Throwback Tuesdays And Worship Wednesdays: “Empty” By Dan Haseltine & Matt Hammitt; “Alive” By Natalie Grant!

music inspired by the story

 

jars-of-clay-dan-haseltine

matt hammitt

natalie grant

It’s been a while since I have posted blogs on this site (you can view them all here!), and the reason will probably be explained more in depth later (let’s just say that work has been very busy of late!) but I thought that since Good Friday and Easter Sunday is coming up in a few days, that I dig deep into the music library that it my iTunes, to see if I can find a song or two that brings us hope, and reassurance as we praise Jesus for His death and resurrection.

Though a lot of Easter themed melodies can be reflective and mellow, the two songs I am going to quickly delve into are based more in the worshipful genre (and they’re classified as ‘throwback’ as these songs were released 4 years ago!). So let’s dive into “Empty” sung by Jars Of Clay frontman Dan Haseltine, and Sanctus Real vocalist Matt Hammitt; as well as Natalie Grant’s “Alive”!

Written by Nichole Nordeman and Bernie Herms, both songs originate from a large scale epic collaboration album titled The Story; an album where one song shines the spotlight on a prominent Biblical character- which is probably why both seamlessly blend together and sound like they belong together on the same album, even though the artists are different! So these two tracks are probably a couple of my favourite melodies on the album (and this album is my favourite of all time), so I guess you know a little bit of the importance of these songs). In 2011 when the album released, it was these songs ministered to me and guided me through circumstances and seasons when I needed comfort and hope the most, so in 10, 20 and even 50 years’ time, I will still say that The Story is my favourite album of all time, because of the events in my life surrounding the release of the epic project.

Both “Empty” and “Alive”, recorded with orchestral strings and rousing crescendos, are as worshipful as you can get, and especially around Easter time when we are reminded about how Jesus died and rose to life, these God-breathed and Holy Spirit anointed melodies are fitting to listen to and dwell upon, as they bring home the eternal truth that Jesus is here with us always. Natalie Grant’s voice is as beautiful as always as she powerfully reiterates the heartfelt message ‘…hallelujah is the Lord, the Only One I fall before, I am His, because He is alive…’; and Dan and Matt deliver the duet with aplomb and professionalism, singing together in harmony that ‘…we will sing this song to make Your name live on, til every heart hears of the way You rescued us…’.

There truly isn’t enough words to champion the praises of these songs and the rest of the 16 songs, so here’s the iTunes link, and the song links here and here! And check out the songs at your own pace; hopefully this Easter will be a time of reflection but also of celebration as well. Jesus is alive and risen indeed, and the tomb is in fact empty! What a fantastic notion and fact the be reminded of!

What is your favourite Easter themed song? Be sure to check out our reviews of the film Killing Jesus and the series A.D. coming soon!

2 thoughts on “Throwback Tuesdays And Worship Wednesdays: “Empty” By Dan Haseltine & Matt Hammitt; “Alive” By Natalie Grant!”

  1. Empty is my most favorite song on the album and I always tell people that The Story album is most favorite album of all time; the compilation is just perfect but my favorite Easter themed song is Lead Me To The Cross by Brooke Fraser.

  2. Empty is my most favorite song on the album and I always tell people that The Story album is most favorite album of all time; the compilation is just perfect but my favorite Easter themed song is Lead Me To The Cross by Brooke Fraser/Hillsong.

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