Charlie Hall - The Bright Sadness

Charlie Hall - The Bright Sadness

“The Bright Sadness” is like reading Charlie Hall’s personal journal. Diving into his own experiences, Hall has created anthems for the lost, the lonely and the broken. With heavyweight rock songs (Chainbreaker), ballads (New Year, You Are God), and inspirational tracks (My Brightness, Walk the World), Hall shows his strengths as a worship leader, while showing his and our own vulnerabilities to fear and insecurity.

“The Bright Sadness” will be a great addition to any worship service as well as for personal inspiration and support. With a collection of possible new worship standards like “You Are God” and “New Year”, Hall speaks of redemption and starting over. The second chance is yours for the asking if you take a step towards living a life with Christ. On another note, “New Year” also has a very dramatic ending almost urging you to march on and seek His grace. 

Listening to the CD from beginning to end a number of times (I probably did about 4 times before writing this), you can truly appreciate the consistent theme throughout all the songs. I also enjoyed the eclectic mixing of styles. The sixstepsrecords artists have a great skill of pulling together various styles and and adding them together like chapters in a book. The way this album is put together it blends these anthems and ballads with diverse fillers and ties them together with unexpected tracks like “Hookers and Robbers”. Through a pulsing beat and almost spoken word style, in “Hookers and Robbers” Hall invites you to a great party, to come feast at His table. No matter who you are, where you come from and where you have been, you are all invited. “Come as you are”, the hook/chorus to this song will run though your head throughout the day and listening to the guest list sounds like it would be an interesting evening. 

Hall can pen a great worship album, there is no question where the CD really stands out - songs like “My Brightness”. Perhaps the most personal of songs on the “The Bright Sadness”, it serves as an anthem for those who have questions, who stumble and for those whose faith is sometimes shaken. By Hall putting down these words, he reveals very personal thoughts. Hall shows that even someone called to lead others in worship can sometimes be insecure. “My Brightness” shows the struggle that at one time or another we all face as Christians. Those times where we have to just swim out through the raging waters and grab hold of Him to guide us to the safety of the rock.   

With the “Bright Sadness”, Charlie Hall has once again shared his gift, his love of God and his hope for all to know His glory.