I don’t know when, but sometime in the last few years singing the Psalms has become much more important to me. Maybe it’s because, while there are good Christian songs being written, so much of what passes for worship/praise music is incredibly shallow, maybe it’s because I want to express all that the Psalms express. NT Wright wrote a book explaining why the Psalms are important, he argues that immersion in them begins to really shape our minds & heart to that of the Bible’s perspective on God, life, people, etc.
I thought I’d share some of the music I’ve found, I haven’t bought all of this, but I’ve bought some, sampled others & found more on youtube/grooveshark. I’ll update as I find more things worth mentioning.
- Psalters: This website is dedicated to psalters, which stick pretty strictly to the Psalms text. They sell books, cds & mp3s. I recommend getting an mp3 album because the midi files are terrible to have to sing to. They also offer a free song of the (every other if they’re paying attention) month. Generally these are the most singable, if not the prettiest of what I’ve found.
- From the River to the Ends of the Earth: I think this is a little bit of a compilation, but it’s beautiful and singable. They are not ‘psalter’ types, but the freedom they take with the Psalms is bent towards glorifying Christ as they see him foreshadowed in the Psalms.
- Sons of Korah: not surprisingly, this group focuses on the Psalms. I like the variety of styles, I’m not sure they’re all great for non-professional singing. I also like that they stick pretty close to the text of the Psalms. Also, the newer albums (like Refuge/Shelter) seem to have better guitar, on some of the older songs the guitar is real squeaky as he changes chords. You can listen to complete songs on grooveshark or samples on their website. Their partner website appears to be the only place you can buy mp3s but fyi, their albums run around $20.
- Sovereign Grace Music: I recommend this group in general. Their Psalms album is good.
- Psalms by Shane & Shane: Despite the title, this isn’t entirely taken from the Psalms, but reviews indicate it’s mostly scripture based (I’ve listened to a couple songs on Grooveshark).