Life & Breath – Matt Redman
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After releasing twenty albums, Matt Redman has done something he hadn’t previously done. Life & Breath, Redman’s latest album, was recorded as a “live studio” album in Nashville, allowing him to achieve the precision of a studio while still capturing the energy and breath of a live worship setting. The album was produced by Steve Marcia, includes nine new songs, and has collaborations with worship leaders Joe L Barnes, CalledOut Music, Charity Gayle, and the Lipscomb University Gospel Choir.
I’ve long enjoyed Redman’s music, and Life & Breath is a fine addition to his catalog. It will surely be on my list of favorite albums for 2025.
Redman co-wrote each of the songs. Here are a few brief comments and a key lyric from each of the new songs:

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• Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Rise With the Sun – CityAlight

Praise to the Most High – This energetic praise song was written by Redman, Joe L Barnes, and Leonard Ray Jarman. The song features Barnes. It is a call to worship.
Key lyric:
Oh, come and magnify the Lord with me
What an honor, what a privilege to sing
Praise to the Most High God

Life & Breath – This song was written by Redman, Mitch Wong, Paul Duncan, and Quintin Trotter. It takes the listener through the grand narrative of creation, redemption, resurrection and eternity.
Key lyric:
To the one true, living, breathing God
Beginning and the end
To the one true, living, breathing God
Be all the praise, amen

Let Me See Jesus/Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – This song was written by Redman, Evan Wickham, Leonard Ray Jarman and Helen Lemmel. The song features Charity Gayle, and uses the 1922 hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Helen Lemmel. This was the first song released from the album. It’s a good song, but running more than seven minutes, it seems a bit too long.
Key lyric:
Isn’t He wonderful?
Isn’t He glorious?
Isn’t He powerful?
Isn’t He good to us?
Brighter than any sun
Greater than any storm
Faithful forevermore
Let me see Jesus

A Thousand Ways – This song about the goodness and faithfulness of God was written by Redman, Joe L Barnes and Leonard Ray Jarman. The song features Joe Barnes and Callout Music. The song builds powerfully with a choir.
Key lyric:
A thousand ways You show Your love
A thousand ways You reach my heart
For all You are and all You’ve done
I’ll praise the ever-faithful God

Hallowed Be – This song about praise to the Trinitarian God was written by Redman, Dan Ballard, Joe L Barnes, Leonard Ray Jarman, Mitch Wong and Steve Marcia. The bridge includes words from the Lord’s Prayer. The song has a nice use of strings, piano and choir.
Key lyric:
Hallowed be, hallowed be
Hallowed be Thy name
The Father, the Son, the Spirit of God
Hallowed be Thy name

The God We Love (Nicene Creed) – This song was written by Redman and Jonny Robinson and Rich Thompson of CityAlight. The song, which took five months to finish, is a musical interpretation of the Nicene Creed on the 1700^th anniversary of the Creed.
Key lyric:
All glory to the Father now
All honor to the Son
And praise the Spirit now and always
This is the God wе love

Never Get Over – This beautiful worship song was written by Redman, Ethan Hulse, Steve Marcia, Dan Ballard, Jason Ingram, and David Funk, and features Quinter Trotter. He’s never run out reasons to sing God’s praise.
Key lyric:
A perfect throne, a rugged cross
A humble crown, mighty and merciful blood
The King who came to rescue us
Oh Jesus, I’ll never get over Your love
Never get over Your love

Heard by Heaven – This upbeat song was written by Redman, Ethan Hulse, Steve Marcia, Dan Ballard, Jason Ingram, and Chris Tomlin. The song features a memorable chorus and choir, and would be a good song to open a worship service with.
Key lyric:
When the people of God
Sing the praises of God
In the presence of God
We are heard by heaven

Holy Be Your Name (Lord’s Prayer) – This musical interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer was written by Redman, Dan Ballard, Leonard Ray Jarman, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mark Alan Schoolmeesters and Steve Marcia, and features the Lipscomb University Gospel Choir. The song builds powerfully toward the end.
Key lyric:
Yours is the Kingdom
Yours is the power
Yours all the glory ever amen

I enjoyed all of the songs on this excellent album. Below are my favorites:
Praise to the Most High
Life & Breath
A Thousand Ways
The God We Love (Nicene Creed)
Heard by Heaven

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• Psalm 8 (Hallé). Enjoy the official lyric video for Psalm 8 (Hallé) from Phil Wickham.
• How Believers Can Engage More Wholeheartedly in Congregational Singing. In this video, Matt Boswell shares how believers can engage in congregational singing.
• In Memory of Jubilant Sykes: “Give Me Jesus”/“Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”. Jubilant Sykes was murdered on December 9. Here is his performance at the 2025 Sing! Getty Music Conference at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Sykes combined the spirituals “Give Me Jesus” with “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” in a beautiful collaboration with jazz pianist David Rodgers and Scott Pingel, Principal Bassist in the San Francisco Symphony, in his final public performance.

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     Rise With the Sun –      CityAlight

This week’s song of the week is “Rise With the Sun” by CityAlight. The song was written by Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, and Tim Challies. It was written to complement the book From the Rising of the Sun: A Journey of Worship Around the World, written by Tim Challies and Tim Keesee. You can watch the lyric video here.

Verse 1
There’s a song that’s sung through the nations
Of joyful thanks to the king
Where the countless saints who are rescued
Praise Jesus who set them all free

Verse 2
Hear the anthem sung in the islands
Where sun first touches the earth
Over land and sea it advances
Now joined by the saints of this church

CHORUS
Rise with the sun, lift up his name
All through the earth we sing out his praise
East to the west, night to the day
Join in the song and sing out his praise

Verse 3:

I will add my voice to the chorus
Of many people and tongues
For we share the gift of salvation
And share in the life yet to come

CHORUS 2

Rise with the sun, lift up his name
All through the earth we sing out his praise
East to the west, night to the day
Join in the song and sing out his praise

BRIDGE
And the church will sing
Holy, holy, holy are you Lord
You’re the glorious one
We lift up your name
And the church will sing
Tabu, Heilig, Oli are you Lord
You’re the lamb who was slain
We lift up your name
And the church will sing
Shèngjié, Santo, Kadosh are you Lord
You’re the king who was raised
We lift up your name
And the church will sing
Holy, holy, holy are you Lord
Now you reign evermore
We lift up your name
Over all of the world
We lift up your name

CHORUS 3
Rise with the sun, lift up his name
All through the earth we sing out his praise
East to the west, night to the day
Join in the song and sing out his praise