| Carry Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 9, 2013 | |||
| Studio | The Grey Area and Wide Studios (Nashville, Tennessee). | |||
| Genre | Contemporary Christian music, folk, pop rock | |||
| Length | 43:33 | |||
| Label | Sparrow | |||
| Producer | Matt Bronleewe | |||
| Josh Wilson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Carry Me is the third studio album by Christian singer-songwriter Josh Wilson, which was produced by Matt Bronleewe and released on April 9, 2013, by Sparrow Records. The album achieved commercial successes and critical acclamation.
Josh Wilson gave an interview to Christian Music Zine's Joshua Andre and was asked "For me, Carry Me is your best album yet, what are the main themes of the album? Can you tell us about the story behind the lead single “Carry Me” and what the song means to you? What are your other favourite songs on the album?" [1]
The main theme of this album is that Christ can and will carry us through whatever we face. We need Christ to carry us, both when things seem like they’re going well, and when we face difficult circumstances. The title track is about my battle with anxiety, but my hope is that people will read their own stories into the songs, understanding that God can and will carry us through the good times and bad.
This year, I’ve been dealing with pretty severe anxiety, to the point of having panic attacks. Some of these panic attacks were so severe that I thought I was having a heart attack. I’ve had to trust God in a way that I never have before. I’ve literally had to ask God for the strength and peace to take my next breath. I’ve had to pray for Him to carry me through this incredibly difficult time, and He’s done just that.
A favorite on the album for me is “I See God In You,” which is a song that recognizes that we are made in the image of God. The first verse is about my neighbor Lillie, who has been a widow for almost 40 years. She loves Jesus and can’t wait to see her husband again. The second verse is about a little down syndrome boy I met before a concert. The love of Christ was so evident in his eyes. The last verse is about myself, my doubts, and wondering if I’m too far gone. The truth is that none of us are too far God, and Christ can forgive us wherever we are.
— Josh Wilson, Christian Music Zine [1]
In the same interview with Christian Music Zine's Joshua Andre, Josh Wilson was asked the question "As a singer-songwriter that has previously played almost every instrument on studio albums, and every instrument during live shows through live looping; what are the challenges of creating a follow up album to the successful and respected See You?" [1]
The main challenge is trying to create something new, something fresh. I love playing acoustic instruments, and really enjoy a variety of sounds. One way that we branched out on this record is by utilizing drum programming and different synths and electronic sounds. I think it’s a pretty cool marriage of organic and synthetic.
— Josh Wilson, Christian Music Zine [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Alpha Omega News | B [3] |
| CCM Magazine | [4] |
| Christian Music Zine | 4.75/5 [5] |
| Cross Rhythms |   [6] |
| Indie Vision Music | [7] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |  [8] |
| Louder Than the Music | [9] |
| New Release Tuesday | [10] |
| Worship Leader | [11] |
Carry Me has achieved critical acclaim from the ten music critics. AllMusic's David Jeffries noted how the release "finds new inspiration in slice-of-life, strum-along songs", and those are "showcasing" the artists' "newfound love of effectively blending the acoustic with the electronic." [2] At CCM Magazine , Grace S. Aspinwall told that "in his upbeat style, Josh Wilson presents his most versatile work to date." [4] Joshua Andre of Christian Music Zine called Carry Me "punchy and emotional music", which contains "12 gems and treasures", and that "is a 45 minutes testimony of God’s goodness!" [5] Andre finished with noting that "everything about Josh Wilson's Carry Me is magical, from the courageous diversity in instruments and multiple musical genres, to the heartfelt and personal lyrics." [5] Cross Rhythms' Stephen Curry alluded to how the album is "his most personal to date", and called it "a finely crafted set of songs." [6] At Indie Vision Music, Jonathan Andre exclaimed that the songs on the album "speak deeply to the soul", which he called the release "truly powerful in its imagery and poetic nature, Josh presents to us a plethora of musical genres and themes", and affirmed that the project is "a musical reminder of God carrying us through the storms of our lives as we let go of everything that holds us back." [7] Jesus Freak Hideout's Bert Gangl found that "to be equitable, the back end of the album, as a whole, is less consistently impressive than its first portion, thanks in part to the less vivacious, slightly more generic nature of its contents." [8] Additionally, Gangl found "Wilson's refreshingly forthright lyrics and ability to find light in even the darkest of themes combine to offer a modicum of relief from this latter-segment deficit." [8] Gangl concluded with writing that "Carry Me doesn't quite qualify as groundbreaking or fillerless, it is still an engaging, thought-provoking, and ultimately uplifting collection of songs that should, if there's any justice in the world, go great lengths toward earning its talented creator an evening's worth of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep." [8] Louder Than the Music's Jono Davies alluded to how this release "moved away a bit too much from the acoustic mid-rock genre into a slightly more poppier, catchy chorus kind of album." [9] Kevin Davis of New Release Tuesday evoked how "Carry Me paints a refreshingly relevant musical palate that frames its message beautifully", and noted that the album "is sure to connect with all listeners who like catchy songs filled with truth and yearning for God." [10] In addition, Davis found that Wilson "invites you into his life in such an authentic and relatable way, you’ll feel like you are a lifelong friend after you hear this album." [10] At Worship Leader, Jay Akins vowed that "this record is a new level of Great", which he told that "these songs are so rich with truth and full of life and God's grace," and called this "one of the best and well-rounded records" [11] Ken Wiegman of Alpha Omega News noted how the release "has so much depth to it and it is sure to bring comfort to many." [3]
For the Billboard charting week of April 27, 2013, Carry Me was the No. 129 most sold album in the entirety of the United States via the Billboard 200 placement, and it was the fifth most sold album in the Christian market segment by the Christian Albums charting.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pushing Back the Dark" | James Tealy, Matthew West, Josh Wilson | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Carry Me" | Ben Glover, J. Wilson | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Faith Is Not a Feeling" | Glover, J. Wilson | 4:12 |
| 4. | "I See God in You" | Jeff Pardo, J. Wilson | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Grace Enough for You" | Glover, Pardo, J. Wilson | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Wake Me Up" | West, J. Wilson | 3:35 |
| 7. | "What a Mystery" | Becca Wilson, J. Wilson | 2:57 |
| 8. | "Let There Be Light" | Pardo, J. Wilson | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Here I Am Anyway" | Pardo, J. Wilson | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Symphony" | Wes Pickering, J. Wilson | 3:16 |
| 11. | "One Safe Soul" | Wilson | 3:37 |
| 12. | "What I See Now" | Wilson | 4:43 |
| Total length: | 43:33 | ||
Album
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [12] | 129 |
| US Christian Albums (Billboard) [13] | 5 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Songs | |||||||
| 2013 | "Carry Me" | 10 [14] | |||||
| "Pushing Back the Dark" | 19 [15] | ||||||
Joshua David Wilson is a contemporary Christian musician from El Dorado, Arkansas. He is best known for the radio singles "Savior, Please" from his 2008 album Trying to Fit the Ocean in a Cup and "Before the Morning" from his 2009 EP, Life is Not a Snapshot.
Need You Now is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Plumb released on February 26, 2013. The album was preceded by the singles "Drifting", with Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay making a guest appearance, and "Need You Now ". A deluxe edition of the album was released on September 16, 2014 with six additional tracks.
Gold is the fourth studio album by Britt Nicole. It was released on March 26, 2012 and features the Christian radio singles "All This Time", "Stand", and "Ready or Not", as well as her debut mainstream single "Gold". The album was re-released to mainstream markets on February 26, 2013 via Capitol Records, along with a new album cover. In 2014, the song "The Sun Is Rising" was included as part of the soundtrack of the movie The Other Woman, gaining popularity without being an official single.
See You is the second studio album from contemporary Christian music recording artist Josh Wilson, released on February 8, 2011 by Sparrow Records. The album has been met with commercial and critical successes.
The Hurt & the Healer is the seventh studio album by American contemporary Christian music band MercyMe. Released on May 22, 2012, the album was about the season that the band is currently in at the time of composing the music. Produced by Brown Bannister and Dan Muckala, the album met with positive critical and commercial reception. The album sold over 33,000 copies its first week and debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart. This is also their first album release without keyboardist and group co-founder Jim Bryson.
"All This Time" is a song by contemporary Christian musician Britt Nicole from her fourth album, Gold. It was released on January 31, 2012, as the first single from the album.
Into the Light is the fifth studio album by contemporary Christian musician, Matthew West. It was released on September 25, 2012 through Sparrow Records. The album was produced by Pete Kipley.
The Heartbeat is the first studio album by Bellarive, and the album released on June 19, 2012 by Sparrow Records. The album was produced by Bellarive and Joshua Silverberg. The album debut at No. 21 and No. 17 on the Christian and Heatseekers albums charts, respectively. The lead single from the album is "Taste of Eternity". "Love Has Found Us", "Sing", "Shine On" and "Stories" were previously included on the band's debut EP, The Being Human Project...Start Listening.
All Things Possible is the seventh studio album by contemporary Christian musician Mark Schultz. The album is the first with Columbia Records and Fair Trade Services. This album was released on September 4, 2012, and the producers were Pete Kipley and Seth Mosley.
Reckless is contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp's ninth studio album, and the producers are Camp and Andy Dodd. The album was released on February 12, 2013, which all of his album has been released on BEC Recordings label, and this is his eighth album with the label. The first single from the album is entitled "Reckless", which was released on November 16, 2012, and has achieved chart success. Lastly, this album marks the ninth album of Camp's career that includes his first independent release. For the week of March 2, 2013, the album was the No. 31 most sold album in the nation via the Billboard 200 chart, which the album was the No. 10 most popular Rock album in the same week, and it was the most popular Christian album, as well.
Made is the sixth studio album by Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, which was produced by Seth Mosley and guitarist Jonathan Steingard. It was released on April 2, 2013 on the Fair Trade Services record label.
Noel is the first holiday studio album from contemporary Christian music recording artist Josh Wilson, which was produced by Matt Bronleewe and released on October 9, 2012, by Sparrow Records. The album was met with commercial and critical successes.
Bring Your Nothing is the eighth studio album by the Contemporary worship duo Shane & Shane. The album was released on May 14, 2013 by Fair Trade Services record label.
Overcomer is the fifth studio album by American contemporary Christian music singer Mandisa. The album was released on August 27, 2013, on Sparrow Records. The album has achieved commercial charting successes, as well as critical acclaim by music critics. It also won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
Radiate is the second studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Tricia, released on August 13, 2013 by Inpop Records. The album has seen commercial charting success, as well as, positive critical attention.
Hurricane is the eighth studio album from contemporary Christian music singer Natalie Grant. It is the ninth album of her career, and it was released on October 15, 2013 by Curb Records. The album was produced by Bernie Herms. The album achieved commercial charting successes and garnered acclaim from music critics.
1 Girl Nation is the eponymous debut studio album by contemporary Christian music girl band 1GN, which was released on the Reunion Records label on August 20, 2013, and was produced by Casey Brown, Jason Ingram, Joshua Silverberg, Jonathan Smith, Jon White and Kipp Williams. The album has been met with commercial charting successes and positive criticism.
God of Every Story is the third studio album by Contemporary Christian musician Laura Story, which the album was released by Fair Trade Services on September 30, 2013, and the producer of the album was Ed Cash. The album has seen commercial charting successes, as well as, it has garnered positive reception from music critics.
The Neverclaim is the eponymous debut studio album from contemporary Christian music band The Neverclaim, which was released on September 24, 2013 by Essential Records, and it was produced by Jason Ingram and Paul Moak. The album has seen commercial charting successes, as well as, it has received critical acclamation by Christian reviewers.
"Hey Girl" is a song by American contemporary Christian music singer Anne Wilson. It was released to Christian radio in the United States on September 16, 2022, as the third single from her debut studio album, My Jesus (2022). Wilson co-wrote the song with Jeff Pardo and Matthew West.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)