Description
Songs from the Red Letters is the sole album by the American praise and worship project Faithful Heart, released on Maranatha! Music in 1990, distributed by Word. The album was produced by Lenny LeBlanc. Faithful Heart features the four singers/songwriters Lenny LeBlanc, Rita Baloche, Bill Batstone, and Kelly Willard.
This is a special project. The concept is straight forward enough – an album of songs with lyrics taken from the “red letter” portion of the Bible. Your remember, the red letters are the words that Jesus himself spoke. How could you go wrong?
Add to this the warm vocals of four talented studio musicians (Lenny LeBlanc, Rita Baloche, Bill Batstone, and Kelly Willard), highlighted by some creative arrangements and production, and you’ll find yourself with one of the nicest surprises to hit the racks this year.
The sound is light, bright and very contemporary – James Taylor meets Twila Paris. The temptation to create a project filled with lanquid ballads was successfully squelched by producer Lenny LeBlanc. Granted not all of these songs will have you dancing in the aisles, but ‘Songs From the Red Letters’ creates a praise/worship atmosphere with an acoustic feel.
Purists will be pleased to know that no lyrical or poetic license has been taken with this project. You can pull out your NIV and read along. From the Lord’s Prayer to the sermon about the vine, there is an intimate quality to many of the songs, an ensemble feel with the artists alternating in the solo spot, handling writing honors, or playing instruments.
‘Faithful Heart’ will be a welcome addition to your record collection, worship time, and those moments in life when we need to be like Mary and sit and listen at the feet our friend and Savior, Jesus. Sometimes we just need to be gently reminded how truly contemporary His words are today. [Kathleen A. Ervin, CCM, October 1990]
An absolute gem of an album this is a praise and worship-cum-contemporary ballad set which shines with a luminous faith, contains a set of quite beautiful songs, all considering some aspect of the person of Christ, and features surely the best new group to be formed this year. As it proudly announces on the front sleeve, Faithful Heart are Lenny LeBlanc, Bill Bastone, Rita Baloche and Kelly Willard and any of you who read the label credits of their praise or contemporary albums of the past decade will recognise these names as top notch talents. My current favourites on this set are the «Lord’s Prayer» (music by Lenny LeBlanc) and the exquisite «Forgive One Another», but everything has some lovely things in it. Thoroughly recommended. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, November 1990]
CD tracklist:
01. Forgive One Another – 4:40
02. I’ll Prepare a Place for You – 3:06
03. Blessed Are They – 3:18
04. If the Son Sets You Free – 3:06
05. I Am the Good Shepherd – 4:04
06. I Am the Wine – 3:40
07. I Am the Way to the Father – 2:55
08. Rise Up – 3:19
09. Seek Ye First the Kingdom – 3:53
10. I Am the Light – 4:11
11. No Greater Love – 3:35
12. The Lord’s Prayer – 2:14
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Maranatha! Music.
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