Twice As Nice

Whether you’re feeling a little bit Christmas or a little bit worshipful, singer/songwriter Kendall Payne has got you covered thanks to two new albums, December and That’s Why There’s Grace.
 
Forgoing the usual orchestral treatment that Christmas carols are often given this time of year, Payne opts for sparse, mellow piano arrangements of everything from “Angels We Have Heard on High” to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Then on That’s Why There’s Grace, Payne offers a satisfying mix of originals (like the title track) and live renditions of praise favorites like Chris Tomlin’s “How Great Is Our God” and Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name.”

Whether you prefer digital downloads or are old-school and still like CDs, the projects are available in both forms at www.kendallpayne.com.

Ringing in the New Year with Music and Compassion

In hopes of “creating freedom from poverty,” the long-awaited CompassionArt charity album that was spearheaded by Delirious front-man Martin Smith and his wife Anna in response to the atrocities they’ve seen firsthand while traveling in poverty-ravaged locales, now has a release date of January 27, 2009.
 
Featuring some of Christian music’s biggest artists including Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Paul Baloche, Chris Tomlin, Stu G, Israel Houghton, Matt Redman, Andy Park, Darlene Zschech and guest vocalists Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston, Leeland Mooring, Christy Nockels, tobyMac and CeCe Winans, the project also features a 50-minute CompassionArt documentary and will be available at your favorite retail outlets.
 
The goal of CompassionArt and this recording, including the current radio single “King of Wonders” currently being heard on radio stations across the country, is to engage people everywhere to help end world poverty.

Gathering together in Scotland last January to write songs to benefit “the poorest of the poor,” none of these artists will ever receive a dime for their efforts. And this is not just a one-time offering, but will be a forever offering for the life of the songs through CompassionArt. In addition to the songwriters and guest vocalists, the publishers, managers, record labels, copyright institutes and agents involved are donating their efforts on this project to CompassionArt.
 
“We are a global community, an underground adventure, a map being drawn as we speak that connects wealth with poverty, art with hope, compassion with despair,” says Martin Smith. “We have united ourselves as a community of artists and songwriters to give it all away. Please join us by purchasing the album, playing these songs and singing them in your church services.”