Until the Whole World Hears
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
November 17, 2009
2009
51:02
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.
Background and songwriting[edit]
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]
Composition[edit]
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]