"Today is the first day of the rest of your life," Matt Maher belts out on the irresistibly infectious track "Hold Us Together," a sentiment that rings true for this stunning collection of worship and pop tunes.
The Mesa, AZ, native's second album on Essential is an arrival that puts him in elite company and ushers him into the midst of the best and most well-known gospel artists of his day.
Maher shares co-writing credits with the likes of Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Sarah Reeves, Jason Ingram, Marc Byrd, and Mia Fieldes (Hillsong).
Impressive company indeed, but it is his confident yet vulnerable delivery that is the most endearing quality of the album.
The juxtaposition of the fervent anthems "Shout of the King" and "No Greater Love" with the delicate "Letting Go" and "You Were on the Cross" fills listeners with a full range of emotions.
Maher takes a big leap forward on this record and offers some of the better-written praise & worship tracks to come along in some time.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alive AgainJason Ingram, Matt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Shout of the KingMatt Maher, Sarah Reeves | Matt Maher | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Sing Over Your ChildrenMatt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Hold Us TogetherMatt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | No Greater LoveAudrey Assad, Matt Maher, Chris Tomlin | Matt Maher | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Love Comes DownAudrey Assad, Michael Gungor, Matt Maher, Paul Moak | Matt Maher | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Flesh and BoneMarc Byrd, Sarah Hart, Matt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 06:05 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Remembrance (Communion Song)Matt Maher, Matt Redman | Matt Maher | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Letting GoMatt Maher, Paul Moak | Matt Maher | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | You Were on the CrossAudrey Assad, Kenny Butler, Matt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Christ Is RisenMia Fieldes, Matt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 06:28 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | GardenMatt Maher | Matt Maher | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Hold Us Together (Regis Funk Remix) | Matt Maher | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Christ Is Risen (Radio Edit) | Matt Maher | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 66 mins | 151 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audrey Assad | Composer, Piano, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Blaine Barcus | A&R, Vocals |
| 3 | Tyler Burkum | Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Kenny Butler | Composer |
| 5 | Marc Byrd | Composer |
| 6 | Chris Carmichael | String Arrangements, Strings |
| 7 | Cason Cooley | Omnichord, Piano, Piano (Electric) |
| 8 | Heather Cummings | Hair Stylist, Make-Up |
| 9 | Addie Davis | Vocals |
| 10 | Richard Dodd | Mastering |
| 11 | Mia Fieldes | Composer |
| 12 | Michael Gungor | Composer |
| 13 | Sarah Hart | Composer |
| 14 | Sarah Hart | Composer |
| 15 | Heather Hetzler | A&R |
| 16 | Claire Indie | Cello |
| 17 | Jason Ingram | Composer |
| 18 | Tony Lucido | Bass, Moog Bass |
| 19 | Jeremy Lutito | Drums, Percussion, Programming |
| 20 | Matt Maher | Composer, Fender Rhodes, Glockenspiel, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano, Primary Artist, Vibraphone, Vocals |
| 21 | Paul Moak | Bass, Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric), Pedal Steel, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Tim Parker | Art Direction |
| 23 | Tec Petaja | Photography |
| 24 | Matt Redman | Composer |
| 25 | Sarah Reeves | Composer |
| 26 | Will Sayles | Percussion |
| 27 | Christopher Stevens | Mixing, Producer, Programming, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Chris Tomlin | Composer |
| 29 | Nina Williams | Vocals |
| 30 | Jamie Lee Wilson | Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |