Casting Crowns (album)
Casting Crowns | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 7, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2003 at various locations in the United States | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Christian rock, pop rock | |||
Length | 43:35 | |||
Label | Beach Street | |||
Producer | Mark A. Miller, Steven Curtis Chapman | |||
Casting Crowns chronology | ||||
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Singles from Casting Crowns | ||||
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Casting Crowns is the first
Preceded by a
Background and recording
Casting Crowns was formed in 1999 by Mark Hall (lead vocals), Hector Cervantes (guitar, vocals), Juan DeVevo (guitar, vocals), and Melodee DeVevo (violin, vocals) as a student worship band. The band is originally from Daytona Beach, Florida but relocated to Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia in 2001, where they recruited Megan Garrett (piano/vocals), Andy Williams (drums), and Chris Huffman (bass guitar) as members.[4][5] One of their independent records was discovered by Mark A. Miller, the lead vocalist for country band Sawyer Brown.[6] Although Casting Crowns had not released their independent records with intentions of receiving a record deal, Miller offered the band the opportunity to become the first artists signed to his record label.[6] The band agreed to join and signed with the as-yet-unnamed record label, an imprint of Provident Label Group, and began work on their debut album.[7] As a group, Casting Crowns was unusual in several ways, such as having seven members, never having toured before, and their producer (Miller) having no history in the Christian music industry. However, Christian singer and songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman was brought in to co-produce the album with Miller, giving the project a greater amount of support in the Christian music industry.[4] Terry Hemmings, Provident Label Group CEO/President and a personal friend of Miller, openly predicted success for Casting Crowns and made them one of his top priorities at the label.[4][7] While most artists in a similar situation would have received nine months for artist development, Hemmings gave the band four months and sped up the album's release.[4]
Most of Casting Crowns was recorded and mixed by Sam Hewitt at Zoo Studio in Franklin, Tennessee, with the exception of "If We Are the Body", which was mixed by Steve Bishir at Oxford Sound. Additional recording for "Voice of Truth", "What if His People Prayed", and "If We Are the Body" was conducted by Matt Goldman at Glow in the Dark Studio in Decatur, Georgia. The album was mastered by Ken Love at MasterMix in Nashville, Tennessee.[8]
Release and promotion
To promote the album prior to its release,
By the end of 2004, Casting Crowns had sold over 710,000 copies.[28] It ranked as the 2nd best-selling Christian album[29] and the 126th best-selling album of 2004 in the United States.[30] Casting Crowns ranked as the 5th best-selling Christian album[31] and the 179th best-selling album of 2005 in the United States.[32] By September 10, 2005 the album had sold over 1 million copies.[4] Casting Crowns received re-releases in 2006 and 2007, both of them featuring bonus DVD content.[33][34] After first charting on the Billboard Catalog Albums chart in 2005[35] the album reached a peak position of number 7 on the chart for the chart week of September 5, 2009.[36] The album ranked as the 11th best-selling Christian album of the 2000s decade[37] and had sold around 1.7 million copies in the United States by December 5, 2009.[38] The album received a 2× Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2012,[39] signifying shipments of over 2,000,000 units.[40] It is one of only 8 Christian albums to reach that certification.[41] As of March 2014, the album has sold more than 1.9 million copies.[42]
Musical style
Casting Crowns is noted as having a Christian rock,[14] pop rock[33][43][44] and rock[33][34][45] sound. Some critics noted that the album sounds somewhat similar to the work of Chapman.[43][44][46] The album's main instrumentation consists of guitar, keyboard, and violin.[43] The album's lyrics, which have been described by music critics as "bold"[47] and "straightforward",[44] take an approach which was described by Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today as "no-nonsense... tell[ing] it like it is, simply and with conviction".[44]
Album opener "What If His People Prayed", described as a
"Voice of Truth" was written around Hall's struggles with dyslexia and learning issues as a child.[50] Co-written by Chapman, the track is a pop rock[48] ballad,[44] encouraging listeners to tackle their personal fears and replace them with faith.[44][47] The song "Who Am I" has been described as a pop rock,[48] adult contemporary[44] and pop country song.[51] The ballad incorporates orchestral sounds[43] and lyrically explains emptiness without Christ.[44][47]
"American Dream", considered a rock anthem, features an arena rock sound.[48] Cited as an example of Hall's "in-your-face" approach to songwriting by Breimeier,[44] the track challenges the fixation of society with wealth, even at the cost of personal relationships.[4] It encourages listeners to not neglect their families in pursuit of their careers[47] and challenges fathers to spend a greater amount of their time with their families.[44]
"Here I Go Again" relates the story of a Christian, who instead of "sharing the gospel" with a friend, engages in "mindless conversation".[4] The song encourages listeners to overcome their fear of spreading the gospel in the chorus.[44][47] The album's final 4 songs are all worship songs,[47] with folk instruments incorporated in several of them.[44] "Praise You with the Dance", sung by the female members of the band,[43][44] has been described as a country rock song.[44] The song also incorporates a violin solo of "Lord of the Dance".[44] "Glory", described as a worship song, has been noted as displaying the "distinctive production touch" of Chapman.[45] The album closes with a cover of Darrell Evans' song "Your Love Is Extravagant"; it features harmony vocals from the band.[44]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [52] |
CCM Magazine | B[43] |
Christian Broadcasting Network | [47] |
Christianity Today | [44] |
Cross Rhythms | [45] |
Casting Crowns received positive reviews from music critics. Particular praise was given to the album's lyrical content
Accolades
Casting Crowns was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 35th GMA Dove Awards. "If We Are the Body" was nominated for the Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the same event.[54] At the 36th GMA Dove Awards, "American Dream" was nominated for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year[55] and "Who Am I" was nominated for Worship Song of the Year.[55] "Who Am I" won the awards for Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year while "Voice of Truth" won the award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year.[56] "Voice of Truth" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards.[57]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Hall except where noted; all music is composed by Casting Crowns
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "What If His People Prayed" | 3:28 | |
2. | "If We Are the Body" | 3:58 | |
3. | "Voice of Truth" | Hall, Chapman | 5:25 |
4. | "Who Am I" | 5:35 | |
5. | "American Dream" | 4:11 | |
6. | "Here I Go Again" | 4:45 | |
7. | "Praise You with the Dance" | 3:56 | |
8. | "Glory" | Cervantes, Hall | 5:06 |
9. | "Life of Praise" | 3:19 | |
10. | "Your Love Is Extravagant" | Evans | 3:52 |
Total length: | 43:35 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album liner notes.[8]
Casting Crowns
- Mark Hall – lead vocals
- Megan Garrett – keyboards, accordion, vocals
- Hector Cervantes – guitars, backing vocals
- Juan DeVevo – guitars, backing vocals
- Melodee DeVevo – violin, vocals
- Chris Huffman – bass
- Andy Williams – drums
Additional musicians
- Chris Mosher – keyboards (1, 3-6), programming (1, 3-6), strings (3), string arrangements (3)
- Rob Graves – guitars
- Bernie Herms – strings (4)
- Jonathan Yudkin – strings (4), string arrangements (4)
Production
- Terry Hemmings – executive producer
- Steven Curtis Chapman – producer
- Mark A. Miller – producer
- Sam Hewitt – recording, mixing (1, 3-10)
- Steve Bishir – mixing (2)
- Matt Goldman – additional recording (1, 2, 3)
- Ken Love – mastering at MasterMix, Nashville, Tennessee
- Robert Beeson– A&R consultant
- Laurie Melek – A&R administration
- Frank Miller – A&R administration
- Jenna Roher – A&R administration
- Stephanie McBrayer – art direction, styling
- Tim Parker – art direction, graphic design
- Russ Harrington – photography
- Lori Turk – hair, make-up
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[58] | 59 |
US | 2 |
US | 1 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2004) | Position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[61] | 126 |
Chart (2005) | Position |
US Billboard 200[62] | 179 |
Decade-end charts
Charts (2000s) | Position |
---|---|
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[37] | 11 |
Singles
Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Certifications
[39] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Christ
[12] |
Christ AC
[13] |
Christ CHR [63] | |||
2003 | "If We Are the Body" | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
2004 | "Who Am I" | 1 | 1 | 1 | RIAA: Gold |
"Voice of Truth" | 1 | 1 | 4 | RIAA: Gold |
Certifications
Country | Certification | Units shipped |
---|---|---|
United States | 2× Platinum[39] | 2,000,000[40] |
Release history
Region | Date | Label |
---|---|---|
United States | October 7, 2003 | Beach Street/Reunion[64] |
November 25, 2005DualDisc)[65] | (Reunion | |
March 20, 2007[66] | (Gift Edition)Provident/Reunion/Beach Street | |
September 16, 2016LP)[67] | (Provident/Reunion |
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{{cite AV media notes}}
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