I want this album...

In May 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter Maria was run over and killed as her older brother backed the family SUV out of the driveway. Many in the Christian entertainment industry -- and some in the mainstream entertainment industry, too, were heartbroken for the family. Maria had been adopted from China and would turn five soon. Chapman did what any songwriter would do in grief -- he wrote songs.

It started with just an added verse to his song "Yours" off of his CD This Moment. Then he wrote more and more songs and recorded them, which turned into recording a whole slew of songs for his new CD Beauty Will Rise. In an article in CCM Magazine, they wrote that he recorded a lot of the songs in one take, so the song is very raw and very honest. And it's getting rave reviews.

Here are a few that StereoTruth.Com has gathered:

The New York Times had this to say…
…the aching candor that suffuses the album, paired with Mr. Chapman’s unmistakable gift for melodic uplift, exerts a deep emotional pull. The production, leaner than usual, backs up the raw feeling behind the songs.

USA Today went on to say…
He quietly, thoughtfully works through his grief but never surrenders to despair. If you can’t imagine how to find hope out of such devastation, Chapman can show you.

ChristianityToday.com added…
After his daughter’s death, the veteran artist battles despair but finds hope in his most candid record to date.

Billboard Magazine has even stated…
Both intensely personal, yet universal as well, this is a brilliant, deeply moving album sure to resonate with listeners on many levels.


It's important to note that Chapman has been recording for almost 20 years. He knows how to write hit songs. He knows what sells. But what I'm looking forward to the most about this one is that, yeah, it was an album and I'm sure they wanted to sell it, but in all reality it's also an album full of a father working through his grief. And if these reviews are true, it's also true testament to the hope and healing power found in faith in Jesus Christ. This album will be amazing.

And now, i leave you with Chapman's first single "Heaven is the Face."



Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles.
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for awhile.”

Chorus:

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for.
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.
So right now...

Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep,
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing.
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms,
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.

Bridge:

But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space.
All the cancer is gone,
Every mouth is fed,
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed.
Every lonely heart finds their one true love,
And there’s no more goodbye,
And no more not enough,
And there’s no more enemy (no more).

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone.
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You,
And we both run into Your arms.

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream.
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive.
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl,
Heaven in the face of my little girl.