Matt Redman has been giving life to worship songs for over fifteen years. He has written many praise & worship songs that are now regularly sang in churches across the U.S. on any given Sunday morning. A few are widely recognized : “Blessed Be Your Name,” “Heart of Worship,” “You Never Let Go” and "Our God." a. This summer Redman will continue unleashing inventive anthems for the church on his eighth album sixstepsrecords release 10,000 Reasons, which was released on July 12, 2011.
10000 Reasons
The live recording makes this album what it is: “There’s something that happens in the worshipping, singing church that you don’t find anywhere else on the face of the earth … I hope people end up hearing that on the album; it hopefully gives some life to the songs,” says Redman.
Redman co-wrote with many friends on this album including Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram, Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Tim Wanstall and Jesse Reeves. Many of the songs were born in Brighton, England, a town where Redman and his family are serving as active parts of a congregation reaching out to those in that city.
Redman’s crossover experience with the American and British church has affected his songwriting, particularly now that he attends this Brighton church plant: “With a new church, you’re very mindful of the un-churched coming in,” explains the father of five. “You have to find ways to not water down your faith but to be lyrically as accessible as possible. That’s an endless challenge. It makes me always want to keep the cross front and center.”
Not all of the eleven songs on 10,000 Reasons were inspired in the Redmans’ new Brighton locale. “Never Once,” the first single from the new album, began in the Redmans’ Atlanta home, where he and his family lived for two years helping plant Passion City Church with friends Chris Tomlin and Louie and Shelley Giglio. Returning to Atlanta to see to their house still on the market, Redman found himself standing in his family’s now empty kitchen with guitar in hand. He was alone with no sound of children around, no furniture or wall-hangings, only the echo of guitar strings. Redman had time to think: “I looked over twenty plus years of being a Christian—so much battle and so much blessing. I just had a sense of the utter faithfulness of God.”
Tour Dates
Due to his commitments at the U.K. church, Matt is not touring as he wants was. Coming up this month, he has two appearances scheduled, one here in the U.S. on the Joyce Meyer Ministries and one appearance in the U.K., so the best way to hear Matt Redman's music is to buy the CD, 10000 Reasons, now in stores.
SOURCE: Matt Redman website
Amy Wingfield - Amy, a freelance writer since 1999, has combined her passion for writing and for Christian music.There's always a story behind the ...
