Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

JFH Music News Report

Singer/Songwriter Melanie Penn Reveals
Compelling Christmas Album
To Release Nov. 3

Project birthed out of singer's own story of loss




RSS Icon 

NEWS SOURCE: The M Collective
October 5, 2017

Nashville, Tenn. (Oct. 5, 2017) - Hailing from New York City, singer/songwriter Melanie Penn reveals her new Christmas project Immanuel, set to release Nov. 3rd. Her third studio album, Immanuel is a winsome collection of folk-pop songs, with nine originals and one classic carol retelling the Christmas story through the perspective of the angels and people who lived through it -- Mary, Joseph, The Wise Men, The Innkeeper, and even The Star of Bethlehem -- in a compelling and deeply human way. 

“As a songwriter, you typically draw from your experiences and observations, and your songs invite people into your personal narrative,” says Penn. “But this project is  so different because this is our story. The Christmas story belongs to us all. I’m just humbly trying to shine a light on a little piece of it.”

Penn teamed up with longtime collaborator, Nashville producer Ben Shive (Sara Groves, Brandon Heath, Andrew Petersen) for the project, which took close to a year to write.

After battling a serious illness in 2016 which left Penn unable to bear children, the singer/songwriter felt an even deeper calling to leave an impact through her songs, and part of her healing came through the writing process of delving into the greatest birth story ever told.

Songs like "Great Things," inspired by Mary's story, came to Penn through the process of an arduous week-long writing retreat, while others like "Follow the Star," from the perspective of The Wise Men, popped into Penn's head like a gift.

“There’s something about the ‘normalness’ of the Christmas story I’d never thought of before. These people were so ‘regular,’ living their lives as a shepherd, a young girl, or a carpenter, and yet they encountered the supernatural and their lives changed forever. I have to believe that’s still happening every day. Especially in the telling and retelling of the Christmas story.”

Track Listing:
1. Love's Coming Down (Isaiah)
2. All Things Are Possible (Gabriel)
3. Great Things (Mary)
4. Gift of Love (Angel Chorus)
5. Immanuel (Shepherd)
6. Joy to the World
7. What Child Is This (Joseph)
8. Follow the Star (Magi)
9. Light the Way (Star of Bethlehem)
10. There Is Room For You Here (Innkeeper)

 

About Melanie Penn:
Melanie Penn is a singer/songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. After having success on the national Broadway touring stage, Penn shifted her attention to her career as a songwriter and artist, desiring to sing her own words rather than those of others. Her first album Wake Up Love was released in 2010, followed by Hope Tonight (2014). Her latest, Immanuel, produced by Ben Shive, is set to release Nov. 3, 2017.

 

Connect with Melanie Penn:
Website: http://www.melaniepenn.com

 

###

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

News Report Archives

[2025]
Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec.

[2024]
Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec.

[2001 - Present]
Visit our complete MUSIC NEWS ARCHIVE

 



Return to Main News Page

 

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

Search JFH



This Wednesday, October 22, 2025
SINGLES
Phil Wickham Fear Has No Power - Single [Fair Trade]

This Friday, October 24, 2025
ALBUMS
John Allan untitled EP [Centricity]
Dan Bremnes The Villain - EP [Curb]
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]
God Behind Bars Music Live From Angola Prison Vol. 1 [Provident]
Fepeste This World Ain't Mine to Change [Velvet Blue]
gio. FINE BY ME [Capitol CMG]
Brandon Lake Amazon Music Songline [Provident]
Latter Day Exploits Within Consumed (Expanded Edition) [Charon Collective]
Tyson Motsenbocker Modern Worries [Tooth & Nail]
Smalltown Poets St. Augustine (independent)
Zahriya Zachary Rediscovery [Bethel]

SINGLES
29:11 Worship, Zion Rempel You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Joe L Barnes Grief, Joy, Gratitude - Single [Provident]
Chad Cory, Zacardi Cortez My First Love (Remix) - Single [DREAM]
Leanna Crawford Beginning Of Your Grace - Single [Provident]
darthy Juniper Tree - Single [WieRok]
Emerson Day Midnight Hour - Single [Fair Trade]
Good Weather Forecast lows2highs - Single [DREAM]
Grace + Max Rich - Single [WieRok]
Jamie Macdonald You Can't Take My Song - Single [Capitol CMG]
Mercy Tribe Music The King is in the Room (feat. Ayiesha Woods) - Single (independent)
Mountains in the Sea You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Seph Schlueter Already On The Way (feat. Benjamin William Hastings) - Single [Provident]
Tomb Slayer The Christmas Lamb (feat. Khristian Dentley & Sarah Whittemore) - Single [Tomb Slayer]
The Undertaking! All Smiles - Single (independent)

VINYL
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]

Next Friday, October 31, 2025
ALBUMS
Hope Deferred Darkness Remains [The Charon Collective]
Testimony of Apocalypse Agony in the Garden [Roxx Records]

SINGLES
Dreamers My Heart His Home - Single [DREAM]
Roxanne Grace Try Again - Single [DREAM]
Lock & Chi Do To Me - Single (independent)
John Long Simple Pursuit - Single (independent)
Warren Zeiders How Great Thou Art - Single [Warner]


For all release dates, click here!
 

Purchase Original Art Prints, Drawings, Stickers, Bookmarks and more from JFH's own John DiBiase!
Need proofreading and editing help? We've got you covered! Click here to learn more
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images