Aaron Gillespie "Anthem Songs" Album Review

Aaron Gillespie "Anthem Songs" solo debut 

As a dynamic, outspoken artist in the music scene, Aaron Gillespie isn’t always what one might expect to find in a faith-based performer and such is the case with this project.  Aaron’s strong musical history began at the young age of 14 as a standout drummer and co-founder of the popular metalcore band Underoath, which he amicably left earlier this year.Aaron recorded Anthem Song in Seattle with versatile producer Aaron Sprinkle (Jeremy Camp, Kutless). Both multi-instrumentalists, they played nearly everything on the album. Co-writers Paul Baloche, Sarah Hart, and Phillip LaRue also helped pen what is largely a very personal record about adoring God, worshiping Him “because He is and because you are; just because you woke up today.”  Much of that outlook was influenced by a mission trip Aaron took to Africa.  http://www.facebook.com/AaronRGillespie

 

 

 

 

I love this album. I think might be my new favorite worship album.  It's the perfect combination of inspiration and beautiful tone.  It features some of my favorite well known Christian songs plus some great new songs.  It is the perfect blend of toe tapping music and powerful lyrics.  My favorite song on the album is his version of Hosanna.  I love Aaron's voice though I can't put my finger on who he reminds me of.  If you enjoy worship music with a little bit of rock, you'll love this album!

 

From his Facebook page:

Whether or not you know him by name yet, Aaron Gillespie is already one of the most dynamic, outspoken, and visible artists in Christian music today. It’s just that the red-headed 27-year-old isn’t always where one might expect to find a faith-based performer, a fact that defines his sense of ministry and what he’s doing on his first solo album, Anthem Song, an honestly ragged, often rocking praise and worship set aiming to “get to the people who think church is a country club.”

Aaron’s story is full of unexpected twists in its own right. A standout drummer by age 14, Gillespie was invited in 1997 to join Underoath, a Christian metalcore band that would chart the gold-selling records They’re Only Chasing Safety (2004) and Define the Great Line (2006). The group’s aggressive sound—often tempered by Aaron’s comparatively softer additional vocals—and steady mainstream success has led to a passionate fan base and provided many unique outreach opportunities on tours that have included controversial hard music acts like Slipknot.

In 2008, Gillespie memorably appeared on the cover of the last printed issue of CCM standing next to TobyMac, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and other top names as the sole representative of what the magazine called “a new generation of artists”—a statement whose time has come. Despite the public outcry, Aaron left Underoath on good terms in 2010, pursuing a cleaner alternative rock sound as lead singer of The Almost, a band that recently toured with Switchfoot and is signed in the general market to Virgin Records (Gorillaz, Lenny Kravitz). Even as The Almost continues its rise, Gillespie makes another sudden turn, doing Anthem Song alone. Why?

“I’ve always wanted to make a straight-up worship record like this. The Almost is a rock band, and we didn’t want to mix the two styles. Of course, it’s all worship; your shift at Starbucks should be worship. But this just seemed to be the way to do it right now,” Aaron begins to explain. “I have this desire to see our generation worshipping God. But a lot of the people I get to meet through music—kids with tattoos and swoop over haircuts—don’t think of worship as ‘cool.’ I want them to find a home and a vocabulary to experience this kind of music.”

Gillespie, who lives in central Florida, recorded Anthem Song in Seattle with versatile producer Aaron Sprinkle (Jeremy Camp, MxPx). Both multi-instrumentalists, they played everything on the album themselves except for several piano parts added by worship leader Shane Anderson. Co-writers Paul Baloche, Sarah Hart, and Phillip LaRue also helped pen what is largely a very personal record about adoring God, worshiping Him “because He is and because you are; just because you woke up today.”

Much of that outlook is informed by a mission trip Aaron took to Africa, especially on the epic “All Things” (humbly described by Gillespie as “a U2 rip-off”) and the charging title track that declares we sing to you, oh God, for you are good / the whole universe is echoing your song.

“The people in Africa are so happy, so joyful. They have nothing, but they worship so wholeheartedly,” recalls Aaron. “I went to that country as a rich American expecting to fix something in their world. But we are the ones who need fixing. I’ve learned that God’s goodness is an anthem that will play forever. Our job is to grab a piece of that song while we are here.”

With Chris Tomlin melodies and Billy Corgan vocal inflections, you can hear Gillespie reaching out for a piece of that song on “Earnestly I Seek Thee”—a gentle acoustic worship tune until it erupts with raw force into a distinctly hard-edged arrangement. “I Am Your Cup” is another stripped back selection—practically a live home recording—that never amps up but just as effectively speaks the real language of disaffected youth: Here I am, looking for a place to hide / here’s my soul, broken and needing a home.

“You can’t find any level ground with people without being real,” says Aaron. “My goal is to open my arms as big as I can and say, ‘I’ve got faults, I’ve got issues, but Jesus loves you, and your life matters.’ Before Christ was anything he was relational; the Bible shows that over and over. So if we’re called to be Christians, then we’re literally called to be relational with others.”

Anthem Song’s first single, “We Were Made for You,” highlights the relationship between God and man. Composed with Paul Baloche—best known for adult contemporary praise favorites like “Open the Eyes of My Heart” and “Above All”—it’s also a perfect example of the bridge that’s being built here between two types of audiences both made for worship; traditionally written lyrics retracing the gospel story are met by a Euro-flavored arrangement with fuzzed out bass, gritty guitars, and danceable drums. A similar spirit of expanding and uniting adventure follows on the exuberantly played “You Are My Everything.”

The project’s deep thesis is restated on the closing number, “Your Song Goes on Forever,” a sing-along for the church that cuts through life’s clutter with insightful praise and a call to action:

Back before the sea, before the skies were blue, there was this melody no one could hear but you. The noise has finally disappeared; I can hear your anthem loud and clear.
Your song goes on forever. I will sing my part with my whole heart.
Your song goes on forever. I will bless your name and sing your praise forever.

“I love that God wants us to know him, that we were put here as missional people to serve God and point others to him,” concludes Gillespie.

Aaron, who is on the volunteer staff at his local church, has a vision for when he tours in support of Anthem Song to help other places of worship welcome those who wouldn’t normally feel comfortable being there. He says when people don’t feel good enough to join God’s family because of whatever sin is in their lives, that’s when they should be running to the church. Indeed, we should all be there.

Come, be a part of the anthem.

Hawk Nelson Crazy Love Review

hawk nelson | crazy love

Every coin has two sides: heads and tails. Both are necessary to the value of the coin. Neither is more important than the other. So it is with Tooth & Nail band Hawk Nelson. Flip heads, you get the band’s signature punk rock fun. Flip tails and find an introspection that fuels it all.

The band’s fifth studio album Crazy Love reveals the right combination of heads and tails: a return to the early days of Hawk Nelson rock with an ever-maturing look at life and the need for truth. “This record has got some old-school punk rock feel to it, as well as some songs my mom would appreciate. Overall it is one of our most well-rounded albums dealing with truth,” says frontman Jason Dunn.

“Part of this truth talk is us growing older and wanting to sing about what’s real to us,” says bassist Daniel Biro. “The truth topics make Crazy Love the most different from past records; we are definitely more overt about our faith this time. It’s satisfying to be real like that.”

With Crazy Love, Dunn, Biro, Jonathan Steingard (guitar) and Justin Benner (drums) continue the call for action heard on the band’s last studio album Live Life Loud. Inspired by Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love, Dunn and producer Ian Eskelin wrote the title track and debut radio single as a greater wake-up call to love: “This book made me realize how much God loves each and every one of us,” says Dunn. “Sometimes submerged in a Christian environment, we lose perspective of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We need to wake up and grasp the meaning of what he did; Jesus made something completely unattainable, attainable, and we are called to live in and practice that same ‘crazy’ love.”

Hawk Nelson would have fans seize the day and live this love, as heard in the new song “One Shot”: You got one shot, all you got, take it now. You gotta get up, get up, get up / One life, live it right, keep on moving forward. / You got one shot, all you got, live out loud. / Come on, wake up, wake up, wake up before it’s over. Actions speak louder than words, says Steingard. “It’s a big part of who we are as a band. We meet people wherever we go and find ways to love them the best that we can, in the most practical ways we can.”

Introspection and punk rock combine in a synth-laced “Your Love Is A Mystery” and loud-fast “Skeleton,” songs that admit faults and insecurities that can only give way to Christ’s love. “Often we forget that God is there, so we take control. It’s easy to think that we have control until reality hits us. These songs show that no matter how hard we fall, God, in his love, is there to pick us up,” says Benner.

Easily grasped are the loud elements of Hawk Nelson; all the while the band’s quiet thoughts build in the background. Opposite the loud rock is a focused intentionality that speaks to the core of the band and the unanimous band favorite, the anthemic “My Next Breath,” reveals that side of the band. “This song is undoubtedly the heart of how we feel about our faith. Some might see Hawk Nelson as this ‘good time party band’ but each of us feel very strongly about our faith and I think this song communicates it better than any other.”

The guys of Hawk Nelson admit that they could jump around, rock out and call it day but they believe in a purpose greater than the music: to know and be the love of God to people everywhere. It’s their faith that fuels the fast and slow of Crazy Love to reveal a “good time party band” that translates the rigors of life into music – music that will move people to action.

My thoughts:

I loved this two CD set from Hawk Nelson.  One CD, Crazy Love is a louder...crazier side of their music with some great rocking sounds.  And the other, The Light Sides, just as it sounds is the lighter more soothing sounds.  I love that they separated them this way.  I love the diversity but sometimes, like in my office, the harder sounds just aren't really fitting so it's nice to be able to pop in The Light Sides and be able to just let it play in the background as I work.  Where as Crazy Love is great for in the car, on those days (days that are just starting to pop up here and there) where you can roll down the windows and crank up the music.

Between the two Cd's there is definitely something that every Hawk Nelson, or Christian music fan should appreciate.  It's really hard for me to pick favorites but among some of my favorites would be We Can Change The World (Crazy Love) and Friend Like That (The Lights Sides.

Jeremy Camp; We Cry Out: The Worship Project Review

Released TODAY, from Jeremy Camp, a worship project featuring songs co-written with Jeremy and worship leaders Jon Egan, Brenton Brown, Matt Maher and Reuben Morgan. Co-produced once again with Camp and award-winning producer Brown Bannister, We Cry Out: The Worship Project features worship favorites like "Overcome," "Jesus Saves," "Mighty To Save," and "You Never Let Go."



I am a big Jeremy Camp fan so I was excited to hear this newest album.  And it did not disappoint.  Its the perfect blend of new and old for me.  It features some of my favorite worship songs in typical Camp fashion, sounding just enough like his own without changing it too much.  For me there's nothing worse then taking a song I know and love and changing it so much that I can't sing along with it. Though my family may appreciate any hindrance to me singing.  I may stink but I love to sing along, especially with worship music.  The original stuff is just as great and I just love his voice.  (swoon)  My kids even loved this album.  Check out We Cry Out: The Worship Project at Amazon.com.

More about the album:
There’s evidence that everyone else feels otherwise—he has sold three million records, charted
nineteen No. 1 hits, GRAMMY-nominated and won several major Dove Awards—but Jeremy
Camp is tired of himself. Not in any self-deprecating way, but in that positive spiritual sense to
which we should all aspire. You can hear him working this out on his sixth recording, We Cry
Out: The Worship Project.
“It’s common to say, ‘It’s not about me, God. It’s about You.’ Yet I’m really at that point right
now,” Jeremy admits. “The Lord says in Jeremiah 29:13, ‘You will seek me and find me when
you seek me with all your heart.’ But we live in such a distracted society; we let the world’s
noise divide our focus and our hearts. Our generation is in desperate need of crying out to God.”
To get himself out of the way, Camp, a rock artist who’s also an ordained minister, makes an
intentional return to worship on We Cry Out just as he did for his second album, Carried Me. In
this familiar setting, he often steps back from self-written tunes, choosing instead to celebrate
and share the latest praise songs by others that have been stirring his own spirit toward revival.
Jeremy explains, “This feels full circle—just coming in to make the record and saying, ‘whatever
you want, God.’ A lot of people don’t know that Carried Me was the first project I signed up to
do; I was launching as a worship artist. But we ended up debuting with a studio album (Stay),
because the content of those original songs related more directly to my personal testimony.”
(Camp’s first wife had just passed away months after their wedding when he was 23 years old).
We Cry Out is definitely marked by an air of Spirit-leading at every turn, which results in an easy
and rewarding listener experience. Recorded just outside of Nashville with award-winning
producer Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, MercyMe), it’s the first all-new set from Jeremy to
feature his excellent live band—guitarists Randy Williams and Andy Davis, bassist Walt Smith,
drummer Leif Skartland, and keyboard player Jacob Sooter. Their dynamic playing, a confident
mix of modern rock and modern worship, flows naturally with their singer’s creative goal here.
“We didn’t want to over think this. It was such a chill project,” Camp says. “I just wanted to be
obedient to what God has put on my heart in this time. We had been doing Hillsong’s ‘Mighty to
Save’ and Matt Redman’s ‘You Never Let Go’ on tour. I simply asked the band to ‘enter in’ and
help me make this an intentionally vertical, corporate worship style album through and through.”
There are two resonant ways to look at the title of We Cry Out. In addition to the aforementioned
tracks, audiences will recognize the amped up version of Brenton Brown’s “Everlasting God”
(previously recorded by Chris Tomlin) and first single “Jesus Saves” as outward cries for
strength and eternal rescue. Most of the other selections are equally passionate declarations of
God’s active grace and power, including Jeremy’s emotional take on Desperation Band’s
“Overcome” written by Jon Egan.
“When I first heard the song, I thought, ‘I’ve got to record that; it’s getting into my spirit,’” he
says. “During the recording, there was a spontaneous moment of worship. The producer raised
his hands, and my father was there; he stood up and worshipped. I had to stop singing from all
the emotion. We felt God’s Spirit was so thick in that room—and I would never say that lightly.”
Covering Egan’s uplifting song inspired Camp to call and meet the man. In turn, they ended up
writing together on “Not Ashamed,” a fist-pumping new anthem with a big chorus that’s already
an early favorite among friends. Similarly, Jeremy wrote with Brenton Brown on the title track, a
joyful rocker that captures the album’s theme of seeking God’s face and duly responding:
We who called upon Your name cannot be silent / We will praise / We will sing it out / We will
cry out to You / Your loving kindness and Your truth / It has delivered us / You have delivered us
Other collaborators on We Cry Out include Matt Maher who helped pen “You Are the Lord”
straight from Psalms and Isaiah. The softer, piano-laced tune calls God’s people to raise their
voices and features supporting vocals from recording artist Adie, to whom Jeremy has been
married for six years; they have two daughters. Adding to the family atmosphere, “The Way”
was co-written by Adie’s brother, Brad Peens. With a back-story similar to the late arrival of
“There Will Be a Day” on 2008’s GRAMMY nominated album, Speaking Louder than Before,
Camp recalls first hearing the song now marked by thundering drums and a South African choir.
“I’m pretty much done with the record when he shares this song, just wanting my opinion of it,”
says Jeremy. “I thought it sounded like a worldwide anthem and asked to use it for We Cry Out.
It feels like a war song, a cry of God’s glory.”
All creation cries out with longing / with wisdom You always answer / Jesus, You are The Way
We Cry Out closes with two new Jeremy Camp originals that, while indeed personal, really are
all about God. “King Jesus” sounds like a future pop/worship classic, victoriously proclaiming
with a shout of praise and with our voices raised / One day every knee will bow, behold You in
Your glory. “Unrestrained” confirms the unassuming artist’s prayer for himself and all souls:
So take this selfish heart of mine / I want to give it all / And melt away everything that’s not of
You / I want to know You more, so much deeper than I do / Completely unrestrained
“That’s where I am today—seeking the face of God,” concludes Jeremy. “I feel like I’ve had a
growth spurt the past two years in my walk with the Lord, and I think this album reflects that
deepening. There’s a purity behind this record that I can’t even describe. But I didn’t write most
of it, so I can’t take the credit. And I love that.”
Everyone else is sure to love We Cry Out: The Worship Project as well.

The Museum album review

The Museum is...

Ben Richter :: Lead Vocals / Guitars
Josh Kirk :: Drums / Programming
Chris Brink :: Bass / Background Vocals

Geoff Ashcraft :: Guitar

American bansds don’t usually name themselves after events surrounding the twentieth century Romanian revolution, but how BEC Recordings’ newest signing would come to be known as The Museum is indicative of what’s on display in this compelling foursome.

The group took shape when singer Ben Richter and guitarist Geoffrey Ashcraft moved from Texas to Georgia and plugged into a church where drummer/programmer Josh Kirk was the janitor. Soon they were leading local worship services together and then traveling on musical mission trips overseas. In Romania, Josh was deeply moved to be part of a large Christian gathering in the same town square where communism had been overthrown in 1989. A nearby museum containing humble evidence of that revolution also left an indelible impression.

“We decided the band would be called The Museum,” Josh says, “because we hope our music and those we share it with can be the evidence that Christ has done a revolution in our hearts.”

Joined by bassist Chris Brink in 2009, The Museum is continuing its commitment to global outreach while also developing an important bond with churches across the United States. Ben’s passion for staying rooted in a spiritual community brought the group to Briarlake Church near Atlanta where it still leads worship most Sundays. Additionally, the guys have helped out at neighboring North Point Community Church’s partner Atlanta locations and around the country as well as Ben leads at the multi-site Elevation Church in North Carolina on a recurring basis.

“I believe the local church is the hope of the world, therefore it has to be at the center of our ministry,” explains Ben, whose servant heart for the body of Christ beats strongly throughout The Museum’s debut album hitting stores everywhere in summer 2010.

Recorded in Nashville, Seattle, and Atlanta with producers Jason Ingram and Rusty Varenkamp (Tenth Avenue North, Brandon Heath, Sanctus Real), Aaron Sprinkle (Jeremy Camp, Kutless, Hawk Nelson), and Jason Hoard (Shane & Shane, FEE), the uplifting set reflects a clearly talented band that came of age as modern worshipers like Chris Tomlin first broke through. Instantly contagious melodies carrying a scriptural message are supported by layers of guitars that are both sparkling and scruffy as on first single, “My Help Comes from the Lord.”

Maker of heaven, Giver of life / You are my strength, my song in the night
My refuge, my shelter now and forevermore / My help comes from the Lord

“While reading Psalm 121, I connected with the words, ‘The Lord will protect your life. He will watch over your coming and going both now and forever,’” Ben recalls. “It is a great reminder that when we lift our eyes out of the darkness and focus on Him, our faith will be strengthened!”

Another foundational song for The Museum is “The Call” which is a stirring rock anthem, symbolizing the hope this band has to shine brighter and love bigger. . . We embrace our rescue mission to live out your heart in the depths of dark for the lost and broken.

“Ephesians 4:1 urges us ‘to live a life worthy of the calling you have received,’” says Ben. “This was a wake up call to me that God has a great purpose for each of us . . . that the time is now to shine like stars in the universe, holding out His truth over all the earth.”

For The Museum, reaching out to the world in need was a priority long before it had the platform that a record deal provides. Geoffrey lived in Belize for many years with his missionary family, and Ben imagines Josh—who recently earned a commercial pilot’s license—will someday fly mission workers and supplies into remote areas. Together, the band partners with Overlooked, a company that donates proceeds from t-shirt sales to provide clean water to children in Africa, help free young girls from sexual slavery, which is a global issue, and feed victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

“When we think of our mission as The Museum, we always come back to that Hillsong lyric: ‘Let justice and praise become my embrace,’” offers Ben. “As a band and as individuals we want to see justice come to the overlooked . . . and to see God’s kingdom come in our lives.”

But as it is for many, there was a time when being so bold was a struggle for Ben, an issue he sings about on “The Anchor,” where the inventive rhythmic interplay between Josh and Chris, warm piano, and splashes of mandolin really set The Museum apart from its contemporaries. 

All I’ve held on here is the anchor of my fear / All I’m looking for is the strength to let this go

“I wrote that when I knew it was time to quit my job and focus everything on music and the ministry God had in front of us as a band,” he says. “It’s my story of God releasing me from the fears I had of stepping out in faith and is based on 1 John 4:18—‘perfect love drives out fear.’”

The lilting ballad ends with a twist of grace: You’re the anchor of my soul / By Your perfect love I know . . . I’m free.

“We are realizing it’s the things we leave behind that make a difference,” concludes Ben, “the evidence that Jesus has changed us from the inside out and given us the rescue mission to go and change the world.”

Let the revolution begin. The Museum is now open.


My Take... 

I LOVE The Museum.  With an album of all original songs, most of which were written/cowritten by Ben Richter (lead vocal/guitarist) I was a little surprised I wasn't looking for an old stand by fave tune.  These guys really have a great sound and of course, and even better message.  I am hard pressed to pick a favorite because there wasn't anything on the album I didn't like.  But if I had to chose I'd probably pick Let Love Win or Lost In You.  This CD has found its home in my office as its just the right level of energy.  Some may end up looking for something a little different as the whole album is on a very even keel and doesn't feature a large variety of sound but overall I give it two thumbs up.

Children 18:3- Rain's 'a Comin' album review

Here it is - what you have been waiting for - the FULL preview of Children 18:3's sophomore album "Rain's 'A Comin' " - out in stores on June 29th!!! Everyone was enamored by their 2008 label debut on Tooth & Nail Records and now the buzz is roaring for this upcoming release. Children 18:3 takes glam/punk imaging and their devastating live show to a new level with this album.


Check the out on myspace here.




















Tracklist: 

1.

Rain's 'a Comin'

2.

Cover Your Eyes

3.

The Cruel One

4.

Whispering

5.

Hey Driftwood (Tides)

6.

Oh Bravo

7.

Oh Honestly!

8.

Wonder I

9.

Stronger

10.

Jack 'o' Lantern Dreams

11.

Lost So Long

12.

The Last Laugh

Children 18:3 is a cool group with a edgy sound than I traditionally listen to.  But that's what I love about them.  They give a whole generation a sound they love without lyrics that require parental warnings.  After listening to their CD, I couldn't help but think of my neice who is a high school student.  They simply sounded like something that she would really appreciate so I had to get her input.  Here's what she had to say about Children's 18:3

I gotta say, they're good. I would compare them to Rise Against. They've got their own flavor, but in a good way. ~Rebecca, HS junior

 I will definitely keep this CD around as I do like, its got an energy you can't help but appreciate.  But be warned this is not the soothing type of Christian music you'll want to listen to if you've got a headache!  No this is much more the dance wildly around the house in praise type of CD.

Check them out!

Disclosure: I recived a complimentary copy of this CD for review purposes courtesy of Overture Media. All opnions expressed are my own honest, personal feedback.