Until the Whole World Hears

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Until the Whole World Hears
A boy is sitting on a ledge overlooking a cityscape, a megaphone positioned on his left-hand side. The name of the album is positioned above his head, with the logo of the band stationed above that; both the album title and band name are written in capital letter, while the 'T' in 'Casting Crowns' is replaced by a cross.
Studio album by
Casting Crowns
ReleasedNovember 17, 2009 (2009-11-17)
Recorded2009
Studio
GenreChristian rock, adult contemporary, contemporary Christian music
Length51:02
LabelBeach Street
ProducerMark A. Miller
Casting Crowns studio album chronology
The Altar and the Door
(2007) 		Until the Whole World Hears
(2009) 		Come to the Well
(2011)
Singles from Until the Whole World Hears
  1. "Until the Whole World Hears"
    Released: August 20, 2009
  2. "If We've Ever Needed You"
    Released: 2010
  3. "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)"
    Released: January 7, 2011

Until the Whole World Hears is the fourth studio album by American

Christian Albums chart. In the United States, the album ranked as the 37th best-selling album of 2010 and the 137th best-selling album of 2011; it ranked as the first and third best-selling Christian album in those years, respectively. It has sold over 1.1 million copies and been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA).

Until the Whole World Hears received a mixed-to-positive reception from critics and was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart; "If We've Ever Needed You" peaked at No. 5 on the Christian Songs chart. Two album cuts, "To Know You" and "Joyful, Joyful
", also appeared on the Christian Songs chart, peaking at numbers 27 and 3, respectively.

Background and songwriting

Casting Crowns' lead vocalist Mark Hall has stated that the band's songs "have always come from our ministry in the church. They start as messages on Wednesday night, things we're teaching our teenagers and their families";[1][2] Until the Whole World Hears retains that same formula.[1] Hall also stated that the musical sound of their songs is written so as not to conflict or detract from the lyrics, comparing the musical elements of his songs to a plate that the 'meat', the lyrics, are served on.[3] A philosophy that "fuels"[4] the album is the idea of putting "faith in action";[4] Hall stated that he wanted believers to become more active in their faith, and to "get out of their pews and get involved in what God is doing".[4] "Always Enough" was written when a member of Hall's church was killed in Afghanistan; the band was unable to attend his funeral, as they were on the other side of the United States and couldn't cancel their tour dates.[4] Another song on the album, the title track, was inspired by the Biblical character of John the Baptist.[2] Several songs on the album are reinventions of hymns, which Hall enjoyed experimenting with; Hall retained the lyrics of the songs while reworking their melodies.[4]

Until the Whole World Hears was

mastered by Andrew Mendelson, Shelly Anderson, Natthaphol Abhigantaphand and Daniel Bacigalupi at Georgetown Masters in Nashville.[5]

Composition

"Until the Whole World Hears"
The album's lead single and title track is a guitar-driven rock song.
"Joyful, Joyful"
"Joyful, Joyful" is driven by strings and has been compared to Coldplay's "Viva la Vida".
Problems playing these files? See media help.

The overall sound of Until the Whole World Hears has been described as 'pure American rock',[6] 'soft adult contemporary',[3] and 'CCM'.[6] Robert Ham of Christianity Today regarded the album as comparable to the sound of rock bands Creed and Nickelback.[6] One critic observed that most of the songs on the album "start off with chords plunked out on a piano or strummed slowly on a guitar, letting the song build slowly toward a massive wave of sound".[6] The title track has been described as having a "real rock vibe"[7] infused by electric guitar riffs,[7] while "Shadow of Your Wings" has been described as an "unashamed rock-n-roll jam".[3] "Joyful, Joyful" is driven by a "pulsing"[6] and "driving"[7] string section that "calls to mind Coldplay's 'Viva la Vida'".[6] "Mercy" and "Blessed Redeemer" feature female-fronted vocals,[3] the former sung by Megan Garrett[6] and the latter sung by Melodee DeVevo;[1] on "At Your Feet", Hector Cervantes and Juan DeVevo joining Mark Hall on vocals.[4]

Every track on Until the Whole World Hears features references to Christian subjects such as God, Jesus, and salvation.[2] "Joyful, Joyful", "Blessed Redeemer", and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" were adopted from classic hymns.[1][2][3][4] "Holy One" and "Shadow of Your Wings" are taken almost word for word from the Book of Psalms.[2] "If We've Ever Needed You" and "Always Enough" are "darker inspirational anthems",[7] while other songs explore themes such as repentance and forgiveness.[2]

Release and sales

A trophy in the shape of a golden gramophone record is laid into a plaque. The album's artwork is in the background of the award.
Until the Whole World Hears was certified gold by the RIAA one month after release. It was certified platinum five years later.

Until the Whole World Hears had first-week sales of 167,000 copies, Casting Crowns' best sales week to date; the album's high first-week sales enabled a No. 4 debut on the

Digital Albums chart.[9] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album gold one month after its release; by January 2015, it had reached platinum status.[10] signifying shipments of over 1,000,000 copies.[11] By April 2011 Until the Whole World Hears had sold over 800,000 copies,[12] and as of March 2014 the album has sold 1.1 million copies.[13] Billboard magazine ranked Until the Whole World Hears as the best-selling Christian album and the 37th best-selling album overall of 2010.[14][15] It also ranked as the 3rd best-selling Christian album and the 137th best-selling album overall of 2011.[16][17]

Three singles were released from Until the Whole World Hears. The

Heatseekers Songs chart.[19] Two other songs off the album, "To Know You" and "Joyful, Joyful", appeared on the Christian Songs chart; they peaked at numbers 27 and 3, respectively.[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Plugged In
(positive)[2]

Until the Whole World Hears met with an overall mixed to positive response from critics. Several critics regarded the musical aspects of the album as mediocre or sub-par,

Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars and described it as a "powerful worship experience",[22] but also stated that "some might wonder how a little more variety would sound from such experienced professionals ... the band's core sound continues to land in the AC cross hairs".[22] Andrew Greer of CCM Magazine commented that the album "ups the musical ante a bit, with some borderline poetic verses and interesting musical riffs",[7] but also commented that "many of these tracks still suffer from the 'Crowns Cliché Syndrome,' using lyrical Christian-ese to produce trite rhymes that seem hard-pressed to energize a ready-to-worship crowd".[7] Robert Ham of Christianity Today criticized the album for using what he deemed as a repetitive musical formula, but also praised the song "Joyful, Joyful", which he compared to Coldplay's song "Viva la Vida", as well as Megan's Garrett's vocals on "Mercy". He concluded that Until the Whole World Hears "feels like a step backward creatively".[6] At Cross Rhythms, Tony Cummings rated the album seven out of ten squares, saying "this album is a little disappointing considering some of the glories that preceeded [sic] it."[23]

Debra Akins of

Plugged In stated that "With appropriate apologies to the many talented and successful acts that straddle the secular and spiritual with their tunes, it's great to have a band that speaks to the Christian heart with such power and eloquence—without apology".[2]

Accolades

Until the Whole World Hears was nominated for the Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards[24] Two of its three singles also received award nominations; its title track was nominated for Pop/Contemporary Record Song of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards,[25] and "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" has been nominated for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year at the 43rd GMA Dove Awards.[26] It was nominated for Top Christian Album at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards.[27]

Track listing

Adapted from the album liner notes[5]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Until the Whole World Hears"Mark Hall, Bernie Herms, Jason McArthur, Roger Glidewell5:03
2."If We've Ever Needed You"Hall, Herms3:39
3."Always Enough"Hall, Ed Cash, Matt Armstrong4:56
4."Joyful, Joyful"Hall, Herms4:28
5."At Your Feet"Hall, Jason Ingram4:36
6."Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)"Hall, Michael Bleecker4:41
7."Holy One"Hall, Stuart Garrard, Ingram, Matt Bronleewe3:18
8."To Know You"Hall, Ingram, Herms4:26
9."Mercy"Omega Levine, Sam de Jong, Tauese Tofa, Hall4:56
10."Jesus, Hold Me Now"Hall, Herms4:15
11."Blessed Redeemer"Hall, Herms4:13
12."Shadow of Your Wings"Hall2:31

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes[5]

Charts and certifications

Album charts

Weekly album charts
Charts (2009) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[28] 4
US
Christian Albums (Billboard)[29]
 1
US
Digital Albums (Billboard)[30]
 12
Year-end album charts
Charts (2010) Position
Billboard 200[15] 37
Billboard Christian Albums[14] 1
Charts (2011) Position
Billboard 200[17] 137
Billboard Christian Albums[16] 3
Charts (2012) Position
Billboard Christian Albums[31] 28

Song charts

Single charts
Year Song Peak chart positions
US
[21]
US Christ
[18]
US Heat
[19]
2009 "Until the Whole World Hears" — 1 23
2010 "If We've Ever Needed You" — 5 —
2011 "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)"[1] 102 1 20
Other charting songs
Year Song Peak chart positions
US
[21]
US Christ
[18]
2010 "To Know You" — 27
"Joyful, Joyful" — 3

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[32] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)" peaked at number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which measures the top twenty-five singles that have not yet reached the Billboard Hot 100.

Footnotes

  1. ^
    Gospel Music Channel.com. Archived from the original
    on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  2. ^
    Plugged In. Focus on the Family. Archived
    from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gelwicks, Roger (15 November 2009). "Casting Crowns, "Until the Whole World Hears" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Price, Deborah Evans (5 December 2009). "Casting Crowns: Crowning Achievement". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 48. Prometheus Global Media. pp. 22–24. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Until the Whole World Hears (Media notes). Casting Crowns. Beach Street. 2009. p. 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ham, Roger (November 2009). "Until the Whole World Hears". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Greer, Andrew (26 January 2010). "Until the Whole World Hears Ups the Musical Ante". CCM Magazine. Crosswalk.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  8. ^ Caulfield, Keith (25 November 2009). "John Mayer Snares No. 1 On Busy Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Christian Albums archive (December 5, 2009)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  10. ^ "Gold and Platinum Database". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2011. Note: User must input the artist name to attain the cited data.
  11. ^ "RIAA - Certification Criteria". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  12. ^ DiBiase, John (21 April 2011). "Casting Crowns Honored at 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  13. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (March 3, 2014). "Casting Crowns Rock Live at Billboard, 'Thrive' as Christian Music's Biggest Band: Video". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Year-end Christian Albums (2010)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  15. ^ a b "Year-end Billboard 200 (2010)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  16. ^ a b "Year-end Christian Albums (2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  17. ^ a b "Year-end Billboard 200 (2011)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "Casting Crowns Albums & Song Chart History - Christian Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  19. ^ a b c "Casting Crowns Albums & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  20. ^ DiBiase, John (21 January 2012). "Casting Crowns to perform new single "Glorious Day" on FOX News Channel's "Huckabee" show this weekend". Jesus Freak Hideout. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  21. ^
    Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
    chart. The following is the peak position archive date:
    • "Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles for "Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)". May 7, 2011.
  22. ^
    Allmusic
    . Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  23. ^ a b Cummings, Tony (December 9, 2009). "Review: Until The Whole World Hears - Casting Crowns". Cross Rhythms. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  24. Gannett Company. 16 February 2011. Archived
    from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  25. Gannett Company. 18 February 2010. Archived
    from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  26. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (22 February 2012). "Jason Crabb Tops 2012 Dove Awards Nominees". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  27. ^ "Casting Crowns Honored With Two Billboard Music Awards". Jesus Freak Hideout. May 21, 2012. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  28. ^ "Casting Crowns Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Casting Crowns Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Casting Crowns Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link] Billboard.
  31. ^ "2012 Year End Charts - Christian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Casting Crowns – Until the Whole World Hears". Recording Industry Association of America.
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