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NICOLE
NORDEMAN: "In the Making -A Legacy"
by Diana Hong
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"I
don't mind if you've got something nice to sayabout me…"
is the first line of her chart topping song, "Legacy"
from her new album Woven & Spun. There's plenty of "nice"
to say about Nicole Nordeman. Plenty. Let's start, for instance,
on how much of her heart, soul, mind and ability are poured
out in worship to the Father, singing about how great He alone
is. It seems like she spends time with Him in a secret place,
conversing with Him, understanding more of His heart, His
character and then presents the nuggets of truth she discovers
to anyone who will take the time to pop in a CD, be still
and listen. Her songs sincerely attempt to capture the beauty,
awe and glory of all that she's been a witness to in her life.
Nordeman has truly witnessed the glory of the "I Am"
and is forever affected to the core.
Nordeman's come a long way in her career, being re-created,
molded and refined in each record. Wide Eyed remained
in a simple mood of reverence to God, possibly out of a fearful
love. Fans felt Nordeman dipping her finger in the shallow
waters of songwriting, holding many questions about God,and
still finding what roles He played in her life. On her second
release, This Mystery, God blossomed in her life, became
clearer in her understanding, and left her with arms wide
opened and raised in awe and surrender. Pieces such as "Tremble"
confess how we try to contain this majestic God in a box and
then offers the prayer, "Let me not forget to tremble
before a holy God." Yet, these offerings are balanced
by others such as "Small Enough," which beseech
God to draw closer.
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In
Woven & Spun, Nordeman plunges deeper into this
gift of intimate, personal song writing. The compilation of
lyrics and melody feels like a journal, a testimony of God's
faithfulness. Every song brilliantly captures a piece of God's
character, who He is and how He longs to be our crucial centerpiece.
The track "I Am" narrates her life from childhood
to womanhood. It reveals how the Lord touched her, being an
"Elbow Healer," a "Secret Keeper,"
and a "Life Sustainer." God is painted not
as a superficial diety who dwells far away in His own kingdom
or universe and could care less about her, but as a loving
Father and Friend who enjoys weaving Himself into our lives.
Powerful
songs such as "Holy" and "Mercies New"
hold much truth and transparency. "Even Then" perfectly
illustrates Nordeman's openness.
When
the expectations are too great/ And the bar gets raised too
high/ So I do the best with what I've got/ And hope that no
one knows/ That I strain to see how high I can/ Try to stand
on these toes/ Until I'm measured, but You know better.
Each
track sheds light on the difficult times in a Christian's
walk, of rising up one day, head high, but dropping to your
knees in utter weakness the next. However, this is not a sad,
"pity-me" piece, as many mainstream songs tend to
be, but a resounding of the truth that when we become weak,
He becomes strong.
Nordeman's
lyrics honestly reflect life's heartbreaks and heartaches,
yet at the same time, magnify God's faithfulness.
He
became all she needed at the right moments and places and
never ceased to shower His love. Although we face hardships
and things don't work out the way we want, we must still praise
Him for He is worthy. "Gratitude" is a song that
reflects this heart.
We'll
give thanks to You/ With gratitude/ For lessons learned in
how to trust in You/ That we are blessed beyond what we could
ever dream/ In abundance or in need/ And if You never grant
us peace.
Though
He is a holy God Who is worshipped by angels and feared by
demons, He made a way for us to draw near to Him and as He
develops a relationship with us, we are blessed. Every song
on Woven & Spun testifies to the fact that God's
promises are true.
If you're looking for a CD with a catchy tune to make you
feel good, forget this one. This project is focused on offering
worship to Jesus. Share in Nordeman's meditations on the Father
with confessions such as,
All
you ever wanted was/ Only me/ On my knees/ Singing holy, holy/
And somehow all that matters now is/ You are holy ("Holy"),
or, I want to leave a legacy/ How will they remember me?/
Did I choose to love?/ Did I point to You enough? ("Legacy").
Every
song is so focused on the Awesome One, the worship becomes
a powerful experience. Every verse is about worship unto an
audience of One.
I
can go on to say so many nice things about Nordeman's albums,
lyrics, her worshipful concerts and awards she's received.
However, she merely has one purpose... to magnify our perspective
of who God is and direct everything back to Him. Nicole Nordeman's
life shines with spotlights, but her songs reflect that light
right back to where it's due. And that's a "legacy"
worth leaving behind.
All information was taken from: www.nicolenordeman.com
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THE ROAD
TO NASHVILLE
by Bruce Ladson
When
you hear of those risk-takers who head to Nashville to pursue
a dream, you might assume they're after a big record deal,
a multi-platinum CD, or headlining an international tour.
After all, Nashville is all about superstars, bright lights,
and throngs of screaming fans, right?
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CEO
of Fervent Records/Spirit-Led, Susan Riley
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Susan
Riley had a dream that led her to Nashville. Susan's dream
was to open a Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop.
Riley
grew up in the music industry. Her father was the president
of Brentwood Records and she got her start in the
business at the age of seven in the warehouse. By interning
and working during various fill-in shifts over the years,
Riley gained great experience in the music industry. At
the same time, she graduated from college with a degree
in journalism, and her husband, Rod, came away from school
as pre-med.
The
years that Riley had spent in the Christian music industry
revealed things to her that she was not satisfied with.
Krispy Kreme seemed like a good option until Riley
began to see the rich ministry of Christian music overseas.
She met with a local music director whose heart was to have
a Christian record label that was focused more on ministry.
Riley and her husband began talking about ways to provide
that kind of trustworthy, family label for the purpose of
ministry.
 The
product of this conversation was two record labels created
in 1999...Fervent Records and Spirit-Led Records.
"We felt led to start something that was a little
bit different," Riley said. "It surprised us.
We were not expecting to do that at all." During
the past few years, these labels have signed artists such
as By The Tree, Big Daddy Weave, Jill Phillips, Barlow
Girl, and newly-signed Darrell Evans.
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Barlow
Girl
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By
The Tree
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The greatest lesson Riley learned since starting Fervent
Records and Spirit-Led Records in 1999 has
been to seek God's wisdom. "There were big-time business
decisions that we had to make without the label knowledge
I wish I had. There were a few scary times where all I had
was my faith. It looked bleak and scary at times, but we
just gave it all back to God and He always came through."
Susan
Riley is blazing a trail. By spear-heading Fervent/Spirit-Led
Records as CEO, Riley is the first and currently only
female who heads a record label in all of Christian and
Country music. "I think people are taken back by that,
but once I start talking with people, they see that I know
what I am talking about." After facing the struggles
of starting a business in a competitive field, Riley's take
on the industry is that "you've got to be an expert
at what you are doing. Once I could trust myself and my
instincts on the business side, that helped so much. I know
women say a lot of times that its hard being in man's world,
I just really haven't found that. There are times when I
need to be tough, but I've never had to become someone that
I'm not."
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Jill
Phillips
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Big
Daddy Weave
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We
can be glad that Susan Riley did not become the one to flip
on the "HOT" light, but that she is filling holes
in the Christian music ministry.
Photos
courtesy of Fervent Records - ferventrecords.com
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