tones coming from that town. Go to LA or NY and get the vibe if you have to. Get tunes written by someone from the outside. Get tunes that capture the emotion and style that John is known for. I don't know everything. But I know when music fits the singer and the singer is into it.

[separateunion]

Why metal? Metal in Christian music is dead. Few would buy it. Rock covers a wider demographic.

Right. That's why Christian bands pretty much dominate the metal scene right now.

[trodLAN]

There are a lot of Christian "metal" bands out there, so how can you say this music is dead?
Many old bands are gone, but many new band have risen. Not many are successful, but at least they're around.

[brent]

I guess you must quantify what Christian, dominate and success really means. I am looking at metal sales, and I don't see any real Christian bands in the Top10. So I would not call that dominating. Stryper is probably the biggest "Christian" metal band (though I would not call them metal by today's standards). They aren't exactly tearing it up. They had to cancel shows last tour, attendance was low, and sales of their last two records have been less than stellar.

Look guys, if John based his decisions on the number of people here that would actually buy it, he might sell 100 CDs, and that is from his hardcore, loyal fan base. We are not the norm. You have to look at the global picture. How many people in the world will pay for a John (or other Christian artist's) record? One trend that we can see is that album sales have been slowing to a crawl for John, etc.

Personally, I thought that The Grafting was where he ought to be. I told him so. It worked for Rod Stewart. John has a similar voice and aging audience. Honestly, I think that he should have sold more and booked more shows. It is a good product, has a good message, and John presents it well. Maybe if he had a machine behind him, it would have been bigger. Who knows?

One time he told me that if someone wrote him a 70s rock album, he would jump on it in a second. This is where his heart is. He would really shine on it, because it is HIS genre, HIS era. Riding on the Head East coat-tails is not a way to go. Few people give a crap about that band now. It has become a parody of itself. But, capturing the element of one or two of those arrangements might be a draw for some people. Personally, I don't like John's voice on metal. Give him some rock, and that is a good match.

[brent]

Trod....what new bands are there on the charts playing 80s and 90s metal that people associate with Petra's past? None. The new metal is not very musical. I am not hearing timeless music on the Christian metal side of things. Nothing that will stand up to the past. All this is coming from older ears. But, I believe it to be true. Christian thrash, death, punk, etc metal is just crap for the most part. There is a reason some of these bands can't last playing 200 seat shows. Few care.

[rossistheboss]

When i said "metal", maybe i was going a bit overboard. I really meant just solid rock. Jekyll and Hyde was great for him. "Rock" in itself is just not popular these days. Today, pop music that appeals to young club-hopping women who suck down martinis is what's in. Katy Perry, Lady Gag-Me, etc. Rock has taken a huge back seat. And don't get me started on the CCM scene. It's jaw droppingly awful. I live here in Nashville and know a couple people who work for Lifeway books and 94FM The Fish and apparently its just a sad story when it comes to how they dismiss raw talent in place of "family friendly" neutral pop worship music.

Anyyyywayyysss.... I think John should stick to his strength, which is Rock. Christmas songs just don't suit him. Unless he wants to belt out "little drummer boy" like Whiteheart did (if u havent heard that version, its amazing). Even if he's only selling 1,000 CDs, at least he's doing what he's good at.

This is just one man's opinion. I love John and always will.

[trodLAN]

So called "Christian metal" is popular in Norway and sweden, and the last two - three years I have been to several concerts that have an audience from 2000 to 7000 persons. I have been to Bloodgood, Stryper, Jerusalem, Narnia, HB and Demon Hunter. There is actually a "christian metal explosion" in Europe now. (Outside of nashville). You can read more here and order music: http://www.nordicmission.net/
I guess no one of these band will quickly made it to the top charts. Real heavy metal is not often in the charts anyway.

I do agree that John should do a (hard) rock album the next time.

[brent]

That's great Trod. but the facts are that the USA is what sustains most Christian musicians. A large percentage of the Christian music in those foreign markets is not really sold, but bootlegged. The revenues from the percentage that IS sold is very small by the time the checks are cut. Foreign touring is not that profitable when the shows are one offs. Talk to Sue or the Petra boys about a few of the shows where they were flat out stiffed and then did not have transportation for almost a whole day. The money is funny overseas. John will tell you this: people over seas think that it is okay to screw Christian artists. They think that it is just how it is done. So, big crowds do not equate to big money in the hands of the artists. It just means that there is a bunch of people there.