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Nashville, TN (September 25, 2012) - With two GRAMMY® nominations, a Primetime Emmy® nod, a sold-out arena tour and a Billboard Music Award nomination, 2012 has been quite a year for Sparrow Records recording artist Matthew West. Today, West augments this already-stellar season with the release of his fifth studio album, Into The Light, as it bows to across-the-board praise. The project quickly climbed to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes ® Christian & Gospel Albums chart upon release and to No. 39 on the overall iTunes ® Albums chart.
After receiving over 10,000 personal stories from all over the globe for his heralded 2010 album, The Story of Your Life, the acclaimed singer-songwriter, who has been forever impacted by the outpouring of stories, felt as though there was even more for others to say during this season of his music. The new studio album, Into The Light, features 12 tracks inspired by 10,000 new letters submitted after West invited people to, once again, send him their stories. The songs comprising Into The Light were inspired by stories touching on everything from the power of forgiveness, drug addiction, the rejection of apathy, domestic violence and many other topics.
Here is just some of the acclaim being heaped on West:
"Like Don Henley once said, it's the 'heart of the matter.' And ['Forgiveness'] has a big, kind, generous heart." - USA Today"West once again proves his songwriting prowess, tackling everything from addiction to overcoming apathy. In the hands of a less adept wordsmith, this power-pop could become cheesy, but West offers up an honest celebration of humanity here." - Rhapsody
"The muses may be second hand, but West has no problem personifying the gut-wrenching emotions, plus a few praise affirmations, over a backdrop of crisp guitars, assertive pianos, and compassionate vocals." - Christianity Today
"…the key with West goes beyond his catchy writing style-he fills his radio-ready tunes with a heart and depth rarely heard on the waves. With a clear and solid social awareness, Into The Light taps both the head and the heart to evoke strong responses from the listener. At once heady and emotional, entertaining and provocative, Into The Light is a braided coil where West charges headlong into deep issues and Christ's world-saving solution, all with a listenable musical quality." - Worship Leader
In addition, the album's lead single, "Forgiveness," is continuing its steady ascent toward No. 1 at radio, with it claiming the No. 4 spot on the National Audience Chart, No. 4 at Christian AC Monitored, No. 2 at AC Indicator and No. 11 at CHR this week. In addition to charting in the Top 5 on the National Christian Audience chart, the single garnered nearly 8 million audience impressions this week. "Forgiveness" also stands firm in the Top 10 on the iTunes® Christian & Gospel Songs chart, where it has remained since its release in July.
West kicked off his headlining "The Into The Light Tour" on Thurs., Sept. 20 in Dallas and is visiting 33 markets, including Denver, Atlanta and Tampa, through the fall. For a complete listing of tour dates and cities, visit www.matthewwest.com/tour.
About Matthew West:
Lauded by The New York Times as "a vivid and compelling songwriter with impressive approaches to the familiar," two-time GRAMMY® nominee Matthew West's discography includes acclaimed releases: Happy (2003), History (2005) and Something to Say (2008). His 2010 studio album, The Story of Your Life, was inspired by 10,000 stories from every state in the U.S. and 20 countries. The album released on October 5, 2010, and garnered attention from CNN Online, Fox News, Billboard, Country Weekly, American Songwriter and more. The Story of Your Life gave West the largest street week debut of his career selling over 10,000 units the first week landing at No. 3 on Christian Soundscan, and No. 41 on the Billboard Top 200. In conjunction with Harvest House Publishers, West teamed up with bestselling author Angela Thomas for The Story of Your Life book. The Heart of Christmas marked West's first full-length Christmas project which also boasts the Top 10 mainstream AC radio hit "The Heart of Christmas." A multiple ASCAP "Song of the Year" winner, West has had four No. 1 radio hits including his latest GRAMMY®-nominated tune, "Strong Enough." His songwriting credits include cuts by Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diamond Rio and more. Recently nominated for a Primetime Emmy® Award for Original Music & Lyrics for "The Heart of Christmas" from the film of the same name, West's fifth studio album, Into The Light, was released on September 25, 2012.
[Get Connected with Matthew West]
www.matthewwest.com
www.facebook.com/matthewwest
www.twitter.com/matthew_west
For more info on Matthew West visit the JFH Artists Database.
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