Nine-time GRAMMY Award nominee and Curb | Word Entertainment artist NATALIE GRANT has released her highly anticipated new album, Seasons. The 10-track album features Grant’s own twist on songs that have made a lasting impression on her life as well as her illustrious career. To create Seasons, Grant invited some of the top artists in their genres to join her including Mary Mary with their first re-recorded version of their smash hit “Shackles (Praise You),” Tasha Cobbs Leonard on Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and her mother and daughters on Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
“Faith-filled music has carried me, and continues to carry me, through every stage of my life” shares Grant. “There have been many seasons – seasons full of beauty and blooming, seasons that have seemed cold and barren. This album is a collection of songs that have carried me through college, heartbreak, infertility, cancer, anxiety… the list goes on. But my Jesus, and the music that carries His message, have been my constant companions.” https://nataliegrant.com/
Curb | Word Entertainment’s WE ARE MESSENGERS captures the essence of home on fresh EP, Hills Of Tyrone, the group’s new release. The band also celebrates a major milestone as “Maybe It’s Ok” — from their sophomore album, Power — achieves an RIAA Gold certification.
Hills Of Tyrone is especially close to the heart of front man Darren Mulligan, who holds songwriting credit on each of the collection’s deeply personal tracks. The intimate and sparsely produced project, on which Kyle Williams (TobyMac, Brandon Heath) helms production with additional help from Ben Shive (Ellie Holcomb, MercyMe), brings the warmth of Mulligan’s native Ireland to life with seven original songs honoring family, legacy and a place he will always belong. With introspective lyrics that find the lead singer reflecting on his roots, the EP boasts tender love songs dedicated to his wife, wisdom for his young children and stories about his lineage woven into a musical tapestry that transports listeners to the Emerald Isle.
The collective is also excited to celebrate the RIAA Gold certification of “Maybe It’s Ok.”
“The song has blown all of my expectations out of the water,” front man Darren Mulligan shares of the track. “‘Maybe It’s Okay’ was written for someone I love and has reached millions around the world, giving them hope to hold on when everything hurts. I am a very thankful man and so grateful for our Curb | Word Entertainment family and partners in the music industry who have championed this band and this song.” https://wearemessengersmusic.com/
Curb | Word Entertainment artist Sarah Reeves gives listeners another taste of her next studio project with “Jealousy.” An unexpected twist on an all-too-familiar topic, the reflective song finds Reeves faceto-face with her younger self, transporting her back to an easier time when she was innocent, confident and carefree. The singer confesses she’s envious of that girl — a child free of insecurity and full of wonder.
We Are Messengers has over 400 million career streams, over 2.5 billion airplay audience, and a 14-week #1 billboard radio song (“Come What May”), along with six Top 5 and ten Top 10 Christian Airplay hits. Add to that, numerous sync placements in films and on TV, and you can understand that this band has quite a following. Choral voices introduce the title track, before Darren Mulligan’s vocals take over. The sound is very anthemic, as the lyrics proclaim “What a Saviour. Emmanuel has come, with hope for everyone.” ‘From Heaven To Earth’ takes parts of ‘Joy to the World’ and mashes it with the band’s own words. Musically, it’s a cross between Coldplay and Casting Crowns. Original songs like ‘God With Us’ and ‘Flesh and Bone’ celebrate the birth of Jesus, with the latter laying our hearts before Him. The closing ‘This is Jesus’ follows in similar vein, with some nice orchestral sounds accompanying the vocals. “Rejoice, He is with us; Rejoice, hope is here!” Well done guys, for some new, original, festive tunes. 8/10.
Curb | Word Entertainment’s Love & The Outcome lights up the dark during what can be a difficult time of year for many with “It’s Still Christmas.”
The second in a pair of new seasonal selections this year from Love & The Outcome, “It’s Still Christmas” speaks to those feeling the weight of loss, heartache, and grief this holiday season. Acknowledging that Christmas isn’t always the most wonderful time of the year, the mid-tempo track offers a shaft of light on an otherwise dark night, assuring listeners that hope remains even when the holidays find us missing the ones we love.
Co-written by the duo’s Jodi King and Chris Rademaker, alongside Mark Campbell and Benji Cowart, “It’s Still Christmas” follows the debut of “The Wonder of Christmas.” The bright song, full of descriptive lyrics and childlike faith, reminds us that the reigning King of Kings was once a tiny, innocent baby in a manger, and invites us to relish the wonder of the season through the eyes of their two boys, Milo and Ziggy, who appear in the song’s official music video — watch HERE. The duo, who will celebrate 19 years of marriage in December, penned the song with Tony Wood and Mark Campbell, the latter of whom also produced the single.
The back-to-back holiday originals arrive on the heels of Love & The Outcome’s third studio LP, Only Ever Always, which released this spring — listen HERE. The recent flooding of their home inspired the 13-track collection as the couple realized rain precedes the rainbow. Produced by Seth Mosley, Mark Campbell and Colin Munroe, the album is colored by the act’s signature blend of positive pop and a retro groove. It boasts select songs from their 2020 EP, You’ve Got This, as well as hits like “I’m Not Lucky, I’m Blessed” and the duo’s new radio single, “Look What God Has Done.”
Stream or purchase “It’s Still Christmas” HERE. Purchase tickets for “The Wonder Of Christmas Tour” HERE. For more information, visit www.loveandtheoutcome.com.
“The Wonder Of Christmas Tour” Dates:
12/2 | Memphis, TN – Pioneer Church 12/3 | Halls, TN – First United Methodist Church 12/6 | Nashville, TN – Crievewood Baptist Church 12/7 | Shamokin, PA – The Alliance Church 12/8 | Huntingtown, MD – Life Church Calvert 12/11 | Troy, MO – Growing Faith Ministries
Curb | Word Entertainment artist Hannah Kerr debuts a trio of holiday songs today (11/18) with the official release of her three-track single, “Joy To The World (It’s Christmas)” — listen HERE. Additionally, a playful performance video for Kerr’s reimagined version of “Sleigh Ride” is now available — watch below.
On the three-track bundle, Kerr adds her warm alto to a traditional recording of seasonal classic “Joy To The World.” The singer/songwriter’s graceful, piano-led rendition of “Joy To The World (It’s Christmas),” which she arranged with her husband, Jason Earley, includes an original refrain that sends the song out to the lonely, the anxious, and the forgotten. In addition, the multi-track offering features Kerr’s recently released iteration of “Sleigh Ride” and her wistful take on the nostalgic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” All three songs were produced by Mark Miller (Sawyer Brown, Casting Crowns).
This fall, the 25-year-old has been out on the road with Big Daddy Weave’s “Only The Beginning Tour,” alongside fellow special guest Austin French.
Kerr is currently in the studio working on new music in partnership with her new label home, Curb | Word Entertainment.
Stream or purchase “Joy To The World (It’s Christmas)” HERE.
This album was written in the wake of Blanca’s painful divorce from Ben Callahan of Group 1 Crew after two years of separation. Here, the songstress vulnerably cracks her heart wide open on the 14-track collection that showcases the merger of her powerful voice and her transparent lyricism. Fittingly, this new release begins with an RnB number called ‘Start Over.’ The message of the song is that it’s never too late to start over again, no matter what you’re going through. Sharing the vocals with Jekelyn Carr. Blanca continues the theme with ‘New Day.’ Both opening tracks have that mellow, almost stuttering, beat that mainstream artists like Rhianna have used from time to time. There’s a little more melody to ‘Even At My Worst, when the singer praises God for His unconditional love. Of the three, this was my favourite of the initial songs. The ballad, that is, ‘In the Middle’ came over as rather melancholy. But, given the main subject of her writing, I guess that Blanca has every right to feel the reflected in the song. Both ‘Uncovered’ and ‘Mi Amor’ have that Rhianna feel about them, while ‘Never Too Far’ sounds much better. Here, Blanca is joined by Ty Brasel, and the vocals work really well together. ‘Let the Light In’ is a reminder that even in the darkest times of your life, the light of the world is always with you. As the album title suggests, Blanca’s journey in song, moves from “heartbreak to healing.” Consequently, the second half of the track listing is rather uplifting, compared to the first. The effervescent ‘Bring You Home’ is quite glorious. God’s reminder that “No raging sea, no mountain high, could keep you from these arms of mine; ‘Cause my love Is deep enough to calm the waters in a storm; When your waves are crashing down; you know I’ll bring you home.” Finally, Dante Brown shares vocals on ‘The Healing.’ Being so open about her struggles through the divorce and aftermath, leads this album to be a little dark at times. But, it’s also testament to her honesty, and to what she calls “The Healing” through the love of God. 7/10.
Created following Nichole’s story of physical suffering from scoliosis, resulting depression, hope and eventual healing, and after the passing of Big Daddy Weave founding member Jay Weaver earlier this year, “God Is In This Story” and its compelling concept video became a resounding declaration for both artists.
Cowriting the song with Grammy®-nominated songwriters Ethan Hulse and Jeff Pardo, Nichole affirms, “There’s no story that doesn’t matter to God. Every story was written by Him, and He’s the greatest author of all time. If you truly believe with your whole heart that God is good, even in the hard times of life, then you’ll see how He was in your story the entire time. People can see God through us when we tell our stories, and that’s how they’ll know how faithful Jesus truly is. It’s really amazing how something I once thought of as my story has become our story.”
Big Daddy Weave’s Mike Weaver shares, “We are so grateful for how this song has been received, and equally grateful for how it has spoken to us during one of the hardest times of our lives. God has used it to remind us that He is with us through the hurt, and how valuable that is.”
Nichole is currently on tour with Jeremy Camp before joining Matthew West next month for a series of events. The 2022 Dove Award-nominated artist then wraps up her year on the K-LOVE Christmas Tour.
Big Daddy Weave is headlining their Only The Beginning tour this fall with guest artists Austin French and Hannah Kerr and are in preparations for their Spring 2023 tour.
About Katy Nichole:
Singer/songwriter and 2022 breakout Centricity Music artist Katy Nichole was singing in her church choir long before 150+ million people around the world heard her 2022 Dove Award-nominated, K-LOVE Fan Award-winning “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” which is the first song this decade to reach 20-weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. Writing songs and leading worship by age 18, Nichole’s relationship with both music and God is inextricably intertwined with her path to health and wholeness. Now 22, and having served as both an ambassador for the Shriners Hospitals for Children® and as a volunteer for Musicians On Call, Nichole made her Grand Ole Opry debut June 18, released her first EP June 24, and realized her second-straight No. 1 with “God Is In This Story. Breaking into the Top 5 on the BillboardEmerging Artist Chart and named a YouTube “Trending Artist On The Rise,” all the latest Katy Nichole music news, touring and more information can be found at https://katynichole.com/, TikTok (455K followers, 4M likes), Instagram (132K followers), YouTube (151K subscribers) and Facebook (133K followers).
About Big Daddy Weave:
Big Daddy Weave is one of Christian music’s most beloved artists. A mainstay at radio, the band has achieved multiple No. 1 singles, including “I Know,” “Alive,” “Love Come To Life,” “Redeemed,” “The Only Name (Yours Will Be),” “Overwhelmed” and “My Story.” RIAA Platinum-certified “Redeemed” became an anthem of unprecedented impact when it spent 11 weeks at No. 1, was dubbed “Song of the Year” at the first annual K-LOVE Fan Awards, and earned Dove Award and Billboard Music Award nominations. Their follow-up hit, “The Lion and The Lamb,” has become one of the genre’s most-streamed songs. The band’s song catalog has an astounding 804 million career streams.
Big Daddy Weave members are Mike Weaver (lead vocals, guitar), Jeremy Redmon (guitar, vocals), Joe Shirk (saxophone, keys, vocals) and Brian Beihl (drums). The band has released nine full-length projects. Their latest album, When The Light Comes, released September 13, 2019. They have amassed more than 1.68 million units in equivalent album sales and have received numerous honors, including a Dove Award, ASCAP and BMI Awards, and the prestigious Rich Mullins Artist Impact Award, among others.
About Centricity Music:
The No. 1 Billboard Top Christian Albums Imprint for three consecutive years, Centricity Music is an independent Christian music company based in Franklin, TN. Founded in 2005 with a commitment to artist development and stylistic diversity, its artist roster includes Andrew Peterson, Apollo LTD, Brandon Heath, Chris Renzema, Coby James, Jason Gray, Jordan Feliz, Katy Nichole, Lauren Daigle, North Point Worship, Patrick Mayberry and Unspoken. Providing label and publishing services, Centricity is a family-owned organization. The committed work of its staff and artists has yielded successes such as Grammy Awards, Billboard Awards, Dove Awards, K-Love Fan Awards, and multiple Gold and Platinum Albums and Singles. For more Information on Centricity Music, visit https://centricitymusic.com/.
About Curb | Word Entertainment:
In 2016, Curb Records acquired Word Entertainment, combining two of the music industry’s most respected global brands, and more than a century of collective experience. Today, Curb and Word are two of the world’s leading independent music companies. Owned and operated by Mike Curb, the Curb | Word family includes the labels Curb, Word, Squint, Fervent, Sidewalk, MCC and IVAV, as well as Curb Publishing, Word Publishing, 25 Live, Curb Films, Word Films, Word Entertainment, and Curb Sports, representing top artists and entertainers in Country, Christian, Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop. For more information, visit www.curb.com.
Canadian native, Dan has been touring and recording as an independent artist for many years. Now, he’s released his, what I believe to be, third album for Curb/Word Entertainment. The recent single ‘Run Away With Me’ was written with Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North) and tells of stepping out in faith in the trust of God. It’s a nice, cool, number that is very radio friendly. There’s a similar feel to ‘Hold You Tight’ written and sung from God’s perspective. ‘Wouldn’t Change a Thing’ has a choppy beat to it, and I couldn’t help thinking that the chorus sounded like a well-known Michale Buble number. However, the emotional ‘Lover of My Soul’ reaches a new high. The theme has been written about many times – Jesus loves us and will do until the end of time. However, Dan makes it all sound new, with a terrific song that I really enjoyed. Other songs like ‘One Day At A Time’ tells of how he (Dan) is learning to trust God, one day at a time. The track listing flows nicely from start to finish, there’s a real freshness about the production. Dan is a new name to me, but one whom I shall look out for in the future. 8/10.
The relationship between the two artists began when Nichole was invited by Big Daddy Weave to join them on select dates during the band’s spring 2022 tour, which was her first-ever series of tour dates. Shortly thereafter, she shared with Big Daddy Weave her song “God Is In This Story” that was co-written with Grammy® nominated songwriters Ethan Hulse and Jeff Pardo, and asked if the group would record it with her.
The release arrives at a poignant time for both artists, with Nichole’s testimony of physical and mental suffering and subsequent healing reaching 150+ million through the viral phenomenon of her first single and record-breaking multiformat Billboard No. 1 hit, “In Jesus Name (God of Possible),” and Big Daddy Weave’s mourning the passing of founding member Jay Weaver on January 2, 2022.
Big Daddy Weave lead singer Mike Weaver shares, “It’s been a really difficult season of saying goodbye to my brother and missing him, but also a time of realizing that there’s so much more for us to do. This is a song of hope, a song of encouragement, that God really is present with us in all of the seasons of our lives – the really great ones and the ones that are difficult. God is not giving up on us. He is in the details of our lives. We can trust Him that He is working things together for our good.”
“The one thing that we all have in common is that we all have a story to tell,” adds Nichole. “Looking back on my life, I always thought, ‘Oh, my story is too broken, and no one is going to want to hear about that.’ But what I didn’t know is that people were actually seeing Jesus through my story, because God was turning the broken things into beautiful things. So if you think that your story is too broken, I promise you that it’s not because God is in it.”
God is in this story
God is in the details
Even in the broken parts
He holds my heart, He never fails
When I’m at my weakest
I will trust in Jesus
Always in the highs and lows
The One who goes before me
God is in this story
(Lyrics are from song’s chorus)
About Katy Nichole:
Long before 150+ million people around the world heard her “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” chorus, Katy Nichole was singing in her church choir. By 14, she was writing songs and leading worship. Her relationship with both music and God is inextricably intertwined with her path to health and wholeness. Having served as both an ambassador for the Shriners Hospitals for Children® and as a volunteer for Musicians On Call, 21-year-old Nichole created the K-Love Fan Award-winning “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” from words in her prayer journal that were written in the midst of a global health crisis and in response to her own story of suffering, hope and healing chronicled at https://www.instagram.com/p/CcOQDlxvobh/. Named a YouTube “Trending Artist On The Rise” for the song’s concept video that has been streamed nearly five million times, Nichole’s hit single continues at No. 1 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel Songs chart, holding that top spot virtually every week since it released Jan. 26.
With upcoming events scheduled with TobyMac, Newsboys, Skillet, Crowder, Zach Williams and many others, she also makes her Grand Ole Opry debut June 18 and is set to release her first EP later this month. All the latest Katy Nichole music news and more information can be found at https://katynichole.com/, TikTok (434K followers, 3.7M likes), Instagram (121K followers), YouTube and Facebook.
About Big Daddy Weave:
Big Daddy Weave is one of Christian music’s most beloved artists. A mainstay at radio, the band has achieved multiple No. 1 singles, including “I Know,” “Alive,” “Love Come To Life,” “Redeemed,” “The Only Name (Yours Will Be),” “Overwhelmed” and “My Story.” RIAA Platinum-certified “Redeemed” became an anthem of unprecedented impact when it spent 11 weeks at No. 1, was dubbed “Song of the Year” at the first annual K-LOVE Fan Awards, and earned Dove Award and Billboard Music Award nominations. Their follow-up hit, “The Lion and The Lamb,” has become one of the genre’s most-streamed songs. The band’s song catalog has an astounding 804 million career streams.
Big Daddy Weave members are Mike Weaver (lead vocals, guitar), Jeremy Redmon (guitar, vocals), Joe Shirk (saxophone, keys, vocals) and Brian Beihl (drums). The band has released nine full-length projects. Their latest album, When The Light Comes, released September 13, 2019. They have amassed more than 1.68 million units in equivalent album sales and have received numerous honors, including a Dove Award, ASCAP and BMI Awards, and the prestigious Rich Mullins Artist Impact Award, among others.
Never for Nothing 