Untitled Hymn: A Collection of Hymns – Chris Rice
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Chris Rice returned to the music scene in January after twelve years with Songs We Wrote On Tuesdays, a collaborative duo side project he completed with Andrew Ripp. Untitled Hymn: A Collection of Hymns is Rice’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2006 best-seller Peace Like a River: The Hymns Project. That record has been streamed an incredible 72 million times to date. Similar to that album, Untitled Hymn is very simple musically, with Rice’s voice usually accompanied by piano, acoustic guitar and light backing vocals. The album, which was produced by Ken Lewis, features a new recording of his classic “Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)”, eleven other hymns and one new song “Too Much I Love”. I absolutely love this new recording.
Here are a few comments about each song:
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- More of this review and a review of Mood by Social Club Misfits
- Music News
- Music Quotes
- Song of the Week Lyrics
What A Friend We Have In Jesus – This hymn was written by Joseph Scriven (words) and Charles Crozat Converse (music) in 1855. The song features acoustic guitar and some backing vocals.
Amazing Grace – This hymn was written by John Newton. In 1779, together with the poet William Cowper, Newton published 280 of his hymns in the popular Olney Hymns. “Amazing Grace” was part of the collection. The song features piano, light organ and cello.
Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus) – This song was written by Chris Rice, and originally appeared on Rice’s 2003 album Run the Earth, Watch the Sky. It features piano, light strings, acoustic guitar and backing vocals.
O For A Thousand Tongues – This hymn was written by Charles Wesley (words) and Carl Gottholf Glaser (music). Wesley wrote the words in 1740. Rice includes a new refrain “And I had a thousand tongues, still I could never sing enough”. The song features acoustic guitar, backing vocals and strings. A highlight.
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross – This hymn was written by Isaac Watts and published in Hymns and Spiritual Songs in 1707. The song features piano and strings, and new timing in the chorus.
This Is My Father’s World – This hymn was written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock. Soon after his death in 1901, his wife released a collection of Babcock’s poems entitled Thoughts for Every-Day Living that contained the poem “My Father’s World.” The music is from Franklin Shepherd, who adopted an English folk song. The song features acoustic guitar, piano, light strings and backing vocals.
There Is A Fountain – This hymn was written by William Cowper, most likely in 1771. The song features piano and a backing choir. A highlight.
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms – This hymn was written in 1887 by Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha Hoffman (words) and Showalter (music). The song features acoustic guitar, a bluegrass fiddle, and backing vocals.
Hallelujah, What A Savior – This hymn was written by Philip P. Bliss in 1875. The song features acoustic guitar, piano, backing vocals, and ends with a children’s choir.
Were You There – This hymn is an African American spiritual that was first published in William Barton’s 1899 Old Plantation Hymns. The song features piano, light organ and backing choir.
Fairest Lord Jesus – This writer and the history of this hymn is debated. The song features acoustic guitar and backing vocals.
Too Much I Love – This beautiful new song was written by Rice. The song started as one of the poems in his book Widen: A Collection of Poems. It features piano and light organ. The song is about his love for God’s wonderful creation, “Too much I love this world You made”, but it points to more “she echoes better places.”
Mood – Social Club Misfits
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Social Club Misfits (Marty and Fern) follow up their excellent 2018 album Into the Night with Mood, a new five-song EP, which will whet your appetite for Social Club Misfits music until the next full-length album is released. Below are a few comments about each of the songs on the EP:
Everytime – This song was written by Young Sidechain, Marty and Fern and produced by Young Sidechain. It was the lead single for the EP. The song addresses the loss of a few friends, their childhood, and living out their dreams doing what they love.
Que lo Que – This song was written by Daniel Young Kim, Dirty Rice, Fern and Marty, and produced by Dirty Rice. GAWVI provides additional vocals. The song begins with an acoustic guitar and quickly transitions into a likeable Latin beat, with the vocals alternating between Spanish and English.
Key lyric:
All I know is that God is sovereign
He’s in control
I’m letting go, I went from pit to palace.
Up – This song was written by Cardec, Marty and Fern and produced by Cardec. They came from the bottom and things are going well now. They are rapping for applause and their numbers are going up.
Chinatown Freestyle – This song was written by Ben Lopez, Marty and Fern and produced by Lopez. The intro is from Chris Durso “Why would we concern ourselves with words from men when we got ourselves a word from God. We’re misfits”. Themes in the song include touring, childhood and a death threat.
Key lyric:
If you hate on Social Club then you’re dead inside.
So Our God Came to Us – This song was written by Dirty Rice, Jung Youth, Fern and Marty and produced by Dirty Rice. Jung Youth sings the chorus. We were all alone, but our God came to us. Marty and Fern rap hard on their verses. They achieved their goals and wrote more, but God had His own plan. Without His guidance theirs has no purpose. Joy comes in serving Him.
- It is Well. Many know of the story behind the writing of the well-loved hymn “It is Well”. However, I did not know how Horatio Spafford, the author of the hymn, finished his life.
- Chris Rice on Walking Away from the Spotlight — and His Sneaky Return. Debra Evans Price interviews Chris Rice about his return to recording after twelve years.
- The Art of Hymnody. Kevin Twit and Keith Getty have spent their careers studying and writing the songs of the Church, and in this episode of the Hutchmoot podcast, they bring their decades of experience to discuss the history and necessity of the art of hymnody.
- Hold Me Back. Check out the video for KB’s new song “Hold Me Back”.
- Testify. Check out the lyric video for “Testify” the new song from Social Club Misfits, featuring Crowder.
- Keepin It Movin. Andy Mineo teams up with Guvna B for the official video for Keepin It Movin, from Mineo’s upcoming album Work in Progress.
- When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior! Philip P. Bliss - O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace. Charles Wesley - Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom. Stuart Townend - Who is like the Lord our God?
Strong to save, faithful in love
My debt is paid and the vict’ry won
The Lord is my salvation. Keith and Kristyn Getty
There is a Fountain by Chris Rice
This week’s song of the week is “There is a Fountain” by Chris Rice, from his long-awaited album Untitled Hymn: A Collection of Hymns. The song was written by William Cowper, most likely in 1771. Listen to the song here.
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
E’er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die:
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save:
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save,
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save;
then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.
For sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
