Hello Love
It's time to say "hello", again, to love.
With so many worldly distractions, it's easy to loose sight of what's most important. Chris Tomlin recognizes this and desires to reacquaint us with the one fundamental element that's become all too elusive. He explains, "The thought I've had running through my head is that it's time to introduce ourselves to love again. People need to be reminded that what we're here to do is to love God and love people. Worship is a relationship of love. It's our love of God and our love of people."
Tomlin doesn't find a great amount of value in hashing over his musical journey again and again. It's not that he's disinterested, it's more that he's much more interested in the present.
"I want to talk about what's right now," says Tomlin, the singer/songwriter/worship leader/Texas native/three-time Gospel Music Association male vocalist of the year/two-time GMA artist of the year/two-time GRAMMY® nominee/most sung Christian artist in the United States. (Sorry, Chris... we had to recap it all somewhere.)
Tomlin's present revolves around this new set of songs titled Hello Love, his fourth studio record for sixstepsrecords/Sparrow, and the continuation of what Tomlin believes is the direct calling for his musical talent, creating songs for the church.
He's unapologetic about that, as well. "I feel a responsibility to use that talent, because God's given me a gift to connect people with God," Tomlin says. "So I try to write songs with those people in mind. I try to open worship up to everything it can be, not just my personal preference, but what can it be for a person sitting in an office, or a mom driving her kids to school, or a teenager in high school? How can I bridge all those generations and try to grab something that can help them worship and communicate with God?"
The result of Tomlin's internal questions, and the elements that make his music so instantaneously powerful, are found yet again on Hello Love. Simple choruses fraught with great beauty weave themselves seamlessly into the listener's worship mentality, giving new songs like "Sing, Sing, Sing", "You Lifted Me Out", "Praise The Father, Praise The Son" and "Exalted" both a sense of immediacy and a tone of timelessness.
It's finding that balance of time and place, of rote cadence and vertical awareness that Tomlin the songwriter spends the most mental energy on, so that Tomlin the worship leader/performer (not to mention the countless others who will use the songs in a worship setting around the world) can use to connect.
"I always come to songwriting always thinking about God and people. There's something that is stirring in me about God, so how do I get that out so that it's maybe a voice for everybody? How do I write that so it can be sung by anyone anywhere? I love it when people think, after the first time they've heard a song, that they can really sing it," Tomlin says. "At the end of the day, what's going to last is who's causing people to say and sing, and that is response to Him. Worship is responding to God for who he is, what he has done for us, and that's what we're trying to do with these songs: help people respond to God for who He is and for what he's done in their lives."
Tomlin is quick to give credit where credit is warranted, pointing out the aid of producer Ed Cash and co-writers like Cary Pierce, Louie Giglio, Matt Redman, Matt Maher and fellow band members Jesse Reeves, Daniel Carson, Travis Nunn and Matt Gilder in crafting some of the powerful moments on Hello Love. There was even some help from a random band from Ireland, though maybe not the one you might think.
"I was in Belfast and this band called Bluetree opened up for me. I heard part of a song they played, and I fell in love with it," Tomlin says of the track "God Of This City". "They gave me an old de?__ ____"__ ___" __? _____ ?_____" __?__? _ _______________? __ ____? ___ _______________? ____ ____?______" __?_____ ____________________________"____ ________ _________ __ ____??__________?__? _ _____________ __ ___________ ___ _________ _______ _ ___ _____ ____ ____ ____ _ __ _____ ______ __" " " ______?_______?__ _____ __ _____ __?_ ___ ___ __? _ ___?__ _ ____? ____?_ ____? ________? ____? ____?__ ______________ __ ________________________ ____?_____ ___________? ______? ____?____ ___________ __? ______ __? _________? ______? _ _ _ ___________________________? ______?______________________________________________________________ _ ______________? __? __ _ _ ______ _ _ _ ____0D___________?__ ___________ ____?__ _ __? _ ________________? _ ? _____ _____?_________ ____?__ __ _ ___ ______ _Z __ _ _ __________________________ _ __?__ _? _ _____ _______ _____" _ _"____" _ ____ _ _ _____ _ __? _"____ __? _____ __ ____________"__ __ _____ __________________________?__ _____"_____? _____?____ _? _____?____ ____ _ ___ _ _______ _______________________________________________________________ _______________ ___ _ _ __?____________ ___ _ __? _____ _________ _______________?___________________? __________ __? __?___________________________________ _____ ____? _ ____?__ _____________ ___ _ ____?__ _ ___________ ___"_ ___________________ ___________ _____ _________ __? _ ___ __ ____ ___________ ____ _______________e ________ ______ _______ _s_ __? __? _____ __" _____ _ ___ ______?_ _ _ _ _? _________ _ _'__? ________ __________ _ _ __? _ ______"___ ___ _____________ ______________ ____?__ ______ __? ______?__ ______? _ _____________ _ _______? __? _ _______ ______"___ _ ___ ______ _________? _ ____?__ ____??__________________________ ___ _______________________________________________________________________ _____" _ _____?___________ _____ _ _ _ __ __ __? ___ ___? _ ____?__ ____??___________________________________? _ ____?__ ____??_______ _ ___________________________ __?? _____________ _ _ _______ ____?______ ______? __? ________________ ___ _ _ _ ___ ___ __________________? ______ _____ _ _ ___ ___? _____ ___l___"_____ __ _____? _ _ _ _ __ ___ __ ____"_______"___ ___________? _ __" _ _ _ _ _______ __"___"_" "__ _ __? ___ ____ _____?_ __? _____ _____ __? ___"__ ___________ ___z_ _ _____ ______ _ _ _ ___________________ __?_"_______? _ ___ _ _ ____? _? _ _____ _______ __? ______? _ _ ____? __? ___ _ _______ ________"_______$___? _ _________ _______??____? __________ __?__ __?__" _ _ __ ____? _____? _ ___ _ _ __________ _ _ __ _______ _ _ _____ _______" __? ____S __? _ _____ ___ _________ _ _ _ __________________________________________________________________ _?________?| ______________ _ __?__ ____M ___ ________ _ _ ________ __ _ _____ _____ ____? _____ ______? ______? __" ____________"__ ____________" __" ?? |?" ??rMaM??+"0 ? "?????? ? ?? ?????? rMaM ?? ?? ??? /"_____ ___ ______ _ __?___ ____?_______ _ ________ ____"___ ___ __"_ _ _ ______" __?______ _________ _________ __"______ ___"_____ ___ ______ _______ _____"__ ____? __ ______ _ __"_____ _ __"_" _ _ _______ ____?____ _ _ _ ___ ___ ____ ____? _ _ _ __ ___ ______ _ _ __ ___ __"______ _____?__ __ _____ _?_?__ _ ____ ______________?______ _ ___" "________________? ____ _______________________________?______ _______ __ ___________________ ___ __n __________? _ __n ____ __n __n ____________? ____ ___ ___ __ __h ________________? _____________? ___ ___ _ _ ________ __?__ ______o ___ _ ____a __? ____________ _______________ ______________________ ____?______ _____________________________ _ _ _ _____ ______________ _______________ ________ ___ _ _______ ________ _ _%___ _____ ____M ____ __________ _______ _ ________J _____ _____ _________________ __" _____ _________ _____ ___ _____ _ _ ________" ___ ______________ ______________ ______________ __" _ ______________" _______ __?__ ____________________________? __? __________? ____ ___ ___________________ ____ _______________ ___ __? ____________? ___ __________?_______? _________________ ____? ____________________? ____________________________n ________? ___ _
