Testify to Love: The Very Best of Avalon (2003)

Testify to Love: The Very Best of Avalon is an official compilation album by the Christian vocal group Avalon, released on March 25, 2003 by Sparrow Records.

This is Avalon's first collection containing 12 of their number one Christian AC hits from their first four albums including the title track from A Maze of Grace, a song that was number one for six weeks. Also included are three brand new tracks: "Everything to Me," "New Day" and "Pray," with the first two songs released as singles to Christian radio and both topping the Christian radio charts once again with "Everything to Me" on Inspo and "New Day" on AC, giving them a total of 20 number one singles overall when you combine AC, CHR and Inspo. Both tracks made their first appearance on the Billboard Christian charts and both made the Top 5. Avalon's cover of Céline Dion's "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day," from their holiday album Joy, is the final track on this collection as a bonus track.

More personnel changes happened during the making of this collection. Former Truth vocalist Melissa Greene joined Avalon as she replaced Cherie Adams, as Greene is heard on the three new tracks. This is also the final appearance of founder Michael Passons, who unexpectedly left Avalon for a solo career at the time. Passons revealed in an interview in 2020 that he was forced out of Avalon due to his sexual orientation as a gay man and his refusal to continue attending conversion therapy. Janna Long's husband, CCM artist Greg Long, was brought in to replace Passons as the new line-up was also preparing to record their next studio album The Creed.

Testify to Love debuted and peaked at number 9 on the Top Christian Albums and at number 112 on the Billboard 200 Albums charts. In 2004, Avalon collected their fourth and final Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Everything to Me" at the 35th GMA Dove Awards. "Everything to Me was also nominated for Song of the Year. The new tracks were produced by Brown Bannister and Tedd T.

To accompany this collection, Avalon also released a live concert video on DVD entitled Testify to Love: Avalon Live in Concert, with the group performing six of their number one hits, plus the new tracks "Everything to Me" and "New Day." Jody McBrayer performs "To Ever Live Without Me" and Janna Long performs "More" from their perspective solo albums, This is Who I Am and Janna as solo bonus tracks. Their live DVD was also released as audio CD five years later in 2008, with each of the members reading scripture passages in between performances. Greg Long reads some scripture passages but his readings were recorded in 2008. The live album was released in conjunction with a World Vision promotion that Avalon supports.

Track listing

1. New Day (Janna Long, Jody McBrayer, Lydia Gott, Tedd Tjornhom) (new

recording) -3:28

2. The Greatest Story (Charlie Peacock, Douglas McKevley) (from Avalon) -4:53

3. Give It Up (Janna Long, Michael Passons, Nikki Anders, Rikk Kittlemann, Mark

Heimermann) (from Avalon) -4:12

4. Everything to Me (Sue Smith, Chad Cates) (new recording) -4:48

5. Testify to Love (Paul Field, Henk Pool, Ralph Vanmanen, Robert Riekerk) (from

A Maze of Grace) -4:48

6. Adonai (Stephanie Lewis, Lorraine Ferro, Don Koch) (from A Maze of Grace)

-4:03

7. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Grant Cunningham, Matt Huesmann) (from A

Maze of Grace) -3:40

8. Take You At Your Word (Grant Cunningham, Paul Field) (from In a Different

Light) -4:44

9. Can't Live a Day (Ty Lacy, Connie Harrington, Joe Beck) (from In a Different

Light) -4:47

10. Always Have, Always Will (Toby McKeehan, Nic Gonzales, Grant Cunningham)

(from In a Different Light) -4:18

11. In Not Of (Nic Gonzales, Grant Cunningham) (from In a Different Light) -4:04

12. Pray (Keith Brown, Maria Vidal, Dennis Matkosky) (new recording) -3:58

13. The Glory (Jim Cooper, Regie Hamm) (from Oxygen) -5:06

14. Wonder Why (Grant Cunningham, Matt Huesmann) (from Oxygen) -4:01

15. I Don't Want to Go (Yancy Wideman, Jess Cates) (from Oxygen) -5:31

BONUS TRACK

16. Don't Save It All For Christmas Day (Céline Dion, Ric Wake, Peter Zizzo) (from

Joy: A Christmas Collection) -4:45

Personnel

Avalon:

Janna Potter -lead vocals on track 1, vocals (all tracks)

Jody McBrayer -lead vocals on track 12, vocals (all tracks)

Michael Passons -lead vocals on track 4, vocals (all tracks)

Melissa Greene -lead vocals on tracks 4 and 12, vocals on track 1

Cheri Adams -vocals (tracks 8 -11, 13 -16)

Nikki Anders -vocals (tracks 2, 3, 5 -7)

Production credits

Brown Bannister -producer (tracks 1, 4, 8 -16)

Tedd T. -co-producer (tracks 1, 4 and 12)

Charlie Peacock -producer (tracks 2, 3, 5 -7)

Christopher Harris-co-producer (tracks 5 -7)

Accolades

Dove Award -Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year ("Everything to Me")

Radio singles

2003 "Everything to Me" -#3 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#3 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#2 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#3 R&R Christian AC,

-#1 R&R Christian Inspo for 3 weeks

2003 "New Day" -#5 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#5 Billboard Christian

Airplay, -#5 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#1 R&R Christian AC Airplay

Previous release: O2: Avalon Remixed (2002) (remix album)

Next release: The Creed (2004)

Watch the live concert video Testify to Love: Avalon Live in Concert here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBE-V6jV4Po