Posted on 09/12/2024 4:25:00 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Van Zant – led by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant and his brother, 38 Special’s Donnie Van Zant – have announced their return with their first album of Christian rock.
It’s titled Always Look Up and features the previously-released track “Jesus Christ” along with new release “There You Are.” The LP, which follows 2007’s My Kind of Country, arrives on Nov. 22 via the Frontiers label. It’s available for pre-order now.
Both songs, and a complete track list, are available below.
“I’ll be honest… the Devil was my best friend at one time,” Johnny said in a statement. “[T]here ain’t too much that I didn’t try over the years, but I always kept hearing our dad speaking the Bible… Our dad should have been a preacher because, boy, when he started talking the gospel, you didn’t get up and move.”
He added: “I always believed in Jesus Christ, but I wasn’t saved… I felt like I had my personal connection, just like the song ‘It’s Up To You’ that’s on this new album. Over the years, that voice of my dad was reminding me to try to be a better person. I made lots of mistakes… [H]opefully I don’t get to the pearly gates and they’re closed for me. I’m trying to get through them now!"
Donnie reported that the idea of a Christian album had long been a bucket-list entry for the brothers. “We’ve tried our very best to just write about truth, about people, about problems and situations and just try to be true to ourselves,” he said. “We try to touch people emotionally and spiritually. If we can do that, I think we’ve done our jobs.”
Van Zant - ‘Always Look Up’ Track List
1. “Awesome God”
2. “Stand Up”
3. “Warrior”
4. “There You Are”
5. “Speak His Name”
6. “Why God Brought Me Here”
7. “Praying”
8. “It’s Up to You”
9. “Holy Moment”
10. “Leaning on the Cross”
11. “Jesus Christ”
“Can’t you see you’re not making Christianity better, you’re just making rock n’ roll worse.” - Hank Hill, King of the Hill
What’s that supposed to mean?
hope there’s a Holy Spirit riding, Gospel classic in there somewhere. enough death music.
Southern Rap-a-Rockabilly by poor copies of Ronnie Van Zant to try to capitalize on the “Contemporary Christian Music” market is just super-sad.
But everybody’s looking for new income streams, I guess.
:::shrug:::
It’s probably very sincere for these guys. These are people who are already successful and want for nothing. They have lost a lot recently. And the ones left are probably very much seeking…
There’s PLENTY of Christian rock bands that make-made excellent music.
Whether you hear them on the top-40 version of your local K-Love “Hillsong Barney” station or not is a different matter.
Might be.
Though I see these characters as not much more than hitching a free ride on the names and legacy of Ronnie Van Zant & Lynyrd Skynyrd. At best, members of a tribute band.
My druthers lean toward people who never got wealthy playing music and producing music intending to honoring God wasn’t a side gig - it was their lives.
For example - the late “God Father” of “Christian Rock’, who pretty much single-handedly invented the genre:
“Larry Norman: Why don’t you look into Jesus?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6roOZ1pOsI
But whatever floats some other people’s boat, I suppose. Just not my cuppa tea.
Saw Larry a couple times live.
When I saw him he had the audience really engaged in his performance.
I was with a radio station so I got free admission and I should have pressed for an interview - but that wasn’t his thing anyway.
In his early years, Norman wanted local bookers to have an audience that was at least 50% non-church types. He wasn’t into just entertaining Christians.
In his later years he would often do concerts just to pay the medical bills for treatment of his heart condition. He died at age 60 from his heart condition, leaving this world too young.
Yeah.
The last time I saw him was sad. He barely played anything, mostly talked and seemed bitter.
He was the first ‘rock’ music I ever heard actually, and it was by accident.
My father would by 8 tracks from a Christian music delivery thing and he got Larry Norman and Love Song.
Gonorrhea on Valentine’s Day
And you’re still looking for the perfect lay
As the kid of a Pentecostal preacher I was like whoa!
Got older and realized there was a lot of better music available, but he was the first that made me pay attention.
Yeah, sometimes you’d see him when he was going through/had gone through some tough times and it showed!
Most times, though, he was up for the performance.
Love Song was good also. Especially the first album.
38 Special (Donnie Van Zant) was formed in 1974, three years prior to Ronnie dying in the plane crash. They have had multiple platinum selling albums and was one of the biggest selling bands on the 80’s. So much for “hitching a ride.”
Johnny and Donnie have been writing, singing, and producing Christian songs for more than 25 years. For example, 38 Special’s Changed By Love and Saving Grace came out in 1997.
And Yoko Ono’s first major concert performance was at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1961, long before John Lennon and the Beatles.
Nice for sticking to the topic. /s
I guess you take pride in your ignorance.
I’m so jaded that this was my very first thought. Count me as a skeptic.
LOL! That would be me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
For me, it means: “I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANY MORE!” “Christian” rock. I’ve never actually banged my forehead on a table, but we have left churches because of it. Complete blasphemy. Especially when the “artist” is just doing it to explore a different revenue stream.
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