Medals is the second studio album by Christian singer - songwriter Russ Taff, released in 1985 on Myrrh/Word Records.
CCM Magazine regarded Medals as a true pop 1980s CCM album and listed it at number 36 in their 2001 book The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. It would be a breakthrough album and much more improved from his 1983 debut Walls of Glass. Songs like "Silent Love," "I'm Not Alone" and "Here I Am" were all Top 10 hits.
Taff won a Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year for Medals and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance, Male for Medals. The album climbed to number two on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and became a best seller throughout the year and into 1986. Music videos were made for "I'm Not Alone" and "Not Gonna Bow" to promote the album, with the former being nominated for a Dove Award in 1987 for Short Form Music Video of the Year. Produced by Jack Joseph Puig and Russ Taff.
Track listing
1. Vision (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, Chris Eaton, Chrissie Grossman Puig) -4:09
2. I'm Not Alone (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, Elizabeth Janz, Paul Janz) -4:19
3. Medals (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, Jonathan Sweet, Rodney Trott) -4:43
4. Not Gonna Bow (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, James Newton Howard, Michael Landau) -3:51
5. Here I Am (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, Chris Eaton) -4:11
6. I've Come Too Far (Roby Duke, James Hollihan, Jr.) -5:28
7. Silent Love (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, Elizabeth Janz, Paul Janz, Chrissie Grossman Puig, Robbie Buchanan) -4:45
8. How Much it Hurts (Russ Taff, Tori Taff, Chris Eaton) -4:05
9. Rock Solid (Tori Taff, James Hollihan, Jr. Raymond Brown) -4:08
10. God Only Knows (Pam Mark Hall, James Hollihan, Jr.) -4:34
Accolades
Dove Award -Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (Medals)
Radio singles
1985 "Silent Love" -#1 Christian AC, #3 Christian CHR
1985 "Medals" -#3 Christian CHR
1985 "Here I Am" -#2 Christian AC, #7 Christian CHR
1986 "I'm Not Alone" -#4 Christian AC, #6 Christian CHR
1986 "God Only Knows" -#10 Christian AC
Previous release: Walls of Glass (1983)
Watch the music video of "Not Gonna Bow" here:
Watch the music video of "I'm Not Alone" here: