Array of Hope, a New Jersey-based ministry creating and producing transformative events, films, and music for churches and faith-based organizations, announces the release of their latest song “Rise Up,” which is available now.
The message of the anthemic “Rise Up” shares that, as a community of Christians, we are here to boldly and loudly proclaim God is the one answer to save and heal our broken world. It is the desire of Array of Hope that this song will help engage today’s culture to share God’s message, to not be hesitant when we have an opportunity to share the heart of Jesus and why we need a Savior.
Mario Costabile, Executive Director of Array of Hope, explains, “Christians need to create a sense of urgency about their faith. It’s time to be bold, to proclaim the truth, and to let people know that Christ is our Savior and He alone can heal our world.”
“Rise Up,” written by Mario Costabile, Lauren Costabile, and Dan Ferrari, is available on all digital platforms.
Maverick City Music releases the official music video for “Acercame” featuring Johnny Peña and Laila Oliver.
“Acercame” was written by Peña, Paz Aguayo, and Luis de Peña during a Maverick City Music Spanish camp.
“Acercame” is the first single off Maverick City Music’s first Spanish album, Como en el Cielo, set to release March 19th. The group shares about the upcoming release, “The vision and heart of Maverick City has always been to create space where it is yet to be created. Music that transcends language and cultural barriers is the by-product of that. Como en el Cielo, is Maverick City Music’s hearts in action.”
The video recording, which can be viewed below, was captured in Atlanta during a live worship and recording night for Maverick City Music.
Atlanta-based group Futures brings in the Easter season with their new song “Mercy Story” (DREAM Records) releasing everywhere digitally today. Coming off the heels of their two fresh pop releases “Can’t Steal This Love” and their current radio single “Just So Good”, the latest offering from Futures is a declarative worship anthem led by Ryan Rolls. In a world desperate for redemption, “Mercy Story” brings attention to the power of the Cross and charges forward with that invitation.
“There is no greater mercy story than the cross. Ephesians 2:4 talks about how we have been given salvation by a God who is rich in mercy – what a gift! This song is our take on the simple yet life-changing message of the gospel. Heaven’s exchange, His life for our Salvation – this is what Easter is all about!” – Futures
“Mercy Story” is available now to download or stream.
Nebraskan hip-hop artist J. Crum is releasing his newest single “Monochrome Melancholy”, alongside fellow Nebraska emcee Tylynn and Nashville producer Syde-FX.
“Monochrome Melancholy” is a catchy yet introspective song all about the grind of creating and pursuing a career. It speaks on keeping a healthy perspective in our pursuits. “Don’t feel validated when I checked the numbers//Don’t feel celebrated when I wrecked the summer,” Crum says as he reveals his feelings of his career in 2020. You can feel the wrestle he has in finding a healthy perspective on everything. Tylynn also really shines on this record, with her amazing tone and lyrical prowess she shows that she is going to be around for a long time.
The 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, aired live on Sunday, March 14,(8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network. The following is a sampling of relevant nominations from the GRAMMY Awards’ 30 Fields and 83 Categories. For a complete winners list, visit www.grammy.com.
As the only peer-selected music accolade, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by the Recording Academy’s voting membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers. The 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston is executive producer, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor are co-executive producers, Fatima Robinson, Josie Cliff and David Wild are producers, Patrick Menton is talent producer, and Hamish Hamilton is director.
Best Gospel Performance/Song
“Wonderful Is Your Name” (Melvin Crispell III)
“Release Live” (Ricky Dillard Feat. Tiff Joy; David Frazier, songwriter)
“Come Together” (Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Present: The Good News; Lashawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Lecrae Moore & Jazz Nixon, songwriters)
“Won’t Let Go” (Travis Greene; Travis Green, songwriter)
“Movin’ On” (Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music; Darryl L. Howell, Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, Kortney Jamaal Pollard & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters) – WINNER
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“The Blessing (Live)” (Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes & Elevation Worship; Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes & Steven Furtick, songwriters)
“Sunday Morning” (Lecrae featuring Kirk Franklin; Denisia Andrews, Jones Terrence Antonio, Saint Bodhi, Brittany Coney, Kirk Franklin, Lasanna Harris, Shama Joseph, Stuart Lowery, Lecrae Moore, & Nathanael Saint-Fleur, songwriters)
“Holy Water” (We The Kingdom; Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash & Scott Cash, songwriters)
Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling is celebrating its 25th year anniversary as one of the most dynamic and captivating choirs in Gospel music with a new recording project that will be released later this year. As an introduction to the forthcoming LP, the single “For Your Good” is available today on all digital music providers. The lyric video for the song will help you sing along about the “good news from glory” that all things will indeed work out for your good.
If the name of this group sounds familiar, that is because over the past 25 years they have traveled nationally and internationally, sharing the stage with everyone from Bebe Winans to Kirk Franklin to Hezekiah Walker. They have also ministered on the telecast of The Stellar Gospel Music Awards.
Lemons describes “For Your Good” as “a feel-good church song that gets you excited to think about the goodness of the Lord and everything that He has done; it’s a reminder that no matter what we are going through, it going to work out for our good.”
Hezekiah Walker says the energy and impeccable vocal harmonies of Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling is what drew him to this group. “Choirs are the bedrock of the Gospel music tradition,” says Walker. “Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling are proof that no matter the trends of the moment, there are young people who are also maintaining the choir tradition in fresh new ways.”
Lemons began directing under the tutelage of his father, who was director of the historic Atlanta Masonic Choir. Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling was founded when 50 Atlanta-based singers came together for a one-time appearance in a special musical event that Lemons’ father had created. That event went so well, and the singers enjoyed working with each other – and Kevin – so much that they stayed together. Two recording projects and countless national and international singing engagements later, Higher Calling is now comprised of 100 members: the core 50+ Atlanta-based singers, and some 50 additional singers hailing from California, Virginia, the DMV, New York, New Orleans, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Alabama. Kevin Lemons & Higher Calling is an enduring force.
Lemons himself is a force as a vocal director, and most recently oversaw vocals on the critically acclaimed Netflix presentation and soundtrack for Come Sunday. His prowess shines through beautifully on “For Your Good,” delivering a song perfectly timed for this season of enormous change.
Crossroads Music announces the release of their newest single, “Conquered Grave.” Written by Austin Livingood, Dustin Smith (from Here Be Lions) and Robbie Reider and produced by Chad Carouthers, “Conquered Grave” will be featured on the upcoming Conquered Grave EP along with three additional songs scheduled to release on Good Friday, April 2.
Although the song is timely with Easter right around the corner, it is a needed daily reminder — that Jesus conquered the grave and reigns victorious over death! Robbie Reider, the Director of Crossroads Music, said, “I may be the only one who needs a reminder that Jesus conquered death every morning…but I don’t think so. When I have a fresh reminder of His power and authority it changes how I walk through my day. To the degree that we believe, not simply know, that Jesus is more powerful than death, is the degree that we’ll walk in freedom.”
Only a few weeks into quarantine Austin Livingood, Dustin Smith and Robbie Reider met via zoom to write what would become Crossroads Church’s Easter “victory over death” anthem. From Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, they battled video lag and buffering to pen the lyric, “Death has died, crushed by nail-pierced hands” as a reminder to each follower that our ultimate struggle has already been laid to rest by what Jesus did on the Cross.
The arrangement took form as the veteran worship leaders created the rise and fall, the tension and release that they wanted to lead their communities through. They’re excited to have these words on the lips of their community this Easter; “Every day we wake to a conquered grave.” These words root us deeply in the belief that Jesus is in fact the “Author of freedom.”
Co-writer, Austin Livingood, said, “When the global pandemic shut down everything in March 2020 and we were in quarantine, it was wild to wake up to what felt like the same day over and over again. Easter was approaching, and I remembered a different idea I had that turned into this song. The overarching theme was regardless of me waking up to the same day over and over again, I also wake up to the same hope and mercy every morning. Every day I wake up to a conquered grave and a defeated death. I don’t need four cups of coffee in the morning to get excited about that!”
The Crossroads Music team’s hope for the church is that this isn’t something to just be self-reflective and somber over, but that we can celebrate and have confidence in the fact that Jesus paved a way to life that’s just ahead of us. We don’t have to be paralyzed by our broken past but can have momentum in our relationship with God and the world because of Jesus dying and coming back to life. The cross is pivotal in the gospel story, but the cross without a conquered grave means nothing.
It’s all about Jesus and they are honored and humbled that they get to be a part of what He is doing in the church — at Crossroads, and the global Church.
“Refuge” is the latest song to be released by Luke Wareham alongside his friend Matt Caddick, two worship leaders and songwriters based in the South West of England.
The song has been produced by brothers Tim and Jonny Stephenson and is to be released on March 12th. Luke released his debut EP ‘Whisper’ along with his friend Rachel last year that was voted no.1 in the Louder Than The Music 2020 awards with the song “Whisper” making it to number 11 in the UK Christian Music Charts. His lockdown prayers, turned into songs “I will not fear” and ‘Glimpse” were released in late 2020. Luke has a passion for writing songs that speak into people’s everyday life situations.
“Refuge” is based on Psalm 34 v.18 when David writes that ‘The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Luke says that “the song is inspired by a journey of grief in his own and his fiancée’s life through the experience of losing loved ones to Covid 19 and terminal illness.”
His prayer is that the song would speak into people’s lives and help them to hold onto the hope Jesus brings. He says “2021 might not have delivered the fresh new start that many of us had hoped for, but we can walk through this year knowing that we never go through our struggles alone, as we have a God who will never leave us. Jesus sees us, weeps with us and longs to draw close to us. As people listen and worship to this song we hope that it would help to draw people near to God and trust in him.” Co-writer Matt says “we are really excited about this song, mainly the truth behind it that Jesus is our refuge, he is our rock, he is our hiding place. If there is a message we need to hold onto now it is that!”
“Refuge” is available to stream and download on all music platforms and the brand new lyric video is on YouTube. The chords to the song are available to download via SongSelect. Download here – https://linktr.ee/warehamluke
