Until the Whole World Hears | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 17, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Christian rock, adult contemporary, contemporary Christian music | |||
Length | 51:02 | |||
Label | Beach Street | |||
Producer | Mark A. Miller | |||
Casting Crowns studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Until the Whole World Hears | ||||
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Until the Whole World Hears is the fourth studio album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Released on November 17, 2009, the album was produced by Mark A. Miller and features a sound that has been described as 'pure American rock', 'soft adult contemporary', and 'CCM'. Lyrically, the album discusses Christian subjects such as God, Jesus, and salvation, with several songs being reinventions of classic hymns. Until the Whole World Hears sold over 167,000 copies in its first week, Casting Crowns' highest sales week to date, and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. In the United States, the album ranked as the 37th best-selling album of 2010 and the 137th best-selling album of 2011; it ranked as the first and third best-selling Christian album in those years, respectively. It has sold over 1.1 million copies and been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Until the Whole World Hears received a mixed-to-positive reception from critics and was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards. Three singles were released from the album: the title track, "If We've Ever Needed You", and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)". The title track and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" both peaked atop the Billboard Christian Songs chart, while the latter also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart; "If We've Ever Needed You" peaked at No. 5 on the Christian Songs chart. Two album cuts, "To Know You" and "Joyful, Joyful", also appeared on the Christian Songs chart, peaking at numbers 27 and 3, respectively.
Casting Crowns' lead vocalist Mark Hall has stated that the band's songs "have always come from our ministry in the church. They start as messages on Wednesday night, things we're teaching our teenagers and their families"; [1] [2] Until the Whole World Hears retains that same formula. [1] Hall also stated that the musical sound of their songs is written so as not to conflict or detract from the lyrics, comparing the musical elements of his songs to a plate that the 'meat', the lyrics, are served on. [3] A philosophy that "fuels" [4] the album is the idea of putting "faith in action"; [4] Hall stated that he wanted believers to become more active in their faith, and to "get out of their pews and get involved in what God is doing". [4] "Always Enough" was written when a member of Hall's church was killed in Afghanistan; the band was unable to attend his funeral, as they were on the other side of the United States and couldn't cancel their tour dates. [4] Another song on the album, the title track, was inspired by the Biblical character of John the Baptist. [2] Several songs on the album are reinventions of hymns, which Hall enjoyed experimenting with; Hall retained the lyrics of the songs while reworking their melodies. [4]
Until the Whole World Hears was produced by Mark A. Miller; its executive producer was Terry Hemmings. It was recorded by Sam Hewitt, Michael Hewitt, and Dale Oliver at Zoo Studio in Franklin, Tennessee; the string instrument tracks on the title track and "Always Enough" were recorded by Bobby Shin at Little Big Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, while the string instrument tracks on "If We've Ever Needed You" and "Joyful, Joyful" were recorded by John Painter and Leslie Richter at Ocean Way in Nashville. Crowd vocals on the title track and "Blessed Redeemer" were recorded by Carter Hassebroek, Darren Hughes and Billy Lord at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia (where Hall and several other band members are ministers). Digital editing was handled by Michael Hewitt, while mixing was handled by Sam Hewitt. The album was mastered by Andrew Mendelson, Shelly Anderson, Natthaphol Abhigantaphand and Daniel Bacigalupi at Georgetown Masters in Nashville. [5]
The overall sound of Until the Whole World Hears has been described as 'pure American rock', [6] 'soft adult contemporary', [3] and 'CCM'. [6] Robert Ham of Christianity Today regarded the album as comparable to the sound of rock bands Creed and Nickelback. [6] One critic observed that most of the songs on the album "start off with chords plunked out on a piano or strummed slowly on a guitar, letting the song build slowly toward a massive wave of sound". [6] The title track has been described as having a "real rock vibe" [7] infused by electric guitar riffs, [7] while "Shadow of Your Wings" has been described as an "unashamed rock-n-roll jam". [3] "Joyful, Joyful" is driven by a "pulsing" [6] and "driving" [7] string section that "calls to mind Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida'". [6] "Mercy" and "Blessed Redeemer" feature female-fronted vocals, [3] the former sung by Megan Garrett [6] and the latter sung by Melodee DeVevo; [1] on "At Your Feet", Hector Cervantes and Juan DeVevo joining Mark Hall on vocals. [4]
Every track on Until the Whole World Hears features references to Christian subjects such as God, Jesus, and salvation. [2] "Joyful, Joyful", "Blessed Redeemer", and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" were adopted from classic hymns. [1] [2] [3] [4] "Holy One" and "Shadow of Your Wings" are taken almost word for word from the Book of Psalms. [2] "If We've Ever Needed You" and "Always Enough" are "darker inspirational anthems", [7] while other songs explore themes such as repentance and forgiveness. [2]
Until the Whole World Hears had first-week sales of 167,000 copies, Casting Crowns' best sales week to date; the album's high first-week sales enabled a No. 4 debut on the Billboard 200. [8] It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart and at No. 12 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart. [9] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album gold one month after its release; by January 2015, it had reached platinum status. [10] signifying shipments of over 1,000,000 copies. [11] By April 2011 Until the Whole World Hears had sold over 800,000 copies, [12] and as of March 2014 the album has sold 1.1 million copies. [13] Billboard magazine ranked Until the Whole World Hears as the best-selling Christian album and the 37th best-selling album overall of 2010. [14] [15] It also ranked as the 3rd best-selling Christian album and the 137th best-selling album overall of 2011. [16] [17]
Three singles were released from Until the Whole World Hears. The title track was released as the album's lead single and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart and at No. 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart. [18] [19] "If We've Ever Needed You", the second single released from the album, peaked at No. 5 on the Christian Songs chart. [18] "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" was released as the third single off the album [20] and peaked atop the Christian Songs chart. [18] It also peaked at No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart [21] and at No. 20 on the Heatseekers Songs chart. [19] Two other songs off the album, "To Know You" and "Joyful, Joyful", appeared on the Christian Songs chart; they peaked at numbers 27 and 3, respectively. [18]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [22] |
CCM Magazine | (mixed) [7] |
Christianity Today | [6] |
Cross Rhythms | [23] |
Gospel Music Channel | (positive) [1] |
Jesus Freak Hideout | [3] |
Plugged In (publication) | (positive) [2] |
Until the Whole World Hears met with an overall mixed to positive response from critics. Several critics regarded the musical aspects of the album as mediocre or sub-par, [3] [7] while others praised the album's lyrical content. [1] [2] Jared Johnson of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars and described it as a "powerful worship experience", [22] but also stated that "some might wonder how a little more variety would sound from such experienced professionals ... the band's core sound continues to land in the AC cross hairs". [22] Andrew Greer of CCM Magazine commented that the album "ups the musical ante a bit, with some borderline poetic verses and interesting musical riffs", [7] but also commented that "many of these tracks still suffer from the 'Crowns Cliché Syndrome,' using lyrical Christian-ese to produce trite rhymes that seem hard-pressed to energize a ready-to-worship crowd". [7] Robert Ham of Christianity Today criticized the album for using what he deemed as a repetitive musical formula, but also praised the song "Joyful, Joyful", which he compared to Coldplay's song "Viva la Vida", as well as Megan's Garrett's vocals on "Mercy". He concluded that Until the Whole World Hears "feels like a step backward creatively". [6] At Cross Rhythms, Tony Cummings rated the album seven out of ten squares, saying "this album is a little disappointing considering some of the glories that preceeded[sic] it." [23]
Debra Akins of Gospel Music Channel.com said the album "follows successfully in the footsteps of its predecessors" [1] and "should further solidify Casting Crowns as a staple artist for Christian music fans everywhere". [1] Roger Gelwicks of Jesus Freak Hideout gave Until the Whole World Hears two out of five stars, opining that "Casting Crowns has come down to a whole new low, such that it could be their most unremarkable record to date" [3] and that "it is almost insulting to the listener to believe that one is supposed to find this project profound or listenable". [3] Paul Asay of Plugged In (publication) stated that "With appropriate apologies to the many talented and successful acts that straddle the secular and spiritual with their tunes, it's great to have a band that speaks to the Christian heart with such power and eloquence—without apology". [2]
Until the Whole World Hears was nominated for the Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards [24] Two of its three singles also received award nominations; its title track was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Record Song of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards, [25] and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" has been nominated for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year at the 43rd GMA Dove Awards. [26] It was nominated for Top Christian Album at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. [27]
Adapted from the album liner notes [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Until the Whole World Hears" | Mark Hall, Bernie Herms, Jason McArthur, Roger Glidewell | 5:03 |
2. | "If We've Ever Needed You" | Hall, Herms | 3:39 |
3. | "Always Enough" | Hall, Ed Cash, Matt Armstrong | 4:56 |
4. | "Joyful, Joyful" | Hall, Herms | 4:28 |
5. | "At Your Feet" | Hall, Jason Ingram | 4:36 |
6. | "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" | Hall, Michael Bleecker | 4:41 |
7. | "Holy One" | Hall, Stuart Garrard, Ingram, Matt Bronleewe | 3:18 |
8. | "To Know You" | Hall, Ingram, Herms | 4:26 |
9. | "Mercy" | Omega Levine, Sam de Jong, Tauese Tofa, Hall | 4:56 |
10. | "Jesus, Hold Me Now" | Hall, Herms | 4:15 |
11. | "Blessed Redeemer" | Hall, Herms | 4:13 |
12. | "Shadow of Your Wings" | Hall | 2:31 |
Credits adapted from the album liner notes [5]
Casting Crowns
Additional performers
| Technical
Production
|
Charts (2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [28] | 4 |
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [29] | 1 |
US Digital Albums (Billboard) [30] | 12 |
Charts (2010) | Position |
---|---|
Billboard 200 [15] | 37 |
Billboard Christian Albums [14] | 1 |
Charts (2011) | Position |
Billboard 200 [17] | 137 |
Billboard Christian Albums [16] | 3 |
Charts (2012) | Position |
Billboard Christian Albums [31] | 28 |
Year | Song | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
US [21] | US Christ [18] | US Heat [19] | ||
2009 | "Until the Whole World Hears" | — | 1 | 23 |
2010 | "If We've Ever Needed You" | — | 5 | — |
2011 | "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" [decimal 1] | 102 | 1 | 20 |
Year | Song | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US [21] | US Christ [18] | ||
2010 | "To Know You" | — | 27 |
"Joyful, Joyful" | — | 3 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [32] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian and Christian rock band which began in Daytona Beach, Florida. The band was formed in 1999 by lead vocalist Mark Hall. They moved to Stockbridge, Georgia, and more members joined. Some members of the band are currently ministers for Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia. The band has won a Grammy and a Dove Award.
Lifesong is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns, released on August 30, 2005 by Beach Street Records and Reunion Records. Produced by Mark A. Miller, Lifesong was the follow-up to the band's self-titled debut album. Although the unexpected success of the first album led to tremendous demand for new music from Casting Crowns, lead vocalist Mark Hall was advised by Steven Curtis Chapman and Mac Powell not to worry about commercial expectations. Lifesong, which has a pop rock and adult contemporary sound, focuses on challenging believers and indicting piousness and hypocrisy in the Christian church. Worship themes are also prominent in the album.
"If We Are the Body" is the debut single by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall and produced by Mark A. Miller and Steven Curtis Chapman, it was released as the lead single from the band's 2003 self-titled debut album through Beach Street Records on July 26, 2003. The song, originally written by Hall as a "teaching tool" for his youth group, is a CCM and acoustic rock song. It incorporates the violin, mandolin, and accordion in its arrangement and questions why the Christian church does not minister impartially.
"Lifesong" is a song recorded by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall and produced by Mark A. Miller, it was released as the lead single from the band's 2005 album of the same name. According to Mark Hall, the lead vocalist of Casting Crowns, "Lifesong" came out of what he found himself saying to students in his church's youth ministry. Compared to the work of rock band U2, the song lyrically points believers towards honoring God in all they do.
The Altar and the Door is the third studio album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns, released on August 28, 2007 on Beach Street Records and Reunion Records. Produced by Mark A. Miller, the album was inspired by lead singer Mark Hall's experience looking at the MySpace pages of his youth ministry students. The album's main theme is the difference between how Christians feel in church and the compromises they make outside of it. Its musical tone, which Hall says is different and more progressive, incorporates more of a rock sound than their previous, more polished studio efforts.
"East to West" is a song recorded by contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms and produced by Mark A Miller, it was released as the lead single from the band's 2007 album The Altar and the Door. Lyrically, the song deals with the concept of forgiveness. The song met with a positive to mixed reception from music critics and won two awards at the 39th GMA Dove Awards: Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards.
"Does Anybody Hear Her" is a song recorded by Christian rock band Casting Crowns, released by Beach Street Records, Reunion Records, and Provident Label Group. Written by Mark Hall and produced by Mark A. Miller, it was released on September 23, 2006, as the third single from the band's 2005 album Lifesong. An alternative CCM and adult contemporary song, "Does Anybody Hear Her" relates the story of a girl who is being pushed away by the Christian church as well as the message that condemning other people is wrong.
John Mark Hall is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist for the Georgia-based contemporary Christian music group Casting Crowns, a seven-member group composed of worship leaders. He is also youth pastor at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough.
"Praise You In This Storm" is a song recorded by contemporary Christian music band Casting Crowns, released by Beach Street and Reunion Records. Written by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms and produced by Mark A. Miller, it was released on January 28, 2006, as the second radio single from the band's 2005 album Lifesong. Inspired by the band's experience with a girl, Erin Browning, who died of cancer, the song has the lyrical theme of maintaining faith through difficult circumstances. A power ballad, "Praise You In This Storm" incorporates a wall of sound dynamic into its alternative CCM and adult alternative sound.
Peace on Earth is the first Christmas album by American Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Produced by Mark Hall and Mark A. Miller, it was released on October 7, 2008. Intended by Hall to bring out the worshipful aspect of Christmas, the album does not have songs relating to secular Christmas traditions, instead featuring a mix of traditional Christmas carols and original songs. As co-producer, Hall attempted to differentiate the album from their previous ones by attempting to use creative ideas they had not tried before, and he also wanted to utilize the band's female members in a broader and more visible role on the album.
"Slow Fade" is a song by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall, it was released as the third single from Casting Crowns' 2007 studio album The Altar and the Door. Written after the public falls from grace of several church leaders, "Slow Fade" is a cautionary tale against making the wrong choices. It was positively received by music critics, who praised the song's lyrical theme.
"By Your Side" is a song by contemporary Christian band Tenth Avenue North from their debut album Over and Underneath. It was released as the album's lead single in August 2008, and reached number 1 on R&R's Christian contemporary hit radio chart in January 2009. In 2010, "By Your Side" won the 41st Annual GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year. In addition, the song also appeared on compilation albums WOW Hits 2010 and WOW #1s.
"Until the Whole World Hears" is a song by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall, Bernie Herms, Jason McArthur and Roger Glidewell and produced by Mark A. Miller, it was released as a digital download on August 20, 2009 and to Christian radio on August 29, 2009 as the lead single from the band's 2009 album of the same title. Musically, Until the Whole World Hears is an arena rock song with a crunchy guitar lick accompanied by blasting guitar chords and the "throaty growl" of Mark Hall's vocals. Lyrically, it revolves around speaking the truth into a culture that doesn't want to hear it. Part of the chorus references the Biblical character of John the Baptist.
"If We've Ever Needed You" is a song written and performed by contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns from their 2009 album Until the Whole World Hears. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart, and it also held the No. 1 spot the on Soft AC/Inspirational chart for 8 weeks.
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"Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" is a song performed by contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns from their 2009 album Until the Whole World Hears. While the music was composed by the band, the lyrics come from the hymn "One Day", written in 1910 by John Wilbur Chapman during the second summer conference of the Stony Brook Assembly in Stony Brook, NY. The song's verse melody was set by Michael Bleecker at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. The single has been successful on Christian radio, reaching the top spot on the Hot Christian Songs (for a total of nine non-consecutive weeks), Soft AC/Inspirational, and Christian AC charts. The song has also achieved some inroads on secular charts, peaked at #2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Come to the Well is the fifth studio album by American contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns, released on October 18, 2011, through Beach Street and Reunion Records. The album, which has a predominantly pop rock and rock sound, was based on the Biblical story of the woman at the well. In writing the album, lead vocalist Mark Hall collaborated with songwriters Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West, and Tom Douglas. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised the album's songwriting, and received the award for Top Christian Album at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards.
"Courageous" is a song by contemporary Christian music band Casting Crowns, released by Beach Street Records, Reunion Records, and Provident Label Group. Written by Mark Hall and Matthew West and produced by Mark A. Miller, it was released on July 19, 2011 as the first single from the band's 2011 album Come to the Well. Hall has said the inspiration for the song was at the National Day of Prayer breakfast in 2008. A rock, pop rock and soft rock song, it calls fathers to be better spiritual leaders.
"Joyful, Joyful" is a song by contemporary Christian music band Casting Crowns from their fourth studio album Until the Whole World Hears (2009). Written by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms and produced by Mark A. Miller, the song is a re-interpretation of the hymn "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. "Joyful, Joyful", a CCM and alternative CCM song, is driven by a string section that has been compared to Coldplay's song "Viva la Vida". It received positive reviews from music critics and received airplay over the 2010 Christmas season, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.
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