‘Lamb of God’ was recorded live at The Mission in San Juan Capistrano, a settlement founded in 1776 and recognized as the birthplace of Orange County. Matt Redman’s new album reflects on the age-old centrality and wonder of the cross.

The contrast of these brand-new songs in the context of a historical place of worship is a significant marker of Redman’s heart to keep the people of God singing to Him. The album’s title track encapsulates its concept, reminding the Church that among so many amazing sights in this world, the greatest wonder will always remain the Lamb of God on Calvary. 

“The best songs help us breathe in truth, and breathe out a grateful, reverent and passionate reply,” Redman says, “I really hope the songs on this album will do that.”

The cruciform focus as well as the ancient and modern styles of worship represented in the 14 tracks make this album one that resonates with the young and old alike. Recording ‘Lamb of God’ in live settings also beautifully captured the devotion of people singing to their God; among the strings and keys textures, the artist intentionally left a lot of sonic room for people’s voices to shine. 

Commenting on the songwriting process, Redman mentions the importance of “aiming for something meaningful and fresh,” which he achieved through co-writes with many of today’s worship landscapers. 

‘Lamb of God’ features contributions from Jason Ingram, Matt Maher, Cody Carnes, Mitch Wong, Benjamin Hastings, and Jon Guerra, as well as people Redman hadn’t written with before, such as David Funk, Aaron Moses, and Taya Gaukrodger.

The theological, musical, and communal heartbeat of ‘Lamb of God’ is topped off by its artwork. The photo depicts an art-piece by artist David JP Hooker from Wheaton College, IL, which Redman’s daughter, Maisey, captured. Hooker took an old corpus statue of Christ which he covered in debris from vacuum cleaner bags – with the thought that in those bags would be people’s skin cells and hair.

The metaphor for our sins placed on Christ resonated deeply with Redman and the essence of his new record. From the brand-new songs to a re-imagining of ‘Heart of Worship’ – Redman’s early classic – ‘Lamb of God’ invites us once again to stand amazed at the greatness and grace of our God. Singing of both the cross and the crown, Matt Redman offers the Church this new collection of profoundly worshipful songs.

Lamb of God – Matt Redman

Five-time Grammy nominated artist Matthew West releases his double album, MY STORY YOUR GLORY. 

The first part of the album, MY STORY, embodies the countless stories fans have shared with the songwriter over the years as well as personal experiences and the second part, YOUR GLORY, marks West’s first official worship album. 

MY STORY YOUR GLORY is available now here.

My Story Your Glory – Matthew West

17x platinum, GRAMMY-nominated rock band SKILLET releases their DOMINION: DAY OF DESTINY (DELUXE EDITION) today (Feb 17). With five new tracks, including upcoming Active Rock single “Psycho In My Head” (full track listing below), the project is the companion to DOMINION, one of the highest charting rock and metal albums of 2022.

SKILLET and THEORY OF A DEADMAN will co-headline Rock Resurrection Tour, with support from Saint Asonia, which kicks off tonight in Gary, Indiana, running through March 26th in Los Angeles. The 25-date trek includes stops in Milwaukee, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, St. Louis, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, and more. Tickets are on sale now at www.skillet.com.

SKILLET is one of the best-selling rock bands of the 21st century. The two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated, Pandora Billionaires Club members, and multi-platinum rockers have an undying spirit that has humbly asserted and affirmed them as one of this generation’s most successful rock acts. However, as all classic underdog stories do, it happened quietly under the radar.

By 2019, they not only garnered a pair of GRAMMY Award nods and sold over 17 million albums worldwide, but they also took home a Billboard Music Award for the double-platinum Awake. Its breakout single “Monster” is 5x platinum and remains “one of the most-streamed rock songs of all-time.” 2016’s Unleashed bowed at #3 on the Billboard Top 200.

Hitting #1 on Rock Radio, the lead single “Feel Invincible” cracked 643 million global audio streams and went platinum. Meanwhile, the gold-certified Unleashed became their fourth consecutive album to receive either a gold, platinum, or double-platinum status. Their 2019 release Victorious included the top ten rock radio hit “Legendary,” which lived up to its name with over 108 million streams. To date, nine original tunes earned RIAA recognition in tandem with high-profile syncs by everyone from WWE and Marvel to ESPN and NFL.

Between selling out arenas in 26 countries and four continents, the group performed on CONAN and graced the pages of USA Today and The New York Times, Skillet debuted their first graphic novel, EDEN: A Skillet Graphic Novel with Z2 Comics, which became the publisher’s best-selling book of all time, followed by EDEN II: The Aftermath. Skillet’s latest project, DOMINION, is one of the highest charting rock and metal albums of 2022 and available now.

Dominion: Day Of Destiny (Deluxe Edition)

 Benjamin William Hastings releases new music with an EP full of new versions of his track “That’s The Thing About Praise.” The track was originally featured on his debut self-titled album. 

Benjamin William Hastings is a world-traveling worship leader and member of Hillsong UNITED. His writing and vocals are featured on Hillsong UNITED’s RIAA Certified Gold single “So Will I (100 Billion X)” and Hillsong Worship’s widely acclaimed “Seasons,” and he penned Cory Asbury’s No. 1 single “The Father’s House,” UNITED’s “Captain,” the church anthem “O Praise The Name (Anástasis),” and Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude,” among many others. To date, his songs have been streamed globally more than 700 million times.

He will share many of his songs live when he joins Cody Carnes’ “God Is Good! Tour” throughout February followed by joining Brandon Lake’s Miracle Nights Tour in March and April. Additional tour plans will soon be announced so be sure to keep the most up-to-date HERE.

That’s The Thing About Praise is available now.

That’s The Thing About Praise – Benjamin William Hastings

Having released her rousing gospel ballad, Oxygen, in December, Imani Shola will release her debut EP, Mapmaking, vol. i, on 17 February 2023.

Endearingly dubbed ‘the healing EP’, and with song titles alone referencing therapeutic concepts like ‘Inner-child Healing’, Mapmaking, vol. i aims to lovingly introduce listeners to several core psychotherapy principles to encourage them to do the inner-work that many people don’t; the work that sets us free from autopilot patterns, heals low self-esteem, and breaks generational cycles. With styles across the EP ranging from dance-worthy sambas (‘On You’), to rousing ballads (‘So Long’), to moving a’capellas (‘What Do’), Mapmaking, vol. i offers both compassion and conviction; care and challenge; empathy and edification. 

“Healing and wellness have been close to my heart since childhood, and the themes of all of my books, so Mapmaking, vol. i is my musical offering on this theme,” says the artist.

Therapeutic themes touched on range from Father-Wound healing (‘So Long’), to healing from abuse (‘What Do’), to Wounded Inner Child healing (‘Name’). Imani’s characteristic harmonies and prominent backing vocals feature throughout as always; her signature style and means of bringing comfort.

The EP was produced by Jacob F. Essel, mixed and mastered by Július Korbela, and features bass guitarist Eric J. Aliss, all talented musicians.

Hailing from North London, the daughter of a gifted jazz-saxophonist father, Imani Shola has been aligned with the best in Jazz, Soul and Gospel for as long as she can remember. She was raised on the melodies of greats such as Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Mary Mary; Miles Davis and Erykah Badu; Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones. More recent influences include the detailed harmonies of Alex Isley, the feminine flair or Nao, and the soothing vocals of Snoh Aalegra and a Cleo Sol. Like these artists, undertones of jazz and soul colour her works. Imani Shola characterises herself with distinctive harmonies and authentic lyricism that set her apart.

So far she has worked alongside producers Duane Caleb, Jay Picasso and Jacob F. Essel, who have seen her gift, captured her vision and helped her burst into the industry with a distinctive sound. She’s already built up a buzz since her 2020 debut, with tracks ‘Author of My Life’ (11K streams), Gold (10K streams and featured on Gospel Hydration), and Oxygen, featured in We Write About Music and Color; all strong tracks that have racked up her numbers on music platforms considerably. She’s bold, talented, charismatic and we can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for Imani Shola, including a surprise single very soon!

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GRAMMY-award-winning songwriter, producer, and worship leader Brooke Ligertwood releases a multi-track EP for her song, “A Thousand Hallelujahs.” The release features multiple versions of the powerful anthem including a new radio version (which is impacting radio today), a live performance, a Passion 2022 live recording, and an acoustic rendition of “A Thousand Hallelujahs.” Click here to listen to these special recordings of the song.

Brooke Ligertwood shares, “As Darrell Johnson says, ‘when we come to worship on a Sunday, we join a worship service that has been happening long before we were around and will continue long after our earthly time ceases.’ This song finds context in not only the generation’s worship of Christ’s Church on the earth but the eternal reality of worship in heaven. When we worship, we join both.”

Ligertwood’s critically acclaimed 2022 album, SEVEN (Live), has garnered more than 120 million global streams since its release. The lead single, “A Thousand Hallelujahs,” from that album has amassed more than 30 million global streams and made four international Top 50 viral charts.

As a prolific songwriter, Ligertwood’s songs have more than 1.5 billion global streams and have been translated into over 15 languages. Her songs have topped the CCLI chart with two No. 1 songs and several Top 25 worship songs that have been sung around the world like “What A Beautiful Name,” “Who You Say I am,” “King of Kings,” “Hosanna” and more. With her songwriting she has been honored with a GRAMMY Award, one RIAA Platinum certified single, and two RIAA Gold certified singles.

Next month, she will also be embarking on the SEVEN Tour including a performance at the historical Ryman Auditorium on March 19th. Click here for the complete tour schedule.

A Thousand Hallelujahs – Brooke Ligertwood

Worship leader and songwriter Hannah Hobbs has released her intimate live solo project, Sundown, available today. Her solo debut features a live recording night of worship and includes Hillsong’s Ben Fielding, Cass Langton, Alexander Pappas as well as Rita Springer and more.

Inspired by the Sabbath, Sundown was recorded to enter into a time of rest and refreshing in God’s presence.

“I hope this album serves as an open door for a time of worship and time away with God,” shares Hannah Hobbs. “That these songs would help people as they pour out their love and affection at the feet of Jesus.”

To record her album, Hobbs invited her friends and family to journey together in a night of worship. The 13 audio + video songs were recorded in Syndey, Australia last February. It includes popular Hillsong tracks, “Touch of Heaven,” “Thank You Jesus,” “Never Walk Alone,” and “God Song,” all of which she co-wrote. Songs she has written have been streamed more than 250M times globally.

“I’ll never forget that night because God truly met with us,” recalls Hobbs. “Our little recording studio transformed into a sacred and Holy place. We packed 120 people into the room and spent the night worshipping God. It was difficult to end the meeting because people just kept singing and worshipping. My prayer is that people would also have similar encounters with God when they listen to this record.”

Later this month, Hobbs will be hosting a live stream watch party on YouTube to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the album’s recording and now release. Viewers can tune in on February 28th to worship together with others around the globe. Follow her socials below to get details as they are announced for the live stream.

Sundown – Hannah Hobbs

The latest recording in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the untimely passing of American songwriter and Gospel music icon Rich Mullins is out now. Deep Valley, Mullins’ first-ever live recording to be made available to the public, releases today on Old Bear Records. 

Deep Valley arrives on the heels of Bellsburg…The Songs of Rich Mullins(Old Bear Records),a various artists tribute album from last fall that landed at No. 1 on the iTunes Christian charts. Listen to the project HERE).

Uncovered from a stack of unreleased recordings, Deep Valley features 21 live tracks, which include five bonus songs and some of his most time-tested tunes like “Sing Your Praise to the Lord” and “Elijah.” Also included is a batch of Mullins’ never-before-heard songs interspersed with his infamous ragamuffin stories and candid opinings. The album was recorded at Deep Valley Christian Camp in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania in 1984, at the outset of his storied music career.

“Richard loved camp,” recalls Beth Snell Lutz, the album’s primary Executive Producer and one of Mullins’ longest friends as well as the keeper of Rich Mullins Early Music, an archive of Mullins’ earliest unreleased catalog. “He traveled to Deep Valley often in the early 1980s and fell hard for the junior high and high school kids; the love was mutual.

He felt completely relaxed and free to be his unbridled self, resulting in a greater number of ‘Richard Rants’ … what I have always called his rambling talks between songs.”

She continues, “Deep Valley represents a kind of bridge between his early years as a songwriter and his later years as a recording artist. Some of these songs may be familiar; some will be completely ‘new’ to you. Some are Richard’s alone; some were made popular by other artists such as Amy Grant, Debby Boone, and Caedmon’s Call. I hope you will find joy in listening to Deep Valley as you step back into this music from a lesser-known time in Richard’s life.”

“During his storied lifetime, and now 25 years after his tragic death, Rich’s words, not just his songs, resonate deep within our minds and our hearts,” shares Andrew Greer, Co-Executive Producer of Deep Valley along with Lutz, Old Bear Records’ Anthony Hoisington and Dave Trout of UTR Media, while both Chris Marchand and Joe Cook are Assistant Producers.

Greer concludes, “One dimension of our faith is proclaiming what we believe; another is to question what we believe. Rich helped us ask good questions of God, of others, and of ourselves so that through our doubts and discussions we might discover an even deeper, abiding faith. Deep Valley is yet another gift from Rich to companion us along our spiritual journeys.”

Deep Valley – Rich Mullins

The much-anticipated sophomore album “Than Before” from one of Nigeria’s finest Christian music artists, singer, and songwriter Aghogho is now available on all music streaming platforms.

The singer who recently celebrated her 40th birthday has consistently been churning out beautiful and life-transforming songs and this album further solidifies this claim.

The album which has already released songs such as Great Is Thy Faithfulness featuring Neon Adejo amongst others also has new tracks that would bless your soul in no small measure.

The feature of different artists on this album gives it a blend of different genres, styles, and uniqueness. 

Than Before – Aghogho

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Gotee Records’ Cochren & Co. has released their sophomore album, Running Home. This album follows the acclaimed debut project, Don’t Lose Hope (2021), that produced the hit songs “Church (Take Me Back)” and “One Day.”

Helmed by singer/songwriter and worship leader Michael Cochren and joined by his wife Leah, Cochren & Co. is back with a strong 10-song project that features hope-filled lyrics and timeless melodies. Click here to listen to Running Home.

“The debut album was a process of exploring all of my musical influences and life experiences and finding out how that melting pot could create a sound unique,” shares Michael Cochren of Cochren & Co. “It was kind of like figuring out how to build a ship, and how to push it off the shore and over the waves. Now with this sophomore album, I feel like we were on the open sea with a clear heading. I knew where I wanted to take this album. I really wanted the songwriting on this album to be personal, to openly share stories and struggles in a way that people can feel a connection to, and ultimately feel like there’s peace available in the highs and lows.”

RUNNING HOME – Cochren & Co.

Cochren & Co.’s sophomore project features the 2022 Top 15 Billboard Christian Airplay & AC radio single, “Thank God For Sunday Morning,” which has amassed over 10 million streams in less than a year and was listed as one of K-LOVE’s 22 Songs that Defined 2022. The title track and debut radio single from the project is already being played on 40 stations including national networks SiriusXM’s The Message and starting today on K-LOVE. The song is also the No. 1 song on AmazonMusic’s DivineSound which includes Cochren as the featured artist. Other songs on the album “Be There For You” are included on Spotify’s Top Christian & Gospel playlist, where Cochren is this week’s featured artist, and “The Final Say (feat. Josh Baldwin)” on AppleMusic’s New in Christian playlist.

Cochren & Co. is back again this year on the TobyMac Hits Deep Tour that features CROWDER, Tasha Layton, Jon Reddick and Terrian. Click here for tour dates and tickets.