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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Hey Y’all – Adam Wainwright
***

Adam “Waino” Wainwright was a legendary pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 200 games in his outstanding career. Hey Y’All, which he describes as a 90’s country music vibe, is his first album. Wainwright’s country music influences include artists like Alan Jackson, George Strait, Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence and Garth Brooks. The album, which Wainwright describes as the story of his life, was produced by Gary Baker. The thirteen songs were co-written by Wainwright, Baker and Greg Barnhill, plus songwriting contributions from Jeff King (“American Hearts”) and Matt Johnson (“Hit The Ground Running”). I’m not a country music fan, but I really enjoyed this album.

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Come Unto Jesus by Shane and Shane

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

 

 

Sing! The Great Commission World Tour LIVE Extended Edition
****

A live album has been released from the annual Sing! conference each year since the conferences began in 2017. This is probably my favorite of all of those releases. It is billed as Sing! The Great Commission World Tour Live, as it includes songs from Sing! events in Belfast, Singapore and Sydney, in addition to the Sing! Conference in Nashville. Here is my review of the original edition of the album.

This new “Extended Edition” includes three additional songs:

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


All of My Days – Ellie Holcomb
****

The All of My Days EP by Ellie Holcomb (daughter of legendary CCM producer Brown Bannister), is a beautiful collection of seven Psalms that have personally carried her through difficult times as well as played an encouraging role in the lives of her listeners through her “Memory Mondays” where she sings Scripture verses to songs each week.
The instrumentation on these songs is acoustic and minimal, matching Holcomb’s tender vocals. On this project, Holcomb partnered with her father and with Jac Thompson, her keyboard player.
Here are a few comments about each song:

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Scarlet Thread by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Zach William

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


To The Limit: The Essential Collection – Eagles
****

To The Limit: The Essential Collection includes 51 songs from the studio albums and live recordings the Eagles released between 1972 and 2020. All of the band’s best-known songs are included, such as “Take it Easy,” “Hotel California,” “New Kid in Town,” “Lying Eyes,” “Heartache Tonight,” “Desperado,” “Tequila Sunrise”, “The Best of My Love” and more. Also included are lesser-known songs such as “Train Leaves Here This Morning,” “Nightingale,” “Outlaw Man,” “Saturday Night” and “On the Border” and “Good Day in Hell.”
The collection includes more than a dozen live songs from Eagles Live (1980) – including their recent concert opener “Seven Bridges Road” – as well as songs from Hell Freezes Over (1994), The Millennium Concert (2000), Live At The Forum ’76 (2017), and Live From The Forum MMXVIII (2020).

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  • More of this review and a review of One Hand Clapping by Paul McCartney and Wings
  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “Better is One Day/Facedown” by Matt Redman

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

The EXILE – Crowder
****

Three years after Milk & Honey, Crowder is back with another excellent album in The EXILE. The album, which features a number of musical styles (rock, country, CCM, worship), was produced by Ben Glover and Jeff Sojka. Themes include exile, salvation, our purpose in life, growth in our Christian life, prayer, and hope. It’s one of my favorite releases of 2024 thus far.
Here’s a few comments about each song:

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  • More of this review and a review of Worthy is the Lamb by Michael W. Smith
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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Live from Good Friday – Chris Tomlin
*** ½

Just ahead of his eighth annual “Good Friday Nashville” concert at the Bridgestone Arena, Chris Tomlin, a long-time favorite of mine, released Live from Good Friday. The project includes songs from the previous gatherings, along with some new ones. Included are some of his best loved songs such as the medley “Good Good Father/Great Are You Lord”, “How Great Is Our God”, “Our God”, “Is He Worthy”, “At the Cross (Love Ran Red)”, and “Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)”, which features vocals from George Mhondera, one of Tomlin’s background singers. Also included are three new songs from his 2023 album Always – “Holy Forever” with co-writers Brian Johnson and Jenn Johnson, “Precious Love” and the title song. The project ends with the 1873 hymn “It is Well”, written by Horatio G. Spafford.
This is a wonderful addition to Tomlin’s catalog. My only complaint would be that the production had the crowd’s singing mixed too high. This is appropriate on some songs such as “Is He Worthy? and the closing “It is Well”, but overall, I would have liked Tomlin’s vocals to be more up front in the mix.

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Unsung Hero: The Inspired By Soundtrack – For King + Country 
*** 

This album, by the four-time GRAMMY Award winning duo For King + Country, comprised of brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, is a collection of songs (covers, previously released songs by the band, etc.), that were inspired by their film Unsung Hero. You can read my review of the film here.  
The album has the band collaborating with a number of artists, including Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, sister Rebecca St. James, Stryper, Lecrae and more.    
Below are a few comments about each song:  

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “Jesus Calms the Storm (Hymn for Anxious Little Hearts)” by The Getty Girls, Keith & Kristyn Getty, Sandra McCracken, and Joni Eareckson Tada

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Our God Will Go Before Us: The Hymns of Matt Boswell and Matt Papa Vol. 3
****

With their third volume of modern hymns in the past five years, Matt Boswell and Matt Papa have served the church well with theologically sound hymns for congregational singing. I have thoroughly enjoyed all three volumes, and this one will again be one of my favorites – perhaps the favorite – albums of the year.
The album was recorded live at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at the 2023 Sing! Conference. I enjoy hearing the crowd and conference choir adding their vocals to these songs. You can watch/listen to the performance of each song here.
There are a few guest artists on the album – Matt Redman, Sandra McCracken, Kristyn Getty, and Michael Cochran.

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


CMT Campfire Sessions – NEEDTOBREATHE
****

NEEDTOBREATHE recently appeared on CMT Campfire Sessions television series. This album of the band performing nine of their songs unplugged is from that episode. The only time I have seen the band in concert was on one of their acoustic tours. The band has previously released a few live albums, both full band and acoustic. They are an outstanding live band, and they approve that again here.
The songs included here span the band’s career, ranging from one of their early favorites “The Outsiders” to “Wasting Time” and “Temporary Tears” from their 2023 album CAVES, my favorite album of last year. Alana Springsteen joins the band on “Let’s Stay Home Tonight”.
You can listen to the album in its entirety on the band’s YouTube channel.

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Completely Known, Completely Loved by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Sing! The Great Commission World Tour Live – Keith & Kristyn Getty and Friends
****

A live album has been released from the annual Sing! conference each year since the conferences began in 2017. This is probably my favorite of all of those releases. It is billed as Sing! The Great Commission World Tour Live, as it includes songs from Sing! events in Belfast, Singapore and Sydney, in addition to the Sing! Conference in Nashville.
The album features sixteen songs and two readings, with contributions from Keith and Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, CityAlight, Chris Tomlin, Andrew Peterson and more. Here are a few comments about each song.

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