Always Only Jesus (2022)
- Joel Caballero
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Always Only Jesus is the 13th studio album by the Christian rock band MercyMe, released on CD on October 30, 2022 by Fair Trade Services. A limited edition color vinyl was made available in early 2023. The album was produced by Brown Bannister, Tedd T. and Jordan Mohilowski.
Always Only Jesus was recorded around 2021 just as their previous album Inhale (Exhale) was released. This album contain just ten songs of contemporary worship music with a return to the sound they're famous for and is filled with positive, uplifting lyrics, along with energetic beats and soaring melodies. The centerpiece is the track "Then Christ Came," which lead singer Bart Millard co-wrote with musician and songwriter David Leonard. A short 1-minute demo recording was made and appeared on Inhale (Exhale). The full-length song, with additional lyrics by contemporary worship artist Phil Wickham and singer - songwriter Jason Ingram, centers on the transformative power of Jesus, simply illustrating the contrast between life before and after encountering Him. It serves as an anthem of redemption and a personal reflection of grace. It was released as the lead single in June 2022 and then a stand-alone single of "Then Christ Came" featuring Wickham was released in November 2022, just a week after Always Only Jesus was released.
The second single, "To Not Worship You," was inspired by conversations about the "deconstruction" of faith and the realization of God’s massive scale compared to human struggles. The song, written by the band and the producers, explores the irony of doubting God when, upon slowing down to reflect, His power and presence are undeniable. The track "Better Days Coming" is a father and son effort co-written by Millard and his son Sam Wesley. The song is an anthem of hope born from the promise of God’s goodness, encouraging listeners to trust that healing and brighter times are ahead even in the midst of life's deepest storms, a message rooted in faith that no pain lasts forever. The album closes with MercyMe's arrangement of the classic hymn "Nothing But the Blood." Always Only Jesus is the band's 12th number one album on the Billboard Top Christian Album chart and peaked at number 126 on the Billboard 200 Albums. In the fall of 2023, MercyMe was nominated for two Dove Awards for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Then Christ Came."
Track listing
1. Hands Up (Bart Millard, Jordan Mohilowski, Solomon Olds) -3:22
2. Better Days Coming (Bart Millard, Sam Millard, Jordan Mohilowski, Ethan Hulse)
-3:46
3. Forgivable (Bart Millard, Jordan Mohilowski, Ethan Hulse) -3:53
4. To Not Worship You (MercyMe, Brown Bannister, Tedd Tjornhom, Jordan
Mohilowski) -3:46
5. Always Only Jesus (MercyMe, Jess Cates, Jordan Mohilowski) -4:03
6. Heart Beats For Your Good (Bart Millard, Sam Millard, Mike Scheuchzer, Barry
Graul, Nathan Cochran, Tim Timmons, Abby Siler, Tedd Tjornhom) -4:01
7. Grace Amazing (MercyMe, Matt Maher, Jon Guerra) -3:50
8. Lost in You (Bart Millard, Mike Scheuchzer, Jordan Mohilowski) -4:08
9. Then Christ Came (Bart Millard, Phil Wickham, Jason Ingram, David Leonard)
-3:42
10. Nothing But the Blood (Robert Lowry; arranged by MercyMe, Brown Bannister,
Tedd Tjornhom and Jordan Mohilowski) -4:55
Personnel
MercyMe:
Bart Millard -lead vocals, backing vocals
Barry Graul -guitars, backing vocals
Mike Scheuchzer -guitars, backing vocals
Nathan Cochran -bass guitar, backing vocals
Robby Shaffer -drums
No information on additional musicians is available on this release.
Radio singles
2022 -2023 "Then Christ Came" -#3 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#1 Billboard
Christian Airplay for 2 weeks, -#1 Billboard Christian AC Airplay
2023 "To Not Worship You" -#5 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#1 Billboard
Christian Airplay for 6 weeks, -#1 Billboard Christian AC Airplay for 6 weeks
2024 "Always Only Jesus" -#11 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#5 Billboard
Christian Airplay, -#6 Billboard Christian AC Airplay
Previous release: Inhale (Exhale) (2021)
Next release: Wonder & Awe (2025)
Watch the visual album Always Only Jesus containing live videos and lyric videos:
Watch the live video of "Then Christ Came" here:
Listen to the audio of "Then Christ Came" featuring Phil Wickham here:
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