Success breeds success, and the industry's collaborative effort has given birth to a new and improved WOW 1997. The joint effort by EMI Christian Music Group, Word Records, and Reunion Entertainment Group is a diverse sampler of contemporary tunes that include black gospel, alternative, pop, and rock. Including an overview of songs destined for radio hitland, the new double CD/cassette package features artists Anointed, Susan Ashton, Audio Adrenaline, Margaret Becker, Ray Boltz, Carman, Gary Chapman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Clay Crosse, dc Talk, Bryan Duncan, Kirk Franklin & the Family, Geoff Moore & the Distance, Jars of Clay, Aaron Jeffrey, Cindy Morgan, Rich Mullins, Newsboys, Twila Paris, Petra, Phillips Craig & Dean, PFR, Point of Grace, Rebecca St. James, Sierra, Michael W. Smith, Third Day, Wayne Watson, and CeCe Winans.
The year's top grooves and moves from WOW are highlighted in an accompanying video featuring nine hit songs such as Steven Curtis Chapman's "Lord of the Dance," Audio Adrenaline's "Never Gonna Be as Big as Jesus," and Carman's righteous dance-a-thon "R.I.O.T." A smorgasbord of CCM talent, the WOW 1997 video also capitalizes on the popularity of Latino sensation Jaci Velasquez, rock newcomers Third Day, and alternative Aussies Rebecca St. James and the Newsboys.
Thanks to being on the Internet, this year's WOW 1997 will no doubt reach an even larger audience than Wow 1996 and surpass the previous project's sales. The CD versions of the songs are enhanced, providing interactive text and graphics from each of the 30 artists participating. The CDs are compatible with most Windows-based computers (Macintosh-users unfortunately miss out on this particular function). Buyers may link directly to the Internet with 15 free hours on America Online/Christianity Online. A Web site (http://www.wow1997.com) features artist biographies, sound bites, video clips, and album covers.
The WOW format uses the same concept from EMI UK's top-performing series of radio singles in Britain called NOW: That'sWhat I Call Music. The British version went five times platinum in nine weeks. Now, that's what I call success, and Wow 1997 could do the same with its fantastic sampling of talent.
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