One year & two weeks ago MORNING WILL COME was born. And what a year it has been.
I had intended to post a credits & thank you page, & little devotionals from each song, but before I got around to it I started a process that led me to Mississippi & back (quite literally). Now that I have a moment I’m sitting here looking back over the past 12 months, acknowledging some of the surprising things God has done with this release.
Thanks to God, & you, MORNING WILL COME immediately debuted in the iTunes Top 100 at #93, & at #7 in Amazon’s Hot New Releases, but the most surprising honor was seeing songs added to Spotify’s own New Music Christian playlists, shooting our regular plays from (at that time) under 100 plays average to well over 2,000, & seeing our Apple Music plays climb quickly to well over 17,000 spins! I know I know – that’s small time, but I’m honored this little batch of songs has touched even that many. Because of that reach, “Faithful One”, “Your Mighty Hand”, “You won’t Stop”, “Your Will”, & “When this Day Ends” have been sung by worship teams at churches on up to 5 continents, from Ireland to South Africa – from Venezuela to Ontario, Canada, & across the United States. That blows my mind.
So, let me give credit where credit is due…
First a HUGE THANK YOU to Eric Teske of Indiana University, whose picture grew into the front cover of MORNING WILL COME. The image immediately caught my eye & just felt right for the project at hand.
Though a tiny bit was recorded at my home, Hope Farm Studios, the majority of the serious work took place elsewhere. Thank you to Jason Hoard & his Black Cat Studios (where it all began!), the Murray Sound Lab, WorshipSongRecording Studios, Ascension Studios, Old Bear Studios, & last but most definitely not least, Patrick Bass‘ & McKendree Augustas‘ home studios! Each brought their own unique flair to the project & made possible what would otherwise have been impossible.
Thanks also to my excellent co-producers & engineers: Trey Roth, Jamie Miley, Patrick Bass, Matt Osgood, Chris Hoisington, Paul Mitro, & Edgar Vargas.
Thank you to the Saint Lewis band, who for much of this recording was Nate Southers (drums), Gary Moore (bass), & Jamie Miley (guitar), though T.J. Thompson (guitar/bgvox), & George Alread (guitars) also had a part to play in the evolution of some of these songs musically.
Finally, a huge THANK YOU to my guest musicians & guest vocalists; Jason Hoard (guitars, bass), Matt Podesla (guitars), Anthony Hoisington (keys), Justin Reynolds (guitars), Jessica Crawford (bgvox), Bethany Presten (bgvox), Chad Kirkpatrick (bass), Craig Barnette (drums), Nathan Bedingfield (guitars), & Brennan Blowers (drums).
Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting individually about each song – it’s co-writers, influences, Scriptural inspirations, & process. I hope you’ll stop by for the encouragement, inspiration, & free resources!
In the meanwhile, what songs from MORNING WILL COME have impacted you most?
BELIEVER, Husband, Father, Son, Pastor, Songwriter, Musician, Producer, Worshiper, Thinker, Creative
