AC ROC K Cindy Morgan Bows & Arrows (Lucid Artist) FOR FANS OF: Amy Grant, Susan Ashton, JJ Heller QQQQ Jon Foreman The Wonderlands: Darkness (lowercase people) FOR FANS OF: Ben Rector, Switchfoot, Josh Garrels QQQQ Between her own career as one of Christian music’s most thought-provoking troubadours and penning hits for artists as widespread as Amy Grant, India.Arie and Rascal Flatts, it’s always a given that Cindy Morgan has something of substance to say. Her latest individual offering continues on a path of meaty messages told with the eloquence of a poet, alongside an increasing affinity for earthy, bluegrass-tinted arrangements that are both casual and comforting. Even though the production is stripped down compared to her pop star past, Bows & Arrows is far from a sleeper, but rather shoots straight for the heart of the matter (“Can’t Help Yourself,” “Unbroken,” “Do You Know Jesus?”) propelled by Morgan’s warm and often times chilling vocal delivery. In the third installment of his Wonderlands collection, Jon Foreman continues his “opus of light and darkness” with the EP titled Darkness. Despite its name, this short set doesn’t play like a musical dirge, rather, keeping the Wonderlands tradition alive with sonically diverse sensations and ongoing brilliance. Lyrically and vocally, songs like “Larger Than Life” bark a Switchfoot- like timbre, but the undertow of Foreman’s new musical direction continuously pulls the listener into uncharted, but welcome waters. Like an island, “June & Johnny” is a perfect interlude within this seven-song offering, and features Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek fame. “Inner Peace” is the culmination of what sets Jon Foreman apart, as the vulnerability and emotion experienced in his vocal performance seems to connect with our very own inner voices and cries. –Andy Argyrakis WE LIKE: “Unbroken” –Kevin Sparkman WE LIKE: “She Said” CCMMagazine.com