Critically lauded singer, songwriter and musician, as well as author, speaker, producer and daughter of a Syrian refugee, Audrey Assad internationally releases her second independent album, Inheritance, Feb 12, 2016 on Fortunate Fall Records with Tone Tree Music distribution. A collection of hymns and original songs that both pay homage to her childhood heritage and to her Catholic faith and charismatic spirituality, the highly anticipated album has already been pre-ordered by thousands of fans through a PledgeMusic campaign while the iTunes pre-order campaign launched on January 29.
Audrey Assad is a singer-songwriter and a worship leader. Her debut album, The House You’re Building, was released through Sparrow Records in July 2010 and went to be named Christian Album of 2010 on Amazon.com and the Christian Breakthrough Album of the Year on iTunes. She has worked and toured with other artists such as Chris Tomlin, Tenth Avenue North, Matt Maher and Jars of Clay. Audrey has been making musically independently for about 3 years, releasing the records Fortunate Fall, O Happy Fault (Live), and Death, Be Not Proud.
Since I was lucky enough to get a copy of this CD earlier than most people, I’ve listened to the whole album and I can tell you the hymns on this CD are really some of my favorites. I really LOVE Ms. Assad’s version of It Is Well With My Soul, but I can’t find a video to share with you. Another song I love on the CD is Holy, Holy, Holy – I’m sure you remember it when you hear it.
All the songs on Inheritance infuse a modern sensibility with Audrey’s influences to form something entirely new. The full Inheritance track listing is:
1. Ubi Caritas
2. Holy, Holy, Holy
3. Be Thou My Vision
4. I Wonder As I Wander
5. How Can I Keep From Singing
6. Oh, The Deep, Deep Love Of Jesus
7. Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me yet
8. New Every Morning
9. It Is Well With My Soul
10. Even Unto Death
11. Abide With Me
The song, Even Unto Death, sounds very beautiful. I wanted to know more about it, so I searched the internet and found Audrey Assad’s post on tumblr about the story of this song, which is very interesting so I thought I’d share it with you:
In a world filled with death—in a world where death is both the weapon and the wound—my faith is shaken, challenged. You must remember that night, months ago, when I saw the video of those twenty one precious Egyptian men kneeling on a Mediterranean beach. You remember them, don’t You? They, in their orange jumpsuits, prisoners of the black-clad soldiers standing behind them?
I stared at the procession…and I knew that I was looking into the sickening, quaking black hole that is Death. “A message signed with blood to the nation of the Cross”, read the text. I shivered as I had never shivered—my blood ran cold in my veins. “Blessings and peace be upon the one sent by the sword,” their veiled leader said, his knife poised. The captives prayed, their lips moving silently, their eyes closed or raised to the heavens. What were they whispering, in those last, fast-fading moments of their lives? Were they afraid? What did they say to the God who is beside, before, and behind them? The soldiers stood stock still in the wind, knives at the ready. Then, they cut through flesh, vein and bone—their merciless blades attempting to assuage the hunger of Death.
But Death cannot be satiated— for even Death is dying. All is not as it seems. The men wielding the knives (precious also, though they do not know it) are the prisoners of Death. The twenty one men that they beheaded are miraculously, blessedly free. This is the Great Paradox of Christianity. “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death.” I have to believe that these twenty one martyrs are each in the kingdom of Light, interceding for their executioners. “Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy,” I thought desperately. I could not help but weep, and hard. But by some small miracle I did not despair. I only thought “What would I pray, if it were me kneeling on that beach?”
Then Audrey provides the lyrics to the song, which you can read while watching the video here:
Inheritance is an awesome CD and you can pre-order it now or wait until it releases February 12, 2016!
I received a digital copy of Inheritance by Audrey Assad in exchange for my honest review.
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