Album Notes

After hearing the first song on this just released album “Exalted” by Forgiven!, it will become crystal clear - this is no ordinary praise band. The soulful voices, incredible musicianship, and masterful song-writing marry to become an unforgettable, uplifting interactive experience. The most striking feature of this album is the ease with which these musicians and singers cross genres from rock to pop to jazz to even throwing in an original hymn as if they were raised up in each genre. Forgiven! is the house praise band at Christ United Methodist Church of Sugar Land, Texas (www.cumcsl.org), a congregation of over 4,000 members and play a wonderful mix of Contemporary Christian rock/pop/jazz featuring vocals and instrumentals. Forgiven! has been leading worship at Christ Church every Sunday morning for nearly seven years under the direction of worship leader David Daniels.

The singer/song-writing team of David Daniels and Jason Nelson has written lyrics and melodies that inspire you to not only sing along, but challenge you to look deeper at your relationship with Christ. Daniels has an enjoyably unique voice that shows his roots as a 70’s rocker, and an unbridled passion that shines through on this album. Nelson’s vocals are so beautiful and pure that he leaves you wanting to hear more and more. Singer/songwriter Katie McGee has written and sings a soulful entry that reveals her heart with Long Long Time, and turns out a remarkable jazz performance on Extraordinary Life. The CD also features the inventive piano and vocal arrangements of Beth McConnell throughout, which reveal the depth of her musical wisdom. Greg Hill and Derek Newton play some soaring electric guitar leads and riffs that will blow your hair back, also putting down some sultry acoustic guitar parts. Patrick Courtney's drumming is spot on fantastic, the bass lines Rick Lathrop and Rusty Meador lay down are inspiring, and the trumpet parts by Brad Vanderford and saxophone parts by Jonathan Christie are mesmerizing. All the singers - Maggie Baer, David Daniels, Jackie Graves, Dorothy Hallett, Alison Hodgson, Katie McGee, Jason Nelson, and Stephanie Spratt will amaze you with the heart they put into these songs, which reveals itself throughout this fantastic album. Check out Hodgson’s stand out lead vocals on Tracks 1 and 11, and Graves’ wonderful breathy lead on track 10.

This project was produced by the legendary producer Randy Miller at Tierra Studios in Houston, TX (www.tierrastudios.com). Miller has won three Grammy awards and garnered 16 Grammy nominations in his long career.

Pick this album up and you will find yourself joyfully singing along to these wonderfully written original songs.