Chris Tomlin Collaborates With Major Country Superstars on Latest Album
By Cooper Dowd, Contributing Writer
Grammy-winning Christian musician Chris Tomlin collaborated with a collection of country superstars on his newest album, “Chris Tomlin & Friends.”
Tomlin is not a stranger to collaborative efforts in regards to music. However, he notes that this project is unlike any of his albums in the past.
“I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve never done a collaboration like this ever,” Tomlin said. “I’ve had a few people on my albums before, especially in my Christmas record, but I’ve never been with current superstars in a genre.”
The 48-year-old’s new project includes renowned names such as Thomas Rhett, Lady Antebellum, and Florida Georgia Line.
The album, released on July 31, 2020, melds several different genres and offers many unique tracks.
“What would it sound like to kind of smash up the genres of what Christian music is and what country music is?” Tomlin said. “There’s some pop elements, gospel elements, all that in there, just kind of this big soup of music with some really fine artists.”
Although the collaborative process went smoothly for Tomlin and the other stars, the albums creation materialized unexpectedly.
Tomlin attributes meeting the other artists to “God’s doing” and a “divine thing,” according to Fox News. Tomlin met Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line at a gym while vacationing.
“It’s been a surprise year,” Tomlin told the American Songwriter. “It’s been nothing I saw coming, nothing I was trying to do, nothing that was on my radar. So much so that just a little over a year ago I didn’t even know most of the people involved [in the album].”
He continued, “These songs just started coming, so quickly and so easily. It was beautiful to see the smashing up of all our different worlds and what that sounded like—of country and the Christian worship genre coming together. Mixing that DNA up, you have this interesting sound in the music. You hear a lot of my DNA on it, and the more country style on it. It’s really cool.”
Florida Georgia Line helped Tomlin throughout the recording process. Tomlin notes that it was a genuine joint effort, and it felt like a family project. Tomlin hopes that audiences will recognize this familial vibe in many of the tracks.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, I’ve got a song here, I got the famous friends, I’ll call them to sing on the second verse and they’ll email it in,'” he said. “It was all of us together making this record and it’s so special.
“These guys were in the studio with me whether they wrote the song or whether they were singing on the song or not,” Tomlin continued. “They were in that studio with me working and I think that says a lot.”
The project started with his relationships with the other artists but turned into something bigger, Tomlin said.
“I think these friendships that have happened with all these new guys, [are] so good and [I’m] so blown away by these guys who are behind the scenes,” Tomlin said. “Their heart for their family, their heart for God and their heart for people is just beautiful to see.”
Not only do the top-tier artists attract a broad audience and bring musical variety to Tomlin’s new album, but Tomlin also mentioned the blessing of working with artists who love Jesus and hopes this album will bring glory to God.
“The beautiful thing with this album is the opportunity with this music to break down walls between genres,” Tomlin said. “It’s just great music, and the goal would be for my music to reach an audience it’s never reached before. All of us doing something that really brings glory to God together is pretty special.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
