All Around the World (1993)

Joel Caballero
1 day ago
3 min read

Updated: 3 hours ago

All Around the World is the seventh studio album by the Christian vocal group NewSong. It was released around March 1993 and it is their first album on Benson Records.

All Around the World marked a turning point for NewSong as it became another successful album. It did not chart on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, but it did have five Top 10 songs on the Christian AC chart. The title song and "Got Me Going" were NewSong's first two number one songs. The quartet even does a gospel pop version of The Four Tops' 1966 hit "Reach Out, I'll Be There" (-#1 Billboard Hot 100 and R&B), but with Christian lyrics. "Hero of the Faith" is a tribute song to evangelist Billy Graham as NewSong participated in his crusade in Portland, Oregon on September 1992. The album was produced by Christopher Harris and Paul Mills. Eddie Carswell co-wrote seven songs with musician -

songwriter (and future NewSong member) Leonard Ahlstrom.

After the release of All Around the World, NewSong experienced its first personnel change since the group was formed in 1981. Eddie Middleton and Bobby Apon both left the group in 1994 leaving only Carswell and Billy Goodwin. Apon, at the time, wanted to spend more time with his family, but on May 17, 1999, Apon committed suicide. Middleton resumed a solo career he started since the 1970s before he became a member and founder of NewSong. He has performed some solo dates in churches and being active. Middleton later died on August 21, 2021 due to health issues and a COVID related infection during the pandemic.

Carswell and Goodwin (and later Ahlstrom) would re-form NewSong, also featuring some new vocalists and musicians, as a band with their next release People Get Ready. All Around the World is the only NewSong album on the Benson label to not be available digitally and is currently out of print. The title song, "More God," "Got Me Going" and "Hero of the Faith" are available on CD and digitally in their 1999 compilation album Arise My Love: The Very Best of NewSong.

In 1994, NewSong earned their first Dove Award nomination for Group of the Year.

Track listing

All songs written by Eddie Carswell and Leonard Ahlstrom, except where noted.

1. It's a Wonderful Life -4:01

2. More God -4:20

3. All Around the World (Eddie Carswell, Leonard Ahlstrom, Mike Demus) -4:34

4. Reach Out, I'll Be There (Edward Holland Jr., Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland) -3:09

5. From This Moment On (Eddie Carswell, Leonard Ahlstrom, Mike Demus) -4:35

6. Field of Faith (Eddie Carswell, Leonard Ahlstrom, Niles Borop) -4:37

7. Fingertips and Noses (Eddie Carswell, Oliver Wells) -5:06

8. Got Me Going -4:14

9. Hero of the Faith -4:27