The Hymn CD List

In the creation of The Heavy-Laden's Top 50 Hymns list, I struggled with the question - "What qualifies as a hymn?" Technically, the definition is much more broader than the one I use. Most hymn definitions are simply "a song praising God." Well, if that was the criterion I used, I'd need 100,000 more CDs to listen to. So I narrowed it down. Plus, I think there is a lyrical style difference between what I would call a hymn and what I would call a praise song. So, with that in mind, I also took a couple more tough stances: 1.) any hymn ranked must be on a CD that contains primarily other hymns, ruling out great ones such as Psalm 131 by Waterdeep, and 2.) I must own the hymn on CD, which unfortunately probably rules out some great ones, but I can't rank what I don't have. So...here are the CDs that I used to make the rankings that will follow this post:

Indelible Grace I
Indelible Grace II - Pilgrim Days
Indelible Grace III - For all the Saints
Indelible Grace IV - Beams of Heaven
Indelible Grace V - Wake Thy Slumbering Children
Red Mountain Church - Depth of Mercy
Red Mountain Church - Heaven
Red Mountain Church - The Gadsby Project
Red Mountain Church - Help My Unbelief
Red Mountain Church - This Breaks My Heart of Stone
Sandra McCracken - The Builder and the Architect
Matthew Smith - Even When My Heart is Breaking
Matthew Smith - All I Owe
Matthew Smith - My Song Is Love Unknown
Auburn RUF - Love Unknown
Jars Of Clay - Redemption Songs

While I may be missing some good ones, I feel confident that the above list encapsulates the very best of what is offered today. If anyone knows of a CD I should add to my collection that fits the lyrical style of music in the CDs above, feel free to comment.