In a nutshell: The downturn in Christian music's adult-contemporary market has made it tough for pure-pop singers to get their foot in the door, but that's not stopping Avalon's Melissa Greene. Her second release, Next Step, sidesteps current worship trends in favor of unabashed pop, right in step with the music of CCM's last-standing pop diva, Natalie Grant. A top-notch vocalist, Greene is not much of a tunesmith, but she calls on some of the best hired guns in Nashville—including Cindy Morgan, Matthew West, Bernie Herms, Sam Mizell—for an album that recalls the glory days of faith-based AC/pop. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
—By Andree Farias