This weeks premieres feature a rapper from the streets of Philadelphia and a worship leader from Missouri.

Up-and-coming Slanted Records recording artist Caleb Rowden offers pop/rock music that is culturally relevant – music birthed out of his own life experiences and his love for worship. Based out of Columbia, Missouri, this 23 year old singer/songwriter fell in love with Christian music as a child playing drums in church. That love grew as he traveled with his sisters, honing his talents which include singing, songwriting and playing guitar.

Now traveling with his own band, Caleb’s music has been compared to that of Jeremy Camp and Steven Curtis Chapman with elements of Coldplay. His debut was produced by Dan Needham (Stacie Orrico, Steven Curtis Chapman) and Kevan Cyka (REM, Hilary Duff). Caleb seeks to live out his messages in his daily life as well as through his own missions organization Wisdom’s Cry Ministries, which reaches out internationally to help those in need.

As a successful producer that has worked with tobyMac, GRITS, Out Of Eden, DJ Maj and several others, it’s time for Liquid to enter the role of a recording artist. It’s been a long road from “The Badlands”, the name given to his neighbourhood in Northern Philadelphia that is now also the title of his debut release on Gotee Records.

Drawing from a vast, deliciously eclectic array of musical influences, Liquid succeeds right off the bat in creating a unique language of aural expression, effortlessly blending Latino-tinged R&B, old-school hip-hop, and 1970s soul with rock, jazz, reggae, and even flamenco melodies over the course of a dozen freshly baked tracks that lyrically embody the complex realities of the streets via deft poetry and stark, eye-opening storytelling.

Free From Ordinary is introductory priced at $14.99 for a limited time at participating Canadian Christian retailers while Tales From The Badlands is permantely priced at $17.99. Visit HearItFirst.ca to hear audio samples from these diverse albums.