Arise! (album bundle)

I started writing Psalm songs in 1993. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew that a Christian composer was obligated to engage the Psalms in some way! Since then, I’ve written over 100 Psalm settings, from simple praise songs to choral cantatas. Spending so much time in the Psalms has been a rich source of nourishment for my faith, and I hope the congregations that have adopted these songs have been enriched, as well.

Arise! is the first in a series of albums collecting my Psalm recordings into one place. Some of these songs are “greatest hits” of the Psalms (23 and 8, for example), but many are neglected Psalms that congregations rarely sing. I can understand why: many of them use language and images that are foreign–even repugnant–to modern sensibilities. As a songwriter, I see my role as transplanting these Psalms into modern soil–digging beneath the surface to find the core message or timely insight of a millenniums old text.

These recordings represent 15 years of home studio recordings published on my blog (musicblog.gregscheer.com). They are not pristine studio recordings, but are good enough to convey the spirit of each song. I am very grateful to Ian Gorman of La Luna Recording and Sound, who took these mostly decent demos and turned them into a presentable, cohesive album. I am also thankful for the many cowriters who have shared their works with me, those who have commissioned new songs through my Adopt-a-Psalm program, and the worship leaders and worshipers who make these songs come alive in their churches.