What do you get when you take a handful of classic hymns, put them in a studio with a passionate Christian artist with a soulful voice, and add a dash of some of the top studio musicians in the industry?
Christopher is a Christian, husband, graphic designer, web programmer, photographer, ninja, poet, cat whisperer (though I think my own cats don't speak English). I tend to write as it comes out so I keep the editor quite busy. I have the grammar skills of a Nerf football but it makes sense if you read it over a few times.
What do you get when you take a handful of classic hymns, put them in a studio with a passionate Christian artist with a soulful voice, and add a dash of some of the top studio musicians in the industry?
You get a recipe for a big ‘ole plate of Hymned Again.
Following up his 2005 solo project Hymned, Bart Millard returns with a new twist on some classic hymns and a new original track that has the potential to become a classic on its own. Hymned Again hits the streets on August 19th with Millard returning to his youth, delivering the songs that inspired him and passing them along to those who may not be familiar with these classics.
With unique arrangements, Hymned Again brings these hymns to a new light with deep respect for the original form. The one original track on the CD “Jesus Cares For Me” was written by Millard and Thad Cockrell. This song features Vince Gill in a duet with Millard that if you didn’t know it, you would think they found it somewhere in an old hymnal.
In a recent interview Millard talked about his first CD being inspired by his grandmother and the hymns she used to sing. He decided to release Hymned Again so that these songs, like his previous release would be part of his own kids’ childhood as well.
“These are songs that were a huge part of my upbringing, and now they are a part of my kids’ as well, so I had to do another one! And, true to form, they already have the new album memorized too.” - Bart Millard
Other standout tracks on the CD are “Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus” with a great dixieland sound, “Grace That Is Greater”, with heartfelt vocals and a ukulele that had me playing along with my triangle and “I Stand Amazed” a duet with Christy Nockles that was the first single from this CD released early this summer.
With a mix of New Orleans Jazz, Blues, 70’s R&B and Bluegrass and Country, you can hear that this CD was probably just as enjoyable to make as it is to listen to and if you have a look around the Mercyme website at the videos and postings Millard has made you can see that this is true.
If hymns were a part of your own childhood or you are just hearing them for the first time, I guarantee you will find yourself singing them throughout the day, smiling and feeling the warmth of the words coming over you.
On another note I just wanted to take a moment to mention that a part of the proceeds from Hymned Again will benefit the JDRF through Imagine A Cure. Imagine A Cure is a non-profit organization setup by Bart Millard to help find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes.
Christopher is a Christian, husband, graphic designer, web programmer, photographer, ninja, poet, cat whisperer (though I think my own cats don't speak English). I tend to write as it comes out so I keep the editor quite busy. I have the grammar skills of a Nerf football but it makes sense if you read it over a few times.
