Search - Ginny Owens :: Say Amen: Hymns and Songs of Faith

Ginny Owens
Say Amen: Hymns and Songs of Faith
Genre: Christian & Gospel

Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
1. How Can I keep From Singing
2. O Sacred Head Now Wounded
3. Just As I Am
4. Do Not Pass Me By
5. Beautiful Savior
6. Be Thou My Vision
7. Say Amen
8. It Is Well
9. Bow Down, O Zion
10. Be Still, My Soul
11. If I Can Help Somebody
12. Don'tya Let Nobody Turn You 'Round
13. Home in Me

Following up on a well-received Christmas project from 2007, award-winning singer/songwriter Ginny Owens returns with another special CD, a 13-song collection titled Say Amen... Hymns & Songs of Faith. Inspired by her ... more »family s deep love of hymns and requested by long-time fans, Say Amen features hymns both old and modern. Pulled from the well-crafted traditional songs of the Shakers, the soulful spirituals of the Deep South and the familiar tunes found in every church hymnal, Say Amen displays Owens in her element as an innovative worship leader and song interpreter. To craft this CD, Owens pursued an in-depth education of hymns current and historical, finding surprises all along the way. I read through lyric after lyric of the most amazingly beautiful poetry, prayers, psalms and laments. Such depth. Such magnificent language. In many ways, being reminded of the ephemeral nature of life seems appropriate in the creation of this album as its title cut was born amidst a life-and-death battle. Owens co-wrote original track Say Amen with Ronell Ragbir, a 20-year-old Trinidad native and cancer patient who was living in Memphis to be close to St. Jude Children s Hospital. An aspiring songwriter, Ronell was introduced to Ginny in the hopes that together the two women could make Ronell s dream come true. The result of their collaboration was Say Amen, a song the new friends were able to perform together several times over the next few months. When Ronell passed away, Ginny sang the song at her memorial service and then, in a sense, buried the song because it was simply too painful to re-visit. However, one year after her first meeting with Ronell, Ginny received news that hit much closer to home: her mom had just been diagnosed with cancer. I could not do my part by writing songs with her, calling to talk or posting the news on my Web site and asking everyone to pray. I had to simply go and be there...right in the middle of it. It was the only thing to do. It was an incredibly difficult nine months for mother and daughter, full of chemo, surgery, radiation and many, many prayers. Thankfully, the treatment was successful. Ginny s mom is now cancer free and back to her full and active lifestyle. The fact that she is doing so wonderfully fills me with immense gratitude for God s grace. I ve finally felt like it is the appropriate time to share Say Amen once more. My Mom never heard it when I sang it with Ronell, but now that she knows the lyrics, she says that she wished she could have had it to listen to this time last year. My prayer is that this song and the rest of the record will bring hope to listeners hearts, and to the hearts of those who might be suffering, Owens concluded. I continue to be in awe of how precious life is and how little control we have over it. In my darkest hours or my brightest moments, I hope that I will always be able to say Amen and encourage others to do the same. Co-produced by Owens and Kerry Kernan, the album s debut single, a modern interpretation of Just As I Am, released to radio September 25th.

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CD Details

All Artists: Ginny Owens
Title: Say Amen: Hymns and Songs of Faith
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: LUCD/ChickPower Music
Release Date: 10/20/2009
Genre: Christian & Gospel
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 884501163309, 884501163309

Synopsis

Product Description

Following up on a well-received Christmas project from 2007, award-winning singer/songwriter Ginny Owens returns with another special CD, a 13-song collection titled Say Amen... Hymns & Songs of Faith. Inspired by her family s deep love of hymns and requested by long-time fans, Say Amen features hymns both old and modern. Pulled from the well-crafted traditional songs of the Shakers, the soulful spirituals of the Deep South and the familiar tunes found in every church hymnal, Say Amen displays Owens in her element as an innovative worship leader and song interpreter. To craft this CD, Owens pursued an in-depth education of hymns current and historical, finding surprises all along the way. I read through lyric after lyric of the most amazingly beautiful poetry, prayers, psalms and laments. Such depth. Such magnificent language. In many ways, being reminded of the ephemeral nature of life seems appropriate in the creation of this album as its title cut was born amidst a life-and-death battle. Owens co-wrote original track Say Amen with Ronell Ragbir, a 20-year-old Trinidad native and cancer patient who was living in Memphis to be close to St. Jude Children s Hospital. An aspiring songwriter, Ronell was introduced to Ginny in the hopes that together the two women could make Ronell s dream come true. The result of their collaboration was Say Amen, a song the new friends were able to perform together several times over the next few months. When Ronell passed away, Ginny sang the song at her memorial service and then, in a sense, buried the song because it was simply too painful to re-visit. However, one year after her first meeting with Ronell, Ginny received news that hit much closer to home: her mom had just been diagnosed with cancer. I could not do my part by writing songs with her, calling to talk or posting the news on my Web site and asking everyone to pray. I had to simply go and be there...right in the middle of it. It was the only thing to do. It was an incredibly difficult nine months for mother and daughter, full of chemo, surgery, radiation and many, many prayers. Thankfully, the treatment was successful. Ginny s mom is now cancer free and back to her full and active lifestyle. The fact that she is doing so wonderfully fills me with immense gratitude for God s grace. I ve finally felt like it is the appropriate time to share Say Amen once more. My Mom never heard it when I sang it with Ronell, but now that she knows the lyrics, she says that she wished she could have had it to listen to this time last year. My prayer is that this song and the rest of the record will bring hope to listeners hearts, and to the hearts of those who might be suffering, Owens concluded. I continue to be in awe of how precious life is and how little control we have over it. In my darkest hours or my brightest moments, I hope that I will always be able to say Amen and encourage others to do the same. Co-produced by Owens and Kerry Kernan, the album s debut single, a modern interpretation of Just As I Am, released to radio September 25th.

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CD Reviews

Owens Says Amen to Newly Re-Interpreted Hymns

Timothy Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 12/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: Do Not Pass Me By, Say Amen, Be Still My Soul

Despite being blind since she was her child, Owens could see the truth of God with greater perspicuity than most Christians. Over the last 9 CDs, she has had been inundated with such a passion to communicate these truths through music. However, lately Owens has been ennuied by the current slant of contemporary Christian music towards secular love songs. So, for this her 10th recording, she has decided to return back to the older hymns of the church to help her express the deep truths of God in a fresh way. Nevertheless, don't expect this outing to be your tried and true old fashioned grandma's hymnbook. Rather, Owens has joined forces with co-producer Kerry Kernan to re-conceptualize these treasured gems often with newly written melodies and innovative arrangements. Aficionados of Owens' own scribal pen can be at rest as there are 2 newly composed tracks (the title cut "Say Amen" and "Home to Me") Owens has written for this project.

As far as the two newly composed Owens' original are concerned, the lodestar is the title cut "Say Amen." Opening with just a piano, Owens on "Say Amen" gives thanks for the trials and sufferings in life. This because the end of our strength is the beginning of God's grace; this truth dressed in such a gorgeous melody is easily the best song Owens has had ever written in the last 10 years. "Home to Me," again co-written by Owens, has a more r & b feel to this ballad as Owens reveals that Jesus is what gives her the power to face the fears of life. Though not written by Owens, "Do Not Pass Me By" is a first person narrative of the Biblical story of blind Bartimaeus waiting on the roadside for Jesus to heal him. The desperate pleas met with Jesus' tender compassionate touch are so effectively conveyed by Owens that this truly is hear affecting masterpiece. Starting off acapella, "If I Can Help Somebody" calls to mind one of those old spirituals, sung with so much understated passion accentuated by some haunting organ touches.

When it comes to the more familiar territory, creativity is the patent here. The album opens with a Celtic-styled reading of "How Can I Keep from Singing" calling to mind Sheila Walsh at her best. Finger snaps, stomps and claps are the only accompaniments on "Don't Ya Let Nobody Turn You Round" bringing out Owens' Gospel edge. The ancient hymn "Be Still My Soul" gets a complete makeover as Owens serves this mediative devotion on a newly composed tune. Likewise "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" gets sung to an "American Tune" giving it a new face lift. Her multi-vocal layered reading of "Beautiful Savior" without any instruments feels like she was singing in a cathedral.

Lest one thinks Owens has little respect for tradition. She does deliver a reverent rendition of "Be Thou My Vision" and she strikes the right balance between the traditional and contemporary sounds on "Just as I Am." Indeed Owens is right: these ancient paeans mine so much theology often missing in contemporary songs. And Owens is to be congratulated for introducing many younger fans to such rich treasures of the faith. But most importantly, she does not just sing them; she re-reads them, re-applies them, and re-defines them in ways that still speak to today's culture and time--to such lofty aims, we can say amen.

"