Thrive (Casting Crowns album)

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Thrive
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 28, 2014 (2014-01-28)
Recorded2013
Studio
GenreContemporary Christian, rock
Length51:41
LabelBeach Street/Reunion
ProducerMark A. Miller
Casting Crowns chronology
The Acoustic Sessions: Volume One
(2013)
Thrive
(2014)
A Live Worship Experience
(2015)
Singles from Thrive
  1. "All You've Ever Wanted"
    Released: September 14, 2013[1]
  2. "Thrive"
    Released: March 22, 2014[2]
  3. "Broken Together"
    Released: January 20, 2015[3]
  4. "Just Be Held"
    Released: August 11, 2015[4]

Thrive (stylized as THRIVE) is the sixth studio album by American

the Bible, has a rock and contemporary Christian sound with influences from folk and bluegrass. The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics
for its lyrics and musical diversity, but some critics felt that some songs were too similar to the work of other artists or to their own previous work.

Thrive sold 43,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release; although this was short of projections to sell 75,000 copies, it peaked at No. 6 on the

(RIAA).

Background and composition

Thrive was recorded at Zoo Studio in

Psalms 1, which metaphorically compares the concept of a righteous man to a prosperous tree planted by a river. Hall said that many people he has talked with are simply surviving, which he feels contrasts with this — he felt that, although hard times can come upon anyone, people are not put in these situations to simply survive through them, but rather to thrive through the adversity.[8] Using the metaphor, Hall noted that, if one were to pull away all the dirt from around a tree, one would find roots digging into the ground in addition to the limbs of the tree reaching out. Hall elaborated that "you need to get your strength from God; you don’t get it on your own. If you’re all limbs, the thorns of life will knock you over. You need to dig your roots in and let God reach out through you".[9] Accordingly, half of the record focuses on 'reaching out', while the other half focuses on 'digging deep'.[8] Hall described the record as being "an effort to draw a picture of what a believer, a follower of Jesus, would look like if they dug into their roots and understood God and themselves more, and then instead of trying to go be Christian for God, they just let God give them chances to be a Christian".[10]

The music on Thrive has been described as

grunge rock with country flair"[14] and the album as having "rock, pop, and worship" songs.[15] Thrive was also noted to have influences from folk[16] and bluegrass at times.[14] The main instruments used on the album include the electric guitar,[11][15] acoustic guitar,[15] and piano. The songs have been called anthems that are intended for people in both jovial and trying times.[17]

The first song on the album, the title track "Thrive", has been described as having a

Mumford and Sons or Phillip Phillips.[18] The banjo and mandolin are used in its arrangement[15] in addition to electric guitars and backing vocals.[11] "All You've Ever Wanted" is led by a piano riff,[15] and displays an adult contemporary sound similar to much of the rest of the band's discography.[16] "Just Be Held" also incorporates adult contemporary elements,[16] with one critic comparing the song's string arrangement to those on Downton Abbey,[15] while "You Are the Only One" is a worship song.[15][16] "Broken Together", described as "Coldplay pop",[19] is a piano ballad;[16] the song's protagonist "smashes the facade of a fairy-tale relationship, forgoing the happy ending with the realization that 'maybe you and I were never meant to be complete'".[12]

"Love You with the Truth" is an

bluesy" sound.[13] "Follow Me", a ballad with folk influences, is sung by Megan Garrett.[16] "House of Their Dreams" thematically revolves around a family that has pursued material interests at the expense of being together;[15] musically, the song was compared to a softer version of the band's song "American Dream".[16] "Waiting on the Night to Fall" is a warning against Satan, urging listeners not to become complacent.[13]

Release and promotion

Prior to the release of Thrive, "All You've Ever Wanted" was released as the album's

Christian Songs chart,[21] No. 10 on the Christian Airplay chart,[22] and No. 2 on the Christian Digital Songs chart.[23] Two other songs were released as downloads prior to the album's release: "Thrive", which peaked at No. 10 on the Christian Songs chart[21] and No. 3 on the Christian Digital Songs chart,[23] and "This Is Now", which peaked at No. 15 on the Christian Songs chart[21] and No. 3 on the Christian Digital Songs chart.[23] Following the release of the album, two other songs ("Broken Together" and "Just Be Held") charted on the Christian Songs chart at No. 45 and 50, respectively.[21]

Thrive was released on January 28, 2014.

Digital Albums chart.[29] It went on to become the best-selling Christian album of 2014, shifting 339,000 copies throughout the year.[30]

The album also charted internationally. It debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard

Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart;[33] it also appeared on the Australia Hitseekers Albums chart, which ranks the top albums by artists who have not yet reached the top 50 on the main Australian Albums Chart.[34]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com
[35]
Christian Music Zine[36]
CM Addict[17]
Cross Rhythms[13]
Indie Vision Music[11]
Jesus Freak Hideout[16]
New Release Tuesday[37]
USA Today[19]
Worship Leader[14]

Thrive received mostly positive reviews from music critics. The album's songwriting and musical diversity were generally praised. Joshua Andre of Christian Music Zine awarded the album four and a half out of five stars, describing the lyrics as "profound" while praising the music as the most innovative and varied the band had put out to date.[36] Lins Honeyman of Cross Rhythms rated the album nine out of ten squares, calling it "outstanding" and praising its musically diversity. He also praised the band, saying they were "refreshingly willing to take a chance and most certainly at the top of the game".[13] Jonathan Andre of Indie Vision Music rated Thrive four out of five stars, calling it the band's "most personal and musically diverse album to date".[11] Kate Padilla of The Daily Reporter praised both the album's songwriting and sound, and felt that the album could be appreciated, regardless of whether or not the buyer listens to Christian radio.[18]

Other critics praised the album's overall quality, both in comparison to the band's previous work and the Christian music genre. Ed Cardinal of

About.com, Kim Jones rated Thrive four-and-a-half stars out of five, praising the album as being "delivered with [...] passion" and saying that it has "arrows [pointed] straight to the heart".[35]

Other critics presented a more mixed response; Mark Rice of Jesus Freak Hideout rated the album three out of five stars, arguing it was an improvement over their previous efforts in some respects but feeling it was, for the most part, either "stagnation or regression".[16] Although Piet Levy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised the songwriting, saying it "stands out [...] at times featuring troubled protagonists and earned redemption", he felt several songs sounded too similar to the work of other artists.[12] Brian Mansfield of USA Today rated it two and a half out of four stars, describing the band as "chameleonic" but praising "House of Their Dreams" and "Broken Together".[19]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thrive"Mark Hall, Matthew West5:06
2."All You've Ever Wanted"Hall, Bernie Herms4:04
3."Just Be Held"Hall, Herms, West3:41
4."You Are the Only One"Blake Bollinger, Hall, Matt Maher3:47
5."Broken Together"Hall, Herms4:45
6."Love You With the Truth"Hall, Herms4:03
7."This Is Now"Hall, West4:39
8."Dream for You"Hall, West3:58
9."Follow Me"Beth Farris4:12
10."Heroes"Hall, West4:14
11."House of Their Dreams"Hall4:22
12."Waiting on the Night to Fall"Hall4:50
Total length:51:41

Personnel

Credits taken from Allmusic[39]

Charts

Billboard named the album No. 1 for 2014 on its Christian Albums chart.[40]

Single charts

Year Song Peak chart positions
US Christ
[21]
Christian Airplay
[22]
2013 "All You've Ever Wanted" 3 10
2014 "Thrive" 6 6
"Broken Together" 8 11
2015 "Just Be Held" 3 2

Certifications

Country Certification Units shipped
United States Gold[47] 500,000[48]

References

  1. ^
    VNU Media. September 14, 2013. Archived
    from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  2. VNU Media. March 22, 2014. Archived
    from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  3. VNU Media
    . January 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  4. VNU Media
    . August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  5. .
  6. from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  7. ^ Thrive is the middle school ministry of Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia, where Hall is a student pastor. http://eagleslanding.org/students--middle-school-thrive--mcdonough/ Archived February 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b c Sarachik, Justin (November 20, 2013). "Casting Crowns New Album 'THRIVE' Coming in January 2014 Along with Tour and Book". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
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