Project Songwriters
By Christa A. Banister, Senior Music Editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
Ch-Ch-Changes
Considering that Delirious?’ album Kingdom of Comfort just released in April and garnered plenty of great reviews, it was a rather surprising development when the U.K. worshippers recently announced in an e-mail to fans that they’d be “taking a break from recording and playing as a band.”
For Delirious? frontman Martin Smith, a change in his family’s hectic pace was crucial. “It’s been 16 years,” Smith told Gospel Music Channel in an exclusive interview. “And we’re still in a good place as a band. The decision isn’t because we’ve all fallen out with each other, which is always a good thing. It was a really difficult decision, but ultimately [my wife] Anna and I felt like we needed a change in rhythm and pace. So Delirious? will carry on to the end of 2009, and then we’re going to take a complete break.”
As a father of six children ages 10 and under, Smith said he “didn’t want to miss all the key moments because they’re still so young” and added that he’s “looking forward to seeing what God wants to do next.”
In addition to continuing his work with Compassionart (the album by the same name is tentatively slated for a January 2009), Smith looks forward to pursuing other songwriting opportunities. “I would love to branch out a little bit and write pop songs – something I’ve never really been allowed to do before,” Smith said. “Who knows? Maybe even country. Now I’ll get to spread my wings a bit.”
For those who will still miss Delirious?’ music in the meantime, however, Smith doesn’t count out a possible reunion. “You know what? I think it’ll come together again. I don’t think it’ll be the last time we play together. But right now I think it’s good that everyone goes off and does his own thing for a little bit.”
Check out Delirious?’ upcoming tour dates (many along with popular speaker Joyce Meyer) at www.delirious.net.
It’s All About Love
Love – whether it’s celebratory, unrequited or somewhere in between – has been the fuel for many pop songs, but Chris Tomlin is excited to reintroduce it to the masses on his upcoming album, Hello Love, which hits stores on September 2.
“The reason I put hello in front of love is because I feel like we’ve often lost sight of the idea of true love and really loving people,” Tomlin said in a recent interview with Gospel Music Channel. “My whole life I’ve written worship songs, and worship basically boils down to our love for God, His love coming down to us and our love for people.
“Jesus said ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. What He’s really calling for people to do is to take care of each other, to help the poor and the troubled,” Tomlin said. “We see all these disasters going on everywhere in the world, and we need to love each other and help each other out. So the album is really a call to that.”
One of Tomlin’s greatest highlights of working on the 12-track project was teaming up with the Watoto Children’s Choir from Uganda who sang along with Tomlin on the track titled “Love.”
“It was an incredible, unbelievable experience,” Tomlin remembered. “Just having them sing this song really speaks to the audience about the power of love because these kids could’ve been abandoned themselves. But someone loved them and took care of them, and their lives are forever changed as a result.”
Bebo and Britney: What’s the Connection?
For his upcoming self-titled album, Bebo Norman is tackling the subject of new beginnings, which is fitting since this is the singer/songwriter’s first project (not counting his holiday release Christmas From the Realms of Glory) for BEC Recordings.
And Norman’s first adult contemporary single is already garnering a ton of buzz – not only for its razor-sharp cultural commentary, but because it happens to share its name with a certain blonde pop princess. You know, the one who always seems to be in the tabloids these days…
“‘Britney’ is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days," explains Norman. "It’s about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what’s beautiful and what will give them life. It’s actually an apology for those lies. But more than that, it’s an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in."
Norman’s album is slated for a September 16 release. In the fall, he’ll be joining MercyMe on the road before embarking on a Christmas tour.
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About the Writer
After graduating with a B.S. in Journalism from North Central University in 1998, Christa Banister moved to Nashville, Tenn. and eventually started working at CCM Magazine/Salem Publishing in various editorial capacities (including managing editor) for five and a half years. After that, she launched her own freelance writing company and writes for numerous clients including CCM Magazine, Crosswalk.com (she review movies for them each week), Christian Single, Christianity Today, Threads Media, Songs4Worship.com, BurnLounge, PassAlong.com and helped kickstart the first Christian music blog for MTV. She also writes bios for professional recording artists and authors and penned her first two fiction novels for NavPress in 2007.
