The writing process, facilitated by super-producer Tedd T (Mute Math, newsboys), was grueling, but fruitful. “Tedd brought us to a whole new level of professionalism,” explains Nathan Piché, the band’s guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter. “He pays so much attention to the details. We asked him to push us on every aspect of our songwriting and performance, and push he did.”

The band pushed too – sometimes for ten drafts; sometimes for twenty, only satisfied with ‘perfect.’ “Looking back, it was an awesome, though at times very frustrating, experience,” Nathan says. “I think we are all big perfectionists,” Matt Piché, Article One’s eclectic violinist adds. “But Tedd taught us more than perfection; he taught us perspective.”

Where other bands yield to the sophomore slump, Article One has ratcheted up the intensity and delivered an ear-catching collection of fourteen innovative pop/rock songs. Colors and Sounds sports a grittier edge than the band’s previous project. From the torrent of guitars and horns that launch “Without You (I’m Not Alright),” to the massive violin orchestration on, “Never Too Late To Call,” Article One surges with electricity. You can hear it in the unrelenting drums of “Taken By The Storm,” the bold bass riffs on “Colors and Sounds,” and quiet introspection of worship tune, “Above All Else.”

Colors and Sounds is also marked by the band’s undeniably hooky melodies and the unabashed passion that brought Article One this far. Anyone who has witnessed Article One’s exhilarating live show – which was birthed in rec halls and perfected on high-profile stages across the U.S. – will appreciate the drive of Colors and Sounds.

“Our first record was very straightforward pop/rock. The sound was very clean,” Nathan explains. “Our goal for Colors and Sounds was to keep the pop/rock accessibility of the first record, while adding more artistic elements, such as an emphasis on Matt’s violin because it is so unique. More than just a collection of songs, this record has a lot of cool moments and textures.”

Article One is equally proud of the lyrical content on Colors and Sounds. “When you write a song, you write what you know,” declares bassist Mark Laidman. “These songs are about life – ours, and the lives of people around us.”

“Colors and Sounds is not a concept album, but it does seem to revolve around the theme of purpose,” says Piché. “This project was really birthed from personal experience, and while the message is very clear, I think it is as accessible to non-believers as it is to believers. That was important to us.”

“We have lived with these songs for the past seven months,” Matt adds. “I can honestly say that every song is strong and together they make a great album. In a day when people tend to buy only singles, this project brings back the validity of purchasing an entire record. It’s solid from start to finish.”

More about the band: We’re just a bunch of goofballs. We really don’t take ourselves or much of anything seriously. For examples of this checkout our video blogs at youtube.com/afteredmund … we also think it’s hilarious to provoke random people into an argument on the plurality of the band name After Edmund. This is the famed is vs. are I spoke of earlier. If you don’t care then you’re with us, but you’d be surprised how many people have strong feelings on the subject. And if you ask us how long we’ve been together and we answer in some ridiculous number of months, don’t be alarmed. Just divide by 12 to get it in an intelligible format. Oh, and we’re considering taking stage names and we’re open to suggestions. Just send us a message. Right now we’re thinking: Newton’s Nemesis, Mr. DJ Icedream, Big Dragon, they call me Hawkeye, and Brittlenickel. (The preceding idea is actually just a test to see if anyone reads this thing).

More about our music: We write and record music that we think you’ll like. We don’t strive to sound like anyone or any genre (though some people will strongly disagree with both the former and latter statements). You are free to pigeon hole us however you like, but we think the best description of our music can be found by clicking the play button on this page. We encourage you to tell your friends whatever’s necessary get them to go buy our music. Even if you need to do personal favors for them like mow their grass or baby-sit their children, it is but a little sacrifice to encourage such good behavior. And we appreciate it.

If you’re still reading this then I apologize for being long winded, and I hope you find something more productive to do with the next 10 minutes of your life. If you skipped to the end without reading the whole write up then do yourself a favor and stop skipping to the end of novels to find out what happens. It can’t be healthy, and you know they’re going to start asking if you exhibit that type of behavior in those psychoanalysis questions on wal-mart job applications. I hope you enjoy letting us into your world. We’re glad to be here. Please come sing hello, hello to us at a show sometime. It’ll be good to have you close.
Enjoy your day,
The After Edmunds

From the four ordinary guys who formed while sitting down at McDonalds to explore the idea of forming a four-man pop-gospel group, 4HIM presents ENCOREFOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, their final project as 4HIM, a collection of career favorites, as well as a solo song from each member.

We couldnt think of a better way to write the closing chapter to our story than to sing our way out, 4HIM states, We hope you hear our hearts in ENCORE and know how blessed weve been to be a part of your lives.

Since their formation in 1989, their harmonic convergencethe likes of which hadnt been heard in Christian music since the Imperials took audiences by storm in the late 1970sblended the best of tradition from past decades in Christian music with modern pop sensibilities and no-holds-barred, real life lyrics. Christian radio got it right of the box with the groups first No. 1 single, Where There Is Faith, and audiences began to sit up and take notice of the fresh-faced foursome from down south.

4HIM managed to transcend any of those potential pratfalls, continuing to make music that not only met the needs of listeners but pushed the creative envelope as the mainstream pop music scene evolved into something a little less slick, less produced.

By the time 4HIMs best of album released in 2004, all four men were contemplating where do we go from here? Not because they were drifting apart or because the opportunities were few and far between. No, call it sixth sense, the sense of discovery, of beginning to understand that there could be life beyond the ministry theyd devoted the biggest part of their adult lives to.

After much prayer, Andy Chrisman decided to pursue a lifelong passion as worship leader at a local church in Celebration, Florida. Mark Harris had begun writing new songs for a solo project. Marty and Kirk were also busy writing and doing production work on their own.

Each one, in his own time, began to feel the excitement of seeing new roads winding out before them. They began, one by one, to sense God saying I am doing a new thing in you. And so, with gratitude for all God has done over the past 15 years, they began to write the closing chapter in the story of 4HIM.

Taking a walk down memory lane, 4HIM recorded new versions of their biggest hits on the farewell project. Once again their longtime producer Michael Omartian produced the project, which features nine favorite 4HIM songs, in addition to a medley and one new track, Unity (We Stand), featuring guest vocalists Point of Grace and Jeromy Deibler of FFH. Four bonus solo songs from each band member will also be included.

This project will hopefully capture the spirit of the songs and where we are now in 2005 musically, spiritually and thematically it will be a trip down memory lane with a new twist, Mark Harris explains. We wanted to do this last project as a gift to our loyal fansto commemorate all the years of faithful support we have received from them.

Throughout their time together, 4HIM has received much acclaim for their 11 hit albums including an RIAA Gold certified album (The Basics of Life), 24 No. 1 radio singles, eight Dove Awards including three Group of the Year, and a Grammy Award nomination as well as Alabamas Music Hall of Fame for The Governors Achievement Award. In addition to their numerous tours across the nation, the group has also been featured performers with the Billy Graham and Louis Palau crusades.

Validation was seemingly instant. Concerts at more than two hundred churches nationwide ensued, and radio spun several of the band’s songs into hits. Journalists also took notice, calling these humble guys “a talented and devoted group of performers who possess some amazing gifts for music” (InFuze Magazine). Soon enough, 33Miles was a Gospel Music Association Dove Award nominee for New Artist of the Year.

Now, One Life reveals the heart of a group even more intent than before on loving the church with transparency. Committed family men who are as fun to meet personally as they are to hear in song, each member of 33Miles is married, and two have children. They’ve kept a constant presence at home and still managed to put 120,000 miles on the touring van over the past year, not to mention the thousands traveled by air.

The road isn’t always easy (ask Chris about the car that crashed into their dressing room and started a gas leak), and the skyways have their turbulence (ask Collin about that landing during a tornado watch), but the rewards are eternal.

Jason puts One Life in perfect perspective: “The theme of the album is simple, it is about loving God and living every mile to the fullest.”

Indeed, One Life resounds with the experience of casting off safety nets and following dreams. First single “One Life to Love” tells of men and women who finally learn to love their families and God more than work and money, played out across a powerful melody and musical track.

“‘One Life to Love’ still gives me chills,” says Jason. “It also goes back to the meaning behind 33Miles—the idea that life can be short, that Christ lived only thirty-three years on this earth. So the question remains: what will you and I do with our miles, with the years we are given?”

Collin sees the song in relation to the band’s unfolding adventure, how each member could have stayed put where they were, but instead chose to answer a no-guarantees call.

“We joke with each other about leaving school early or foregoing other job opportunities to be in 33Miles, but the song says, you only get one time around to find the one thing you don’t want to miss, and this group is clearly a God-given opportunity to honor Him.”

As implied, the formation of 33Miles didn’t come without its leaps of faith. Jason was already an established studio and touring vocalist. Chris was about to enter Boston’s eminent Berklee College of Music (John Mayer, Diana Krall) on a scholarship, and Collin was just one semester shy of a commercial music degree. But there’s no doubt today about the appeal and strength that’s found in the sum of their parts.

Like 33Miles’ acclaimed debut, One Life was produced by Nathan Nockels (Passion, Point of Grace, Phillips, Craig & Dean) and Sam Mizell (Matthew West), adding top song-shaper Brown Bannister (Third Day, MercyMe) into the mix for the first time on “Something Different,” “Gone” and “Apologize.” The former cuts represent the muscular, rootsy pop/country tinge that flavors half the album and flows naturally from Jason’s Louisiana upbringing, Collin’s love for classic rock, and the passion Chris has for his well-worn six-string. “Apologize,” a stand alone ballad with a classic ring to it, more quietly highlights the vocal and piano gifts of Barton and Stoddard, pleading to the wronged one: if I left a scar, let me say I’m sorry.

Deeper in, “When It All Comes Down” and “One of Those Days” also carry an upbeat style comparable to today’s biggest selling country pop acts.

‘“One of Those Days,’” admits Lockwood, “We’ve all said it . . . ‘Ugh, it’s just one of those days.’ But this song puts a spin on that statement. Some days have their clutter and distraction, but God is worthy to be praised every day, so hallelujah anyway!”

Certainly, a signature element found throughout the music of 33Miles is the expressive worship so evident on the urgent “Jesus Calling” and unforgettable “My Offering.”

“My favorite song, at this moment, is ‘Jesus Calling.’ It captures the sound 33Miles has looked for over the past year. When you come to our concerts, this is what you’re gonna hear live,” Chris says with enthusiasm. “And the message is clear: even though the world is so full of noise today, if you just listen, Jesus is always speaking in and through it all.”

The performance merits of “My Offering” are no less definitive of 33Miles; shining examples of the band’s exceptional, emotional vocal interplay, chiming guitars, and a poetic lyric for the church that could just as easily stir people outside the chapel walls:

I cursed your name; You called me child. I was to blame; You went to trial. And I lived to take . . . On my own I made a mess of things, but You take it as my offering.

At every turn, One Life grippingly offers the listener a reminder of what matters most: tuning in ever closer to God and those we love, aligning our earthly dreams with heavenly things. Be watching for the mile markers that you don’t want to miss.

Todd Agnew, an artist who has long challenged listeners to ask better questions, has found at least some of his needs fulfilled as of late: the need for companionship, family, roots and direction.

But that doesn’t mean Todd finds himself in a place of creative complacency, either. Needs met in one area frequently point out deficiencies in others, and Agnew has never been one afraid of the microscope when it comes to looking at his own life.

“The perfect version of me still has a deep need for God,” Agnew says. “It’s the ongoing conversation we have with God: ‘you’re supposed to need me from the beginning. Need is not a bad thing; it’s something that ties this relationship together the correct way of me being God and you not.’ You really have to learn that and think ‘that’s what I was made, how I was designed.’ And that’s how this music was designed, as well.”

In short, Todd Agnew is taking care of his artistic need through NEED, his fourth album for Ardent Records/INO.
 
“It was a pretty big life change all of a sudden,” Todd says of his return to his home state of Texas, his recent marriage and becoming a stepfather. “I think I closed on my house on a Thursday and got married on a Saturday. I went from ‘single musician guy with no responsibilities’ to ‘homeowner, husband, father of two’ in 48 hours.”

For anyone, those kinds of changes could cause a whiplash effect. For a man with an admittedly critical artist’s eye, Todd’s new life opened up a brand new set of observations.

“It’s incredible, but it’s also definitely hard. There’s nothing that can prepare you for that kind of a life change, especially someone like me, who notices every detail of every failure on my part,” Todd says. “Being a husband is one thing, raising two kids is another. You can find yourself thinking, ‘Man, I didn’t do a very good job again today.’”

The presence of his wife and the kids has obviously served Todd’s need for balance in his personal life, but the veteran singer-songwriter has found an unexpected carryover into his professional existence as well. “I’ve always been kind of the hammer – walk in, speak the truth, blow up the town, walk off and let all the pastors apply that truth or pick up the pieces. Now I’m having very similar things in my marriage and in my life, where I’m definitely someone who sees the truth that needs to be spoken, but I’m watching my wife who always see the love that needs to be shared.”

It is things such as these new roles and relationships that have caused Todd to pen songs such as “Joy Unspeakable,” the first single off of NEED. “I got married in Feb. of 2008, so there was a great deal of joy added to my life through this amazing gift God had given me,” says Agnew. “Now, being over a year into it, I know that it’s not all easy and fun; some of life is still quite difficult.  But what I have found is that joy runs through it all, and that is God’s plan for His bride as well.  The strength, the comfort and the joy that comes from our relationship with Him is ever present, even in our troubled times.  That is a joy that I do not have words to describe.”

The song – “Written On The Wall” – typifies a quest Todd never even realized he was on during the making of NEED. “It comes from a place of saying ‘I don’t understand all this stuff.’ I want to follow, I want to do what he wants me to do, if only he’d make it a little more obvious,” Todd admits.
 
Another area Todd Agnew the musician fends his needs met is the musical scope of NEED, which falls right in line with his previous projects, a broad stroke of rootsy music that touches on everything from rock ‘n’ roll to blues to soul to traditional gospel.

But that sort of musical exploration never seems to come easy, especially when trying to balance the needs of the artist with the perceived needs of the marketplace. “This record is definitely the hardest one I’ve worked on so far. It was much more of a struggling process, spread out over more than a year,” Todd says. “Finally I come to the place at the end where God goes, ‘What you need is for me to be active in what you’re doing.’”

And so that struggle – all facets of it – makes its way onto powerful tracks like the bluesy, rollicking “Deep Deep Love” and the stomp-filled “Tell Me The Story,” to the quieter, more contemplative moments found on the loping, strummy “Give Me Jesus” and the hope of “Did You Mean Me?” (with the fantastic yet familiar Sunday school notion of having “met Jesus at the felt board.”)

It’s the latter track, “Did You Mean Me?,” which Todd has had floating around in a notebook for more than a decade, which helped sharpen the focus of the album’s final push toward completion, shaking him and the project from the struggle. “When we were making the record, a friend told me that there’s no Hebrew word for ‘promise,’” Todd says. “God doesn’t need to promise. If he says it, that’s the way it’s going to be. There’s no extra need for reassurance. So the questions we have for God: ‘Does that really apply to me? Did you really promise that to me?’ are sometimes a waste of time and effort. It’s more God saying, ‘This is how it is.’”

As for the first single “Joy Unspeakable,” which is impacting AC, CHR and INSPO formats on Jul. 17, Agnew says, “I got married in Feb. of 2008, so there was a great deal of joy added to my life through this amazing gift God had given me.  Now, being over a year into it, I know that it’s not all easy and fun; some of life is still quite difficult.  But what I have found is that joy runs through it all, and that is God’s plan for His bride as well.  The strength, the comfort and the joy that comes from our relationship with Him is ever present, even in our troubled times.  That is a joy that I do not have words to describe.” To hear the story behind “Joy Unspeakable,” visit http://toddagnew.com/2009/07/01/behind-joy-unspeakable/.
 
So as Todd Agnew’s life morphed in front of him, so did his music, and so did his reactions to the changes that both were going through.

“I thought it was about me needing answers, so I could do God’s work for him. Give me the plan so I can go do this for you. Wanting to understand those things,” Todd says. “But I started to realize that what I thought I needed wasn’t exactly accurate. I really needed to learn to be dependent on God for everything.”

Todd looks up, respectfully asking for one more need to be fulfilled. “And if you’d like to give me some instruction, that would be awesome.”

“One after another, we learn that we have a need to be loved, to be rescued, to be redeemed, to be restored, all these things. Those are the universal needs, and they are all met in Jesus,” he continues. “It’s a matter of trusting God to help me walk through that, even though I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Lead singer Ben Olin explains, “The title deals with the idea that there are at least two sides to every story. Things inevitably appear different to each individual based on their experiences, predispositions, prejudices, or vantage point. When we understand this—that what we see may not be the whole truth—we arrive where grace and love prevail.”

Perceptions is an effort that decidedly goes to the extremes of modern rock and timeless worship. It was produced by Allen Salmon (MuteMath) and comes in the storied wake of This Beautiful Republic’s first two years of touring together as a major label act. The band shared stages with headliners Sanctus Real and Family Force 5 among others and traveled overseas for shows in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden.

“I think the overall toll that being in a band takes was underestimated by us. Until you’re doing it and seeing how it affects your friendships, relationships, your bank account, your physical health, and your mental health, you can’t really get a true grasp on it,” says Olin. “Yet at the same time, we never knew it would be so good. We’re so proud that we’re being allowed to do what we are doing right now. Perceptions is a huge step for us and a better representation of where we’re at as musicians.”

This Beautiful Republic first made headlines when pioneering EMI-owned Christian rock label ForeFront Records (dc Talk, tobyMac) chose the act as its first new signing in five years. The band’s debut album, Even Heroes Need a Parachute, charted the singles “Jesus to the World” and “Casting Off” and earned glowing reviews. MusicFaith.com called TBR “my vote for New Artist of 2007” while Christianity Today compared the band to Foo Fighters and estimated it was “capable of improving from good to great.”

While the band’s international ministry is vast, their influence and involvement here in America is equally as impressive. They were recently asked to minister in Geneva, Alabama after the tragic mass shooting spree that killed 11 people. They have ministered with Promise Keepers, Franklin Graham, Josh McDowell, Morris Cerullo, Robert Schuller, Luis Pulau , Rod Parsley, and Acquire the Fire, just to name a few. They had the distinct honor of being asked to play at the 2008 Republican National Convention Prayer Breakfast, and lead singer, Rick Heil and his wife were appointed Americans of Faith Coalition Chairmen. In their 10 years of ministry they have helped facilitate over 10,000 child sponsorships and counting. They have earned a Grammy nomination, Dove Awards, ASCAP awards, as well as many other accolades. They have been featured on the 700 Club, TBN, INSP, God TV, and Harvest TV. They have sold over 2 million records and are currently touring in promotion of their new album “A Heart Like Yours”, which Christian Music Planet says “proves Sonicflood is still the cream of the crop.” They are working on their first Christmas album which is due out this fall. All in all, over the last decade Sonicflood has tirelessly labored in the mission field to live up to their title “The Fathers of Modern Worship Music!” and have changed the face of worship music forever.

Simple. You stop, sit down and reflect on the Wonder Of The World.

Two years can seem like a lifetime, or it can seem like it has passed in the blink of an eye.

“It’s funny to think about the course of events that have taken place,” says Kevin Huguley, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for breakthrough Midas Records band Rush of Fools. “And all that time, God’s still kept us on that path we feel He’s called us to be on. It feels like the fast-forward button has been pressed on our lives this whole time.”

Given the opportunity, Huguley will rattle off the personal accomplishments of his band mates – lead vocalist/songwriter Wes Willis, guitarist Dustin Sauder, bassist Jacob Chesnut and drummer Jamie Sharpe – right alongside the professional ones his Alabama-based band has gone through.

It’s that intertwining of the internal and the external that made Rush of Fools’ self-titled debut (and monster hit “Undo,” ASCAP’s most-played Christian song of 2007) so approachable and embraceable by a now-legion of fans.

That fusion carries over into the band’s second full-length release, Wonder Of The World, a record crafted simultaneously on the run and yet with purpose and progress in mind.

“I think that compared to the last record, we actually had time to breathe,” Willis says. “We played hundreds of shows and wrote and sat and played together and worshipped together. All those things fed into this album and I think we were able to write songs the same way we did last time and yet we found a new voice, a growth in ourselves and in our collaborations with our producers. We’re still a worship band, and we still love writing those kinds of songs.”

“I think this time we were able to be more hands-on in the musical process, and the producers asked ‘What do you want to do?’ rather than last time when we were all saying ‘Help us,’” he continues. “This time, we were more able to say exactly what we wanted musically.”

The expansion of Rush of Fools’ musical vocabulary is evident throughout Wonder Of The World, with the pogo-ready rocker “Lose It All” lining up right alongside the hypnotic “Escape,” contrasting with the lullaby feel of “Tonight” and the piano ballad “The Only Thing That’s Beautiful In Me.”

The core elevating factor of the band’s presence, much like on their debut record, is the commitment to lyrical innovation that showcases that willingness to strip the artifice of success away and focus their eyes (and through the music, the listener’s ears) on the one, true wonder of the world.

“As we’ve been playing the title song already, we’ll usually stop in the middle of it and talk about the lines ‘Father, how can it be that you are Father to me?’ as well as all the other things mentioned: Savior, Healer, One who shows favor on me,” Willis says. “I think back to all that time on the road and all the things that have happened over the past year, and I’m still amazed by those facts, that He is Father and Savior and Healer. He’s been so faithful to us and at the very least, we should be that back to Him.”

Huguley concurs with his band mate and co-writer. “We should be asking those questions in the song, because we don’t deserve those things He’s given us, but that’s what makes it so wonderful.”

“I think God has allowed our situation and our story and our journey to take place and it has uncovered these truths for us,” Huguley continues. “He’s saying ‘I’m going to continue using you five guys from Alabama, who are not worthy of My grace, because you’re starting to get the picture that grace is what it’s all about.’”

At the same time, being young men constantly on the road, playing to growing crowds that respond by singing songs back to the band during shows, can have a negative impact as well. “When we started playing on the road more, I realized there were times when I’ve been not a great husband or a great friend,” guitarist Frazier says. “Then I thought, ‘Was I ever a great husband or friend or son?’ I always thought I had it straight and I had the answers. Now I have to question all those things and it stinks that I have to go through those things. Yet at the same time, I’m really thankful because I got knocked down and now I can get back up and work on those things.”

“This has been a dramatic lifestyle change,” Willis admits. “Being sucked out of your homes and stuck out on the road playing all over. But when you’re in the same little van, driving around with the same guys, you get to grow together. You have to stick to those things God is calling you to do. We’re a worship band; let’s continue to write worship songs.”

“It should impact us all, in a way that should cause us to seek the Lord more,” Willis continues. “I think it has, for us, whether it’s been good times or bad. I think He blesses those moments when you do.”

The reciprocal result has fostered a set of worship songs on Wonder Of The World, such as “Holy One,” “Freedom Begins Here” and “You Are Glory.” Each are shaped differently from a musical perspective, but keep that aforementioned focus on the force carrying the band and the listeners through life’s difficult circumstances.

“We always put our hearts and souls into the lyrics, because if we’re going to be writing songs about God, they had better be true, they had better be good and they had better be honest,” Huguley says. “It’s that creativity in our lyrics and now our music as well, that shows where our progress has been. We strived hard to not shy away from the tough lyrics about our own sins and struggles. But now we’ve created this new version of our own band because there’s a new musicality to it.”

“It doesn’t matter what aspect of life you’re working on, you always have to learn how to recreate something,” Willis says. “You always have to learn how to grow and change and from a musical aspect, that’s definitely what we’ve done with this album. There was a lot of growth on this project, but still true to our core heart of worship, because that’s who we are.”

These statements further answer the question above, the one about what you do when if at first you do succeed. You try again, and when you’re trying to point out to others the glory of the true Wonder Of The World, it’s all quite simple.

Rush Of Fools members:
Kevin Huguley – BGV’s, electric guitar and keys
Wes Willis – Lead Vocals, acoustic guitar
Jacob Chesnut – Bass
Jamie Sharpe – Drums
Dustin Sauder – Electric guitar

“Given the recent past, it’s understandable that people are quick to ask me about the musical side of what I do,” says Stacey, who performed for an average of 30 million viewers a week, for the 11 weeks he competed on American Idol. “I enjoy talking about the music, too. In fact, I love it. But the biggest hope I have is that what I do will help draw people to God–whether that’s through the songs I write, how I conduct myself on stage, or more importantly, the ways I relate to other people. Everything I did with American Idol has readied me for this platform and this album. This is where I feel at home and I can’t wait for people to hear these songs.”

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Stacey–the son of a pastor, grandson of two pastors, and a one-time music minister himself–celebrates faith and family on Into the Light as he sings passionately about an unshakable and loving God. With legendary Christian music producer Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Mandisa, Steven Curtis Chapman) at the helm, Into the Light artfully taps Stacey’s longtime love for the church and its most modern musical expressions.

“There are songs on the project that will encourage and others that will challenge. Some that I’ve written and others that I heard and just had to record, including one by one of my favorite artists, Rich Mullins, called ‘Hard to Get’,” adds Stacey.