Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin record album in prison

Lauren Daigle has released her first new song in two years, “ Let It Be A Hallelujah .” The first verse borrows from the hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances Havergal in 1874. Take my life and let it be My soul devoted Lord to Thee Take my moments and all my days Make them endless praise Take my heart and let it move In spirit and in truth For the glory of Your name Daigle says she actually wrote this song eight years ago . "Years ago, in the writing cycle between 'How Can It Be' and 'Look Up Child,' I remember this gem, 'Let It Be a Hallelujah,' landing in the land of Dropbox and never making its way to my record," Daigle shares . "Fast forward years and years later, I truly believe that God had an incredible design filled with intention behind why this song wasn't brought forth into the world in the season in which we wrote it. This song was savored and salvaged for a time when my life needed to intersect with it."

Musician Forrest Frank--who had the hit song Good Day--had what surely could be called a “bad day” on July 18 th . He broke his back! Frank was playing with his two year old daughter in the driveway when he crashed his skateboard and hit the side of the house. He broke his L3 and L4 lumbar vertebrae. You can see the video on his TikTok page . So while he was confined to lying on his back, what did he do? He wrote a song! What’s more, he recorded and produced it on his laptop while lying on his bed! He released the finished version of the song a few days later. It’s called “ God’s Got My Back .” God’s got my back Even when I fall or get attacked God’s got my back Even when I’m low and full of lack God’s got my back Even when my soul is full of sorrow I don’t have to worry about tomorrow Why’s that? ‘Cause God’s got my back!

Recently I played a KJOL classic, “ Almighty ” by Wayne Watson . For those who don’t remember Watson, he had a string of hits during the 80s and 90s, including: Celebrate Friend of a Wounded Heart For Such A Time as This Home Free Another Time, Another Place (with Sandi Patti) Touch of the Master’s Hand As for “Almighty,” I found an article that explains the back story. In 1990, when Wayne was 36, a close family friend became ill and died, leaving behind her four young daughters. As Wayne struggled to understand how God could allow this tragedy, he sat at his piano and began to write a song that reaffirmed the sovereignty of God. Well time marches on, with the innocence gone, And a darkness has covered the earth But His Spirit still dwells, He speaks, "it is well, " And the hopeless still offered new birth He will break the leash of death, it will have no sting Let the prisoner go free, join the dance and sing Almighty (almighty) Most holy God Faithful through the ages Almighty, Most holy Lord Glorious, Almighty... When his friends heard the song, they told him he should record it. Wayne was reluctant, thinking it didn’t really match his typical style. Eventually he started singing it in his concerts, and the response was so strong, he included it on “ Home Free ” in 1991 and it became a No. 1 hit.

CeCe Winans was a guest at NPR (National Public Radio) this week, and took them to church. She performed a half-hour concert, called a “ Tiny Desk Concert , ” before a small friendly audience in the NPR building. Between the songs, she shared her faith: “God is faithful, and what I love about him, he stays the same. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done or where we’ve been, I just want everybody to know that God loves you with an everlasting love. And because He never changes, we can always run to Him. Just know that if God be for you, who can be against you!” She also appeared in an 8 minute interview on the NPR news program. The host said she had listened to Cece’s song “Alone In His Presence” when the host was a child. CeCe said, “Yep, his presence is definitely my hiding place, being in the spirit of God. And I live a life to please him, and that has brought me good success, you know?” She added, “I don't have to fear about what's going to happen because I serve a God who knows the end from the beginning. So I can actually experience true peace of mind and heart because of that relationship. So my hope is in him. You can hear CeCe’s latest song, “ Come Jesus Come ,” on KJOL right now. It was written and originally recorded by Stephen McWhirter in 2023. CeCe performed it for the American Idol Easter special in April.

The Newsboys were supposed to be touring Canada starting May 31. But the tour was abruptly canceled last week. Both the Newsboys and the promoter are claiming the other side is at fault. The Canadian promoter said it canceled the tour because there were too many unanswered questions about why Michael Tait abruptly left the band in January, just days before the Newsboys started their world tour. The Newsboys said the promoter breached the contract so the band canceled the tour. Neither Tait nor the Newsboys have given a clear explanation for Tait’s sudden departure . Band member Adam Agee took over as lead singer and the band quickly re-recorded their new single with Agee on lead vocals instead of Tait. The concert promoter said fans in Canada were confused about who the new lead singer was, wondering if this was the same Newsboys band they were expecting. Then on May 26, the promoter announced that Sanctus Real had agreed to be the last-minute replacement for the Newsboys. Sanctus Real had to hurry, because their first concert was just six days later in Canada! The timing works well for Sanctus Real, which just released their new single, The Difference , on May 29. Listen for it on KJOL in the coming days and weeks.