Graves into Gardens | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | May 1, 2020 | |||
Recorded | January – March 2020 | |||
Venue | Elevation Ballantyne, Charlotte, North Carolina, US | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 64:50 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Elevation Worship live album chronology | ||||
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Elevation Worship chronology | ||||
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Singles from Graves into Gardens | ||||
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Graves into Gardens is the eighth live album (twelfth album overall) by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. It was released on May 1,2020,via Elevation Worship Records alongside Provident Label Group. The album contains guest appearances by Brandon Lake of Bethel Music,Cody Carnes,Kari Jobe,Tauren Wells and Isaiah Templeton. Steven Furtick,Aaron Robertson,Chris Brown,and Jonathan Mix collaborated on the production of the album.
The album was supported by the release of "The Blessing","Graves into Gardens" and "Rattle!" as singles. "The Blessing" peaked at No. 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, [1] and No. 2 on the Hot Christian Songs chart in the United States, [2] and has been certified gold by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [3] "Graves into Gardens" became Elevation Worship's highest charting single,registering their first No. 1 single on the Hot Christian Songs chart, [4] [5] and peaking at No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. [6] "Rattle!" peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, [7] and at No. 25 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Elevation Worship had initially intended to further promote the album by embarking on the Elevation Nights 2020 tour with pastor Steven Furtick,but the tour was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Graves into Gardens was released to critical acclaim,while achieving commercial success with debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums Chart in the United States, [8] and No. 2 on the OCC's Official Christian &Gospel Albums Chart in the United Kingdom,concurrently attaining top 100 mainstream chart entries in the United States,Australia,Canada,Scotland and Switzerland. The album was nominated for Billboard Music Award for Top Christian Album at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. Graves into Gardens received nominations for the GMA Dove Award Worship Album of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year at the 2021 GMA Dove Awards,ultimately winning the Recorded Music Packaging of the Year award.
Elevation Worship's Chris Brown shared the meaning behind the album title and its theme, [9] [10] saying:
Many of our songs come from sermons that Pastor Steven preaches. The title track, in particular, launched from a message of his called 'The Mystery of Potential.' He was in that 2 Kings passage which details that after the prophet Elisha died, his story didn't end there. Two Israelites were near his gravesite about to bury another man. When they saw a band of enemy raiders coming, they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. As soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21). Elisha still had a resurrection miracle left in his bones, and God is still in the business of bringing dead things back to life. If we'll trust God even with the seemingly dead areas of our lives, if we'll believe in the power of God, if we'll declare resurrection power over everything we sow, nothing will be wasted. Nothing is over. God can turn any situation around.
"We love getting in a room with our people and capturing the sound of our church. It’s our favorite way to record the songs God’s given us in that season. There has not been another live recording of ours that has compared to the energy and spirit that was in the room that night."
– Chris Brown, on the decision to release Graves into Gardens as a live album. [10]
The album's nine original tracks were recorded over a night on January 15, 2020, at Elevation Church's Ballantyne campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, [10] where previous Elevation Worship projects have been recorded. Elevation Worship's Chris Brown noted that while most of the songs were written in 2019, "Rattle" and "The Blessing" were written and recorded in early 2020. [11] [9] The band collaborated with Bethel Music's Brandon Lake in writing a number of songs on the album and featured on the album's title track, other collaborators also included Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes on co-writing and leading "The Blessing" as well as Tauren Wells lending his vocals on "Never Lost". [9]
"The Blessing" was written by Jobe, Carnes, together with Steven Furtick and Brown in a writing session on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at Elevation prior to leading it at Elevation's Sunday service on March 1, 2020. [12] [13] "Rattle" was written during quarantine with voice memos and over Zoom calls, and the track was recorded without a live audience, with the band practicing social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [11]
"The Blessing" was officially released as the lead single of the album on March 20, 2020. [12] The song debuted at No. 3 and No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs and the Digital Song Sales charts dated April 24, 2020, respectively. [14] The song peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, [2] and No. 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. [1]
"Graves into Gardens" was sent to Christian radio stations on August 21, 2020, as the second official single from the album. [15] The song went on to become Elevation Worship's first No. 1 single on the Hot Christian Songs and Christian Airplay charts. [4] The song also peaked at No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. [6]
"Rattle!" was released to Christian radio stations in the United States on April 23, 2021, as the third official single from the album [16] and peaked at No. 6 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. [7]
On March 14, 2020, the album was availed for pre-order, with "Graves into Gardens" released as the first promotional single from the album. [17] [18] On April 3, 2020, "My Testimony" was released as the second promotional single from the album. [19] "Rattle!" was availed on April 24, 2020, as the album's third promotional single. [20]
On the day of its release, Elevation Worship announced that the project became the highest pre-added worship album to date on Apple Music. [21]
In October 2019, Premier Productions announced that Elevation Worship alongside Pastor Steven Furtick would be going on their first arena tour, dubbed Elevation Nights 2020. [22] The tour was slated to commence at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Austin, Texas, on May 26, 2020, and set to conclude at Barclays Center in New York City. [23] The band revealed in March 2020 that the tour will be in support of the then upcoming album. [24]
In April 2020, Elevation Worship announced that the Elevation Nights 2020 tour was cancelled in response to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. [25]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
365 Days of Inspiring Media | 4.5/5 [26] |
CCM Magazine | [27] |
The Christian Beat | 5/5 [28] |
Hallels | 3/5 [29] |
Jesus Freak Hideout | [30] |
One Man In The Middle | [31] |
Graves into Gardens was met with generally positive reviews. Joshua Andre in his 365 Days of Inspiring Media review praised the album in his review, saying, "I reckon their latest offering is one of the most cohesive ever- yep even more so than Hallelujah Here Below ." [26] At CCM Magazine , Dan McIntosh rated the album three-point-five stars out of five, he acknowledged that the collection has "some truly standout tracks," but bemoaned the overall length saying, "this album could have used a little editing." [27] Herb Longs of The Christian Beat gave the album five out of five stars and said that it "dynamically showcases the collective talents of the group while spotlighting a number of special guests". [28] Timothy Yap, in his review for Hallels, felt that the album was underwhelming as it did not match the poetic and artful depiction of the album artwork, saying "Though there are still moments of sublimity, they are all mixed together in what feels like an extremely long album, with one of the songs marathoning close to the 10-minute mark." [29] Michael Weaver of Jesus Freak Hideout complimented the range of the tracks, saying "Elevation manages to break things up just by changing vocalists, but also by completely changing styles. The album features rock, contemporary worship, pop, and gospel music. Not many of the major worship groups are swinging for the fences in this way." [30] Rob Allwright, reviewing for One Man In The Middle, opined "A lot of these songs are faithbuilding and uplifting which is something that is so desperately needed at the moment. Maybe at another time they wouldn’t have hit home quite so strongly, but in the middle of a global pandemic then we need that God is still in control and a reminder of what happens when God says live, even the dead dry bones MUST come to life." [31]
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref |
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2021 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Christian Album | Nominated | [32] |
GMA Dove Awards | Worship Album of the Year | Nominated | [33] [34] | |
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year | Won |
In the United States, Graves into Gardens earned 16,000 equivalent album units in its first week of sales, and as a result debuted at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums Chart dated May 16, 2020, the band's fifth chart-topping release on the tally. [35] The album concurrently registered on the mainstream Billboard 200 chart at No. 34. [36] Graves into Gardens debuted on the OCC's Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart at No. 2. [37]
Graves into Gardens also appeared at No. 38 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, [38] No 66 on the Canadian Albums Chart, [39] No. 39 on Scottish Albums, [40] and No 47 on the Swiss Hitparade. [41]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "My Testimony" |
| 4:51 |
2. | "Graves into Gardens" (featuring Brandon Lake) |
| 7:32 |
3. | "The Blessing" (with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes) |
| 8:27 |
4. | "Available" |
| 9:41 |
5. | "Authority" |
| 5:39 |
6. | "Never Lost" (featuring Tauren Wells) |
| 6:50 |
7. | "No One Beside" |
| 5:56 |
8. | "Have My Heart (Vamp)" |
| 4:04 |
9. | "There Is a King" |
| 5:00 |
10. | "What Would You Do" (featuring Isaiah Templeton) |
| 6:50 |
Total length: | 64:50 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "My Testimony" (Music Video) | 4:52 |
12. | "Graves into Gardens" (featuring Brandon Lake; Music Video) | 7:32 |
13. | "Available" (Music Video) | 9:40 |
14. | "Authority" (Music Video) | 5:39 |
15. | "Never Lost" (featuring Tauren Wells; Music Video) | 6:51 |
16. | "No One Beside" (Music Video) | 5:57 |
17. | "Have My Heart (Vamp)" (Music Video) | 4:05 |
18. | "There Is a King" (Music Video) | 5:01 |
19. | "What Would You Do" (featuring Isaiah Templeton; Music Video) | 6:46 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rattle!" |
| 7:12 |
2. | "My Testimony" | 4:51 | |
3. | "Graves into Gardens" (featuring Brandon Lake) | 7:32 | |
4. | "The Blessing" (with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes) | 8:27 | |
5. | "Available" | 9:41 | |
6. | "Authority" | 5:39 | |
7. | "Never Lost" (featuring Tauren Wells) | 6:50 | |
8. | "No One Beside" | 5:56 | |
9. | "Have My Heart (Vamp)" | 4:04 | |
10. | "There Is a King" | 5:00 | |
11. | "What Would You Do" (featuring Isaiah Templeton) | 5:02 | |
12. | "God Said Live" |
| 3:38 |
Total length: | 75:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Rattle" (Music Video) | 10:29 |
14. | "My Testimony" (Music Video) | 4:52 |
15. | "Graves into Gardens" (featuring Brandon Lake; Music Video) | 7:33 |
16. | "Available" (Music Video) | 9:40 |
17. | "Authority" (Music Video) | 5:39 |
18. | "Never Lost" (featuring Tauren Wells; Music Video) | 6:51 |
19. | "No One Beside" (Music Video) | 5:57 |
20. | "Have My Heart (Vamp)" (Music Video) | 4:05 |
21. | "There Is a King" (Music Video) | 5:01 |
22. | "What Would You Do" (featuring Isaiah Templeton; Music Video) | 6:46 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Date | Version | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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Various | May 1, 2020 | Standard | Elevation Worship Records | [42] [43] | |
Deluxe | [44] [45] [46] | ||||
June 12, 2020 | CD | Provident Label Group | [56] |
"My Testimony" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship which was released as a promotional single from their eighth live album, Graves into Gardens (2020), on April 3, 2020. The song was written by Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick and Tiffany Hudson. Chris Brown and Aaron Robertson handled the production of the single. "My Testimony" peaked at No. 24 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart despite not being an official single.
Elevation Worship is a contemporary worship music collective from Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The collective leads worship in weekend church services at Elevation Church, as well as performing concerts and tours around the United States. The collective has sold over 2.5 million albums in the United States.
"Egypt" is a song by Bethel Music and Cory Asbury, which was released as the third single from Bethel Music's twelfth live album, Revival's in the Air (2020), on April 3, 2020. The song was written by Phil Wickham, Brian Johnson, Cory Asbury, Ethan Hulse, and Lee Cummings. It celebrates God’s faithfulness with reference to the story of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt to their Promised Land. Brian Johnson also collaborated on the production of the single with Joel Taylor.
"Do It Again" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. Written by Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Matt Redman and Steven Furtick, the song was released as the first single from their 2017 album There Is a Cloud. It was released to Christian radio on February 23, 2018. The song peaked at No. 6 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart, becoming their second Top 10 single from that chart. It lasted on the charts for 33 weeks, their second longest charting song. The song is played in a B-flat major key, and 172 beats per minute.
Victory is the eleventh live album by California-based worship collective Bethel Music, and their sixteenth full-length release overall. The album was released on through the collective's imprint label, Bethel Music, on January 25, 2019. The album is inspired by the biblical account of King Jehoshaphat's victory over the Moabite alliance in war by sending out a group of worshipers as a vanguard for his army. The featured worship leaders on the album are Josh Baldwin, Cory Asbury, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, Bethany Wohrle, Sean Feucht, Emmy Rose, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Kalley Heiligenthal, Paul McClure, Hannah McClure and Hunter G K Thompson with Molly Skaggs, Daniel Bashta and Harvest as guests. Ed Cash handled the production of the album.
Cody Jay Carnes is an American Christian singer, songwriter and worship pastor.
"Raise a Hallelujah" is a song by Bethel Music, Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser, which was released as the second single from Bethel Music's eleventh live album, Victory (2019), on March 8, 2019. The song was written by Jake Stevens, Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser and Molly Skaggs. Ed Cash handled the production of the single.
"The Blessing" is a song performed by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes and Elevation Worship, released as the lead single from Elevation Worship's twelfth live album, Graves into Gardens (2020), as well as Kari Jobe's third live album, The Blessing (2020), on March 20, 2020. The song was written by Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe and Steven Furtick. Chris Brown handled the production of the single.
Peace is the second studio album by Bethel Music, and their nineteenth full-length overall. It was released on April 10, 2020, through its own imprint label, Bethel Music. The featured worship leaders on the album are Cory Asbury, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, Josh Baldwin, Amanda Lindsey Cook, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, with Kari Jobe and We The Kingdom appearing as guests. Ed Cash collaborated with and Steven Taylor in the production of the album.
Revival's in the Air is the twelfth live album by California-based worship collective Bethel Music, and their twentieth full-length release overall. The album was released through the collective's imprint label, Bethel Music, on May 29, 2020. The featured worship leaders on the album are Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Cory Asbury, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, Josh Baldwin, Kristene DiMarco, Paul McClure, Hannah McClure, Brandon Lake, Bethany Wohrle, and Dante Bowe. Brian Johnson and Joel Taylor produced the album, working with assistant producers David Whitworth, John-Paul Gentile and Matthew Ogden.
Michael Brandon Lake is an American Christian worship singer, songwriter, guitarist, and worship pastor. Lake is a member of the Maverick City Music collective and serves as a worship pastor at Seacoast Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Lake began his recording career with a successful crowdfunding campaign to produce an album in 2015, which resulted in the independent release of his debut studio album, Closer, in 2016.
"Graves into Gardens" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship and American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Brandon Lake which was released as the second single from their eighth live album of the same name, Graves into Gardens (2020), on August 7, 2020. The song was written by Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick and Tiffany Hudson. Chris Brown and Aaron Robertson handled the production of the single.
"Rattle!" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. On April 23, 2021, it was released as the third single from their eighth live album, Graves into Gardens (2020), to Christian radio stations in the United States. The song was written by Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, and Steven Furtick. Chris Brown and Aaron Robertson handled the production of the single.
"Never Lost" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship released as a standalone single, on November 1, 2019. The song was written by Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, and Tiffany Hammer. Chris Brown and Aaron Robertson handled the production of the single.
Old Church Basement is a collaborative live album by American contemporary worship groups Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music. It was released on April 30, 2021, via Sony Music Nashville through their imprints Elevation Worship Records and Provident Label Group. The featured worship leaders on the album are Dante Bowe, Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine, Brandon Lake, Joe L. Barnes, Tiffany Hudson, Chris Brown, and Amanda Lindsey Cook. The album was produced by Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Jason Ingram, Tony Brown, and Jonathan Jay.
"Wait on You" is a song performed by American contemporary worship bands Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music, which features vocals from Dante Bowe and Chandler Moore. The song was released on April 23, 2021, as a promotional single from their collaborative live album, Old Church Basement (2021). The song was written by Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, Chris Brown, Dante Bowe, Steven Furtick, and Tiffany Hudson.
"Here as in Heaven" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. The song was released as the opening track of the fifth live album of the same name on February 5, 2016. The song was written by Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Matthews Ntlele, Steven Furtick, and Wade Joye.
"Old Church Basement" is a song performed by American contemporary worship bands Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music, which features vocals from Dante Bowe. The song was released as the opening track of the collaborative live album of the same name on April 30, 2021. The song was written by Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, Dante Bowe, and Steven Furtick.
The Blessing is the third live album by Kari Jobe. The album was released on October 23, 2020, via Sparrow Records. The album features guest appearances by Cody Carnes. The album was produced by Cody Carnes, Austin Davis, Henry Seeley, Jacob Sooter, and McKendree Tucker.
Lion is the tenth live album by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship. It was released on March 4, 2022, via Elevation Worship Records and Provident Label Group. The featured worship leaders on the album are Chris Brown, Jonsal Barrientes, Brandon Lake, Pat Barrett, Tiffany Hudson, Joe L. Barnes, and Chandler Moore.
Worship collective Elevation Worship banks its fifth No. 1 on Top Christian Albums, all of which have debuted at the apex, with Graves Into Gardens. In its first week, ending May 7, the set earned 16,000 equivalent album units, including 8,000 in album sales.