Music

Christian music pioneers, the Newsboys, released a new album Tuesday called "God's Not Dead," and will begin the "The Story Tour" in promotion of the record starting in January and running through May on a 65 city tour.

This is the band's first worship album since 2004.

The album features a few new worship songs as well. more >>

The 45th annual Country Music Awards honored the best country artists of 2011 Wednesday night in Nashville, Tenn.

Awards went to superstars such as Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and The Band Perry – among dozens of others.

The evening saw performances by Blake Shelton, who opened alongside "Footloose" singer Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, and The Zac Brown Band – who was joined by Gregg Allman – as well as many other performances by today’s leading country artists. more >>

San Antonio's Abandon joined the Christian rock community in 2002 and have risen meteorically ever since. Begun as a church worship band, they're now ministering to the mainstream with catchy, openly spiritual rock singles.

Control, the group's sophomore album, saw release in April and has since reached all manner of music fans with its danceable rhythms and high energy. The especially infectious "Live It Out," an upbeat alternative rock anthem, has infiltrated The Food Network's “Food Network Challenge” and ESPN's “SportsCenter” as well as its 2011 Espy Awards.

In an interview with The Christian Post, lead vocalist and guitarist Josh Engler explains how courting crossover appeal has been his band's objective all along. Speaking before a gig Tuesday night in Ohio, the singer said Abandon testifies on each and every tour date for the Lord. more >>

San Diego's As I Lay Dying has weathered over a decade in the heavy metal underground. Through it all, they've remained dedicated defenders of Christianity and written music that slams as hard as their secular peers. Their latest release, Decas, drives this point home with a mosh pit ministry that should appeal to sinners and saints alike.

Decas does this by diving into As I Lay Dying's dominance of the Christian metal community and never looking back. Releasing tomorrow, it's a compilation album collecting the band's latest B-sides along with remixes, medleys and covers likely to court controversy among the converted.

"I don't think the label ‘Christian band’ or ‘Christian heavy metal band’ makes any sense, and those that embrace that label likely have made a contradictory connection in their mind," Jordan Mancino, the band's drummer, told The Christian Post in an interview. "Christianity is something more than a product and shouldn't be associated with one." more >>

San Diego's As I Lay Dying formed in 2000 and has since morphed into one of heavy metal's most popular bands. Named after William Faulkner's classic 1930 novel, the quintet's upcoming Nov. 8 release, Decas, is a compilation celebrating over a decade of the band's storied history.

The group gave listeners their first taste of bludgeoning breakdowns and soaring harmonies on 2001's Beneath the Encasing of Ashes. Subsequent releases courted new fans, and their last effort, 2010's The Powerless Rise, reached No. 10 on Billboard's Top 200 chart.

The group has found such success while remaining open about their Christianity. In a genre known for its secularism, As I Lay Dying stands out from the crowd by spreading God's message in mosh pits. In an interview with The Christian Post, drummer Jordan Mancino gave details about Decas and doing right by the divine. more >>

Rihanna has been sidelined by the flu in Sweden, and has had to cancel her Malmo, Sweden, concert to tend to her illness last night.

The singer was hooked up to an IV drip in a Swedish hospital, and according to her Live Nation rep said the performance was canceled because Rihanna wasn't "in condition to conduct the concert."

Rihanna apologized to her fans via Twitter, "Sorry Malmo!" attaching a picture of the IV in her arm as evidence of her sickness. more >>