People Get Ready (1994)

People Get Ready is the eight studio album by the Christian music group NewSong. It was released on December 15, 1994 by Benson Records. The album was produced by Christopher Harris and Paul Mills.

For the first time since NewSong was formed in 1981 as a quartet, the group reinvented themselves as a vocal band with People Get Ready. With the two original members, lead vocalist Billy Goodwin and primary songwriter and musician Eddie Carswell intact, gone are the two original members Eddie Middleton and Bobby Apon. Carswell and Goodwin brought in Russ Lee, who was a lead vocalist from the Christian vocal group Truth, musician Scotty Wilbanks and musician and songwriter Leonard Ahlstrom. Additional studio musicians performed as well. Also on the album was Christian vocalist Charles Billingsley, who has previously released two albums prior to joining NewSong. It is his only appearance on People Get Ready. After being with the group for two years, Billingsley left NewSong to resume his solo career releasing more albums, touring and is currently a worship leader at Thomas Road Baptist Church on the campus at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The album's overall sound is still adult contemporary, but with more upbeat pop. It garnered two number one songs on the Christian AC chart with the lead single and music video "My Heart's Already There" and "When I'm With You." "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "We Wear His Name" were also Top 10 hits. NewSong even covers the 1965 Curtis Mayfield-written title song, originally recorded by The Impressions (# 14 Billboard Hot 100, # 3 R&B). The rest of the album was written be Carswell and Ahlstrom on nine tracks. Also included on People Get Ready is a newly recorded version of their Easter-themed ballad "Arise My Love." It was originally recorded on their 1987 album Say Yes! when NewSong was a quartet.

People Get Ready peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart by March 1995. That same year, NewSong created and started hosting a yearly Christian music festival tour spectacular, originally called January Jam, that featured the group and other CCM artists of all genres, stunt and/or comedy performances and various tour speakers. Since 2000, it has been renamed Winter Jam. In 1996, the album earned a Dove Award nomination for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year.

Track listing

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

1. People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield) -5:19

2. When I'm With You -4:06

3. Where No Man Has Gone Before -4:45

4. We Wear His Name -4:17

5. My Heart's Already There (Eddie Carswell, Russ Lee, Leonard Ahlstrom, Jamie

Harvill) -3:52

6. Love's Never Been Like This -4:49

7. For Goodness' Sake -4:03

8. Just a Little -4:54

9. This One's With Me -5:15

10. Thunder Road -4:12

11. Arise My Love (Eddie Carswell) -5:26

Personnel

NewSong:

Billy Goodwin -vocals

Eddie Carswell -vocals, guitar

Russ Lee -vocals

Leonard Ahlstrom -additional guitar on track 1, vocals

Scotty Wilbanks -vocals, horns, keyboards

Charles Billingsley -vocals, horns

Radio singles

1995 "My Heart's Already There" -#13 Christian CHR, -#1 Christian AC

1995 "When I'm With You" -#9 Christian CHR, -#1 Christian AC for 3 weeks

1995 "Where No Man Has Gone Before" -#4 Christian AC

1995 "We Wear His Name" -#9 Christian AC

1996 "People Get Ready" -#11 Christian AC

Previous release: All Around the World (1993) 

Next release: Love Revolution (1997)

Watch the music video of "My Heart's Already There" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytjK1h8_m4k