Creating music for the sole purpose of making God's name renown, celebrated worship artist Charlie Hall follows up his acclaimed 2006 release, Flying Into Daybreak, with a fourth studio project, The Bright Sadness. A collection of songs that reflect his spiritual journaling these last few years, the album, according to Hall, "comes from me understanding my ordinary human condition and my deep love for Jesus." Recorded in Oklahoma City & LA, the project reflects real life struggles, among those themes addressed are brokenness and Christ's free fellowship, redemption and compassion. Hall is currently debuting music from his new record on the first-ever Passion World Tour this summer and fall.
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Charlie Hall [The Bright Sadness]| Posted October 07, 2008 [MAIN REVIEW]
Charlie Hall provides a vibrant and yet very bold approach towards his message. The album is a pretty laid back album that just seems to flow, very soothing and just draws you in. If you are a Charlie Hall fan then of course this album is for you, if not or never listened to his music I urge you to take a listen to this album.
The album has a unique sound to it, I really have not heard anything like it. The music is at a slower pace and just seems to fit the structure of the band. The harmonics and blending of the pitches of voices are outstanding. It has a light rock feel to it but with so much more.
At first glance of the song list I came across “Hookers and Robbers”; it was a song I was kind of scared to listen to, but it intrigued me to take a glance at what his concept was. In the song it talks about different types of lifestyles and people, but when the chorus hits it says, “Come as you are” in the bible it talks about Jesus being around the sinners and how he wanted everyone to come as they were, but not to stay the same.
This album covers different spectrums of the beam, giving you balance between being yourself and being what God wants you to be, being in a hard place in your life and going to a place where there is an abundance of freedom, confusion and understanding, denial and truth, spiritual death and spiritual life.
As the album you hear lyrics, such as “Life comes from God”—You Are God, “Christ has died and, Christ has risen, Christ will come again”—Mystery. God gave his only son so that we can have everlasting life in Heaven if we choose to live for him. Jesus Christ died for your sins, rose on the third day, and he is coming again to bring you home. Will You Be Ready?
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I urge you to take a listen to this album and listen to the words of the songs and see truly what is being said to you and for you. Not just with this album, but with every album you listen to. The lyrics are sometimes that small whisper in the wind, what you need to hear…you just have to listen and willing to listen, it is not always in plain sight.
HALL IS GLORIOUSLY TRANSPARENT ON INTENSE 12-SONG SET| Posted September 29, 2008
If there was ever a “dark” artist among the roster of worship artists trained by the Passion movement of the last 10 years, it is Charlie Hall. “Contemplative” may be a better word. Or “artsy.” Or maybe “critically thoughtful.” No matter how you try to tag the man who has become synonymous with taking modern worship deeper, The Bright Sadness pushes the listener to pause and consider more closely.
Light on fluff and heavy with real life, the brilliant thing about Hall’s songwriting is it takes the simpler language of worship music and still somehow probes the more cerebral philosophies of faith and life.
Pitting the angst of the human condition up against belief in God, “My Brightness” plays off the title: “I wish this thing could pass from me/But I’m wanting what You want/So bring me high or bring me low/Just hold me in Your love… Your love is like a rock when I’m spinning.”
“New Year,” the disc’s most creative track, continues the exploration: “My heart opens wide/And the Father pours life deep inside my soul/Where hope can hold the hand of sorrow/And we can walk until tomorrow/Where peace is found in troubled days/And the joy of Jesus carries pain.”
“Thrill” pays homage to the worship roots that have firmly established Hall’s name among church audiences nationwide, while “Hookers and Robbers,” with a Mat Kearney-like verse/chorus, mindfully renders our iniquities being transformed by “…the biggest of feasts/A night of no shame to pause and to breathe/This is the night of love’s renovation…Come as you are.”
The Bright Sadness is not worship music status quo. And that’s a really good thing, for Charlie Hall has proven he is not simply a worship leader but also an artist, one in the highest caliber. –Andrew Greer
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
Charlie Hall's "The Bright Sadness": A Review| Posted September 02, 2008
I have always considered Charlie Hall to be the most underrated worship leader to come out the 268generation, the minds behind the Passion conferences that are so wildly popular among twentysomethings. Everyone goes ballistic over the David Crowder Band (“Remedy: Club Tour Edition” - August 19) and Chris Tomlin (“Hello Love” – September 2) whenever they come out with a new album. Yet, lyrically, I have always felt as if Hall were the better of the three. Now, he returns to the airwaves with his fourth studio effort. “The Bright Sadness” features 12 new tracks that are guaranteed to make the worship rotation in every postmodern worship service within two weeks of its release. While not reaching the heights of “Flying Into Daybreak,” there are certainly several gems to be considered on Hall’s most recent offering.
“Chainbreaker” starts things out on a particularly high note as Hall reminds listeners that if they are in Jesus then their chains have been broken. It is destined to be a modern classic worship piece in the tradition of “Indescribable” and “O Praise Him.” The instruments are strong, Hall’s vocals shine through the din, and the lyrics are solid. The second track, “New Year” is a ballade-esque number that “was written after a long period of difficult pain and confusion,” according to Hall and looks forward to leaving behind things of the past and toward a bright new future.
“The Second Alive” and “Hookers And Robbers” are the kinds of songs I point to in order to make my point that Hall is a fantastic psalmist for a new generation of worshippers. The former is probably one of the most rock-infused songs I’ve heard out of the worship quarter. It’s great stuff that could burn up the Top 40 if it tried. The latter is…well…it’s called “Hookers And Robbers!” What more do you want? Either way, it’s a song written to those on the fringes, imploring them to ‘Come as you are.’ Inspired by excerpts from ‘The Book of Common Prayer,’ the album’s closer “Mystery” is by far the best track on the album. It is beautifully written and beautifully delivered. The instruments melt together with Hall’s smooth and reflective voice, providing a symphony of praise to the Father.
The major “miss” on the album is“Thrill.” To be honest, it’s one of those tracks that makes me scratch my head and wonder, “What were you thinking, Charlie?” It’s kind of hokey, cheesy, and so many bad things that people have come to associate with Christian music. A song like this may have been popular in the mid-90’s from the likes of Maranatha, but I expect more from Hall.
The majority of “The Bright Sadness” is pretty stellar. Again, I don’t think it reaches the heights of his previous studio effort, but even a lesser effort from Hall eclipses the efforts of his contemporaries. Fans of his earlier work and modern praise and worship will greatly enjoy the album. Not only that, they’ll greatly benefit from listening.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today!
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