GMA Dove Award Nominated group, Nashville Life Music, released their first full-length studio album, Here For Jesus, on July 17th (Integrity Music). This follows their hit live EP, Taylor House Sessions, which produced a Billboard Top 5 single and GMA Dove Award nominated song, “My God (feat. Mr. Talkbox).”
Nashville Life Music is the soundtrack to Nashville Life Church, a local movement that started out of CeCe Winans’ living room nine years ago. Grammy-winning songwriters and bandleaders Dwan Hill (Lauren Daigle, Jonny Lang) and Alvin Love III (Cece Winans’ son and producer) have led their 26-member worship team to create a project of energetic and inspiring songs that lift up anthemic, fun-loving sounds of thanksgiving and praise to God for everyday life.
At its core, Here for Jesus is a diverse project united by more than simply style and joyful praise. It’s worship in community. It’s uniquely tied together by the diversity of the people who make up Nashville Life.
“God’s been gracious enough to give us a mixed church, and I’m pretty proud of our cultural diversity,” shares Executive Pastor Alvin Love III. “We can’t take any credit for it. So when I say I’m proud of it, it’s not really a reflection of our efforts. It’s just been some sort of recipe about our church that has managed to draw both sides of the spectrum and everything in between. It’s something that, honestly, has to be supernatural. I think the racial lines and the tension and how deeply rooted it is in our nation (The United States)—particularly the South—is only something that God could lift, because it’s more than just skin tone. It’s mindset. It’s culture. It’s style of music. It’s ways of approaching family and relationships.”
“I think the strength of the diversity you see is a result of relationships that were already happening,” continues Nashville Life Worship Pastor Dwan Hill. “Relationship is always more powerful than a method and a strategy. I think the goal and the heart of it is simply to get more people into the house of God.”
The album features guest artists like Leeland (“Way Maker,” “Lion and The Lamb”) and Dove-award-winning New Artist of the Year Aaron Cole. A creative, time period piece, marrying together worship with throwback sounds from 70’s and present-day musical influences, Here For Jesus feels ready to become a modern classic. Imagine worship music that’s a mix of Elton John, Queen, Earth, Wind & Fire, Chance the Rapper and Kanye West – it’s an album unlinke any you’ve ever heard and one you can’t miss.
