For all the hype (whether negative or positive) surrounding the Los Angeles based website Myspace.com, it’s proven to be a great place to find new bands. I’m only able to write about This Allure due to some friend-hopping and friend requests. And rest assured: this isn’t your typical Myspace band. There’s no striving to sound like the latest fad; there are no glamour photos; there’s no PR tactic to try and draw a large collection of fans. It’s just a group of guys making music—something that I believe should be the goal of every band.

With just two albums and four years under their belts since signing with Sparrow Records, the lads of Sanctus Real have already tasted more critical and popular success than most groups do over the course of their entire careers. Their major-label debut, Say It Loud, netted the Toledo foursome two Dove nominations, Best New Artist honors from CCM Magazine and the highest first-week sales figures for any debut rock album in the Sparrow catalog. And rightly so, given its irresistible amalgamation of guitar-driven classic rock and tuneful modern pop. Likewise, the five Top 20 songs from the Modern Rock Album of the Year-winning sophomore outing, Fight the Tide, were most surely a product of that record’s heightened musical and lyrical diversity and the band’s escalating proficiency with studio technology.

Before he became an MTV personality and punch line for late-night talk show hosts, Sean "Puffy/Puff Daddy/P.Diddy/Diddy" Combs was the Midas of mainstream hip-hop. Known best for introducing the world outside of New York to iconic emcee Biggie Smalls, Combs dropped a hit album of his own while producing tracks for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey among others, and earned a reputation as one of the industry's top hit-makers. Virtually every project caressed by Puff's digits, it seemed, turned instantly to gold.

If one were trying purposely to minimize their chances of success in the music business, they could, say, try to convince the members of Iron Maiden to open for Ashley Simpson. On the other hand, they might hire Celine Dion to sing a few cuts on an Anthrax tribute album. Truly daring souls could always ring up the boys in Metallica and ask them to write a tune for Hilary Duff's next Lizzie McGuire movie. As unlikely, and some might say unholy, as the aforementioned alliances seem in theory, such cross-pollination of wildly varying musical genres does indeed take place from time to time.

I’ve tried to buy an Iron and Wine CD on several occasions. Yet each time, I read something in the lyrics that discourages me, because it’s something I don’t wish to have playing through my mind. Of course, I can always buy individual tracks, but I’m still a child of the ‘90s—still delighted and dazzled by an entire CD in physical form.

For folk artist Jamie Barnes, I’ll make an exception to my silly rule. He cites Iron and Wine as an influence, but he’s strived for his own voice and chosen to write lyrics that edify the soul. His newest project is a five-song EP—a free download from his Myspace page. It’s the first taste I’ve taken of Jamie’s work, and it leaves me salivating for more. I could complain and say this project is too short, but I’ll just have to purchase a few of his full-length projects to satisfy my craving for more music.

Many prayers have been prayed for God to open the heavens; how often have we asked Him to open up the earth? We ask for the outpouring, but are we really ready to receive? And will He open up the heavens when we haven’t first opened up to His reality?

Open Up the Earth takes the heavenly truth of the kingdom of God and brings it down to an earthly level. Not that the bringing down degrades or somehow harms the purity of this kingdom. Instead it allows us to partake of His goodness. And it allows us, as little children, to bless our Father in the here and now, for He has appeared in the here and now. It’s no longer about the “Sweet by-and-by” of heaven; God is a God of the present – of the storms, blood stains, and tear trails. He still walks the streets.

The word "genius" gets batted around far too much these days. Forget Shakespeare, Stephen Hawking and Einstein... according to Rolling Stone, Eminem qualifies. And so does Charlie Weiss, the head football coach at Notre Dame, due to his ability to call the right plays at the right time. And then there was Ray Charles, God bless his soul, who really didn't do much but marry church music with secular lyrics, and inspire a very good movie starring Jamie Foxx.