With the November 2011 release of Hymns and Sacred Songs, Texas-born singer-songwriter Leigh Nash says she's revisited her Christian roots and came back from the journey richer in faith and understanding.

"I grew up in a Baptist church and the hymns were so much of worship. Being able to sing and record some of them has been a dream-come-true experience," says Nash of her latest solo project, Hymns and Sacred Songs. Favorites of the faithful on the album include "Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us (Blessed Jesus)", "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and "Be Still My Soul."

"For this recording we freshened up the melodies a bit, and the words stand for themselves. It was a time of listening and searching the lyrics, because these old hymns mean so much to me," Nash explains.

I had the privilege to watch Nash perform a very enjoyable set that included 14 acoustic duets with her husband Stephen Wilson playing guitar on Feb. 23 in Bethlehem, Penn. Riding a creative wave, Nash announced during the show that she is releasing her next work with her band Sixpence None the Richer in May, titled Lost In Transition.

"Because it has taken us so long--we haven't released a recording since 2002--there is a lot of growth in the people and I think that shows in this recording," Nash says. "Musically, it's not a huge departure from what people know and expect from us."

In an interview with a local newspaper prior to her appearance, Nash said the show in Bethlehem wasn't part of a larger tour, but rather one of several dates scattered across the calendar.

"My 8-year-old son will be at the show, at the side of the stage," Nash says, noting that having a young child in the house offers a fresh perspective on her work. "For a long time, all songs by women were 'girly,' but we've done some more rock (infused) work, and he likes that a lot, so he's coming around.”

Sixpence None the Richer is best known for their 1998 radio hit "Kiss Me" and the song "Breathe Your Name," as well as covers of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" and "There She Goes," originally performed by The La's. Nash's recordings include her debut release in 2006, Blue on Blue. Other album releases include 2006's Wishing For This and Fauxliage in 2007.

Leigh and her husband Stephen opened up with a great rendition of her song “Blue” from her solo album Blue on Blue--one of four songs she performed from that great album. Nash had a lot of banter with her husband during the set and announced that they had had a long drive from a show in Connecticut the night before and she hadn’t been very nice during the car ride. She continued by telling the small intimate crowd of about 150 people that an audience calms her down.

Stephen joked, “If only I could take you all home with me,” which made us all laugh. Leigh joked back that she wasn’t very nice to her husband on the trip about his Southern accent, and she speaks properly because she’s from Texas. Leigh said she was trying to teach him to not say y’all, since he’s a scientist and knows all kinds of big words and she just wants him to say them right, which was very funny. They exchanged many tender glances during the evening.

That led to Leigh belting out the Sixpence hit cover song, “There She Goes” and vocally Nash sounds exactly like she does on her albums, which was extremely impressive. After “Between The Lines” from Blue on Blue, Leigh asked if we were all doing all right and Stephen complimented the restaurant for his great salad before the show.

That light moment transitioned to one of the most poignant moments of the evening. Nash introduced the next song “Sooner Than Later” from the most recent Sixpence EP, My Dear Machine. The song will also appear on the forthcoming new album, Lost In Transition.

She told us that the song was about her father who passed away four years earlier and that Wilson had only briefly known her father, but he helped her capture his character perfectly in co-writing the song. It was a very moving moment as she passionately sang the song to her deceased father: “You were something special, there was nothing simple about you,” which led to the chorus, “I wrote you this song, so won't you do me a favor, when it's my turn to fall, you'll catch me sooner than later.”

Based on that song and the next new song she previewed from the new album--“When You Call Me”--Sixpence fans are in for a real treat when these songs are released in May. Nash explained that she was sorry there was such a delay between albums, but she and Matt were just two innocent kids, 16 years old, when they released their first album in 1994 with no business backgrounds. They’ve had business problems and the business world had wrecked their music scene.

Eight years ago the band broke up and she was pregnant with her son, and now they are ready to release their first new full-length album in ten years.

The next three-song set was my favorite of the evening with Leigh’s engaging performances of “Breathe Your Name” and “A Million Parachutes” from 2002’s Divine Discontent--both written by Matt Slocumb of Sixpence. Leigh announced that they were her favorite songs written by her favorite songwriter, calling “A Million Parachutes” a “sweet, sad and beautiful song.” I completely agree with her as the melody and messages of those songs have consistently challenged and entertained me this past decade while I anxiously await the next Sixpence project.

“Oh Heart Bereaved And Lonely” was introduced as Leigh’s favorite hymn from Hymns and Sacred Songs. In a “behind the song” devotional interview I conducted with Leigh about the song, she shared that she couldn’t sing the song without crying. She continued, “The words are incredibly powerful and the song is beautiful. I didn’t know just how moving it would be to me until I went to record my vocals for the song. I had a hard time keeping it together when I sang the song. The words and melody just slay me. I don’t usually record an album and then listen to it everyday, but with this album I have. I listen to it over and over again, for calming, and easing anxiety. As a listener, I don’t care who sang these songs; it’s been balm for my soul. I can only hope and pray this can do that for people.”

In the early 2000s, Leigh recorded several worship songs for the City On A Hill collections, including “Precious Jesus”, “Beautiful Scandalous Night” and “With Every Breath”—which I’m still savoring many years later. If you have always enjoyed her vocals, then pick up this new worshipful hymns collection immediately. Leigh’s emotional vocal style is greatly displayed as she passionately sings her heart out on these songs. She clearly identified personally with the lyrics as you can hear her voices break as she proclaims these truths of the faith.

No song better displays Leigh’s emotional connection to these songs than “Oh Heart Bereaved And Lonely” as she’s been through a lot over the years. She’s only 35 years old, but has been a professional singer for almost 20 of those years. She announced to the crowd that Hymns and Sacred Songs was for her, and that God wanted her to understand these truths about herself. Amen.

Nash continued with her cover of “No Surprises”--originally recorded by Radiohead. She said that the song feels like a prayer to her. Then we were treated to “Ocean Sized Love” and “Just A Little” from Blue on Blue.

Leigh Nash has one of the most recognized voices in all of music and her mega-hit song “Kiss Me” can still be heard on a regular basis just about anywhere. I have long been a fan of her songs and her vocals, and once again vocally Nash sounded exactly like she does on her album! The crowd cheered loudly as she and her husband left the stage.

She returned for two encores--cover songs written by Gram Parsons and Leonard Cohen, which once again displayed her signature vocals. If you have always enjoyed Leigh’s vocals, then pick up her collection of worshipful Hymns and Sacred Songs immediately.

I especially enjoy “Savior Like A Shepherd (Blessed Jesus)”, “Isaiah 55”, “Give Myself To You” and her beautiful and passionate recordings of “Oh Heart Bereaved And Lonely” and "Power of The Cross" bring me to tears as I pray along with the compelling and moving lyrics. Don’t miss any chance to catch Leigh Nash in concert. You’ll be blessed by her voice and her transparency.