Posted: June 14, 2023, 5:00 PM | Category:New Releases Artist Tags: Scott Riggan Source: Mary Nikkel Media
Seasoned songwriter Scott Riggan is releasing a collection of faith-saturated songs from life valleys with Bright Hope, available to stream on all major platforms now.
"The entire Bright Hope album is rooted in anticipation," Riggan says as he introduces the project. "We may be in dark times now, but we know that the morning will come, and at last, all will be well."
Tracks like the poignant "After the Shipwreck" and "Shadowlands" draw on the spiritual tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Bright Hope also holds Riggan's take on "Bound to Come Some Trouble" (originally by Rich Mullins), "Goodness of God" (by Bethel), and "Not Right Now" (by Jason Gray). From his own original work to that of other storied songwriters, every track selected for this album comes from a deep place of desperate belief.
"More than ever before, I'm writing the songs that I personally need to hear," explains Scott. "I'm at a stage of life that's marked by looking back and cataloging my successes and failures, hopes and dreams and regrets. It's a deep reservoir for writing songs that are specific to me as an artist-- but that also resonate with other people."
This blend of original work and reverent recasts of classics proves acumen built on decades of experience. In his long career as an independent artist, Scott Riggan has played music on four continents. He's had a #1 hit on Christian radio and additional Top 20 songs. He's received honors from the Dove Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
The songsmith shares, "Songwriting is, for me, a means of processing and coming to understand myself. There's an alchemy at work in the discipline of rhyme and meter, and theme and craft, and the subconscious is always laboring behind the scenes in its sneaky and cunning way. And I guess I need this creative process as a way into figuring things out in my life."
That process of personal insight is evident through lyrics like those of "What Remains," a song that prompted Riggan back into creative waters:
"I thought by now I'd never fail You
Progress in unbroken procession
But in the death of pride and virtue
I've felt the birth of real compassion."
Currently a worship pastor in Idaho, Scott Riggan's music is a home for fellow spiritual wayfarers looking for a faith rooted deep enough to survive the depths of grief and hope. Those listeners are part of a thriving online community known as the Rigganators.
