Jon Foreman‘s solo music sound, John Mayer’s chill guitar themes, Colbie Caillat’s smooth vocals and Leeland‘s passion and heart for worship all join together to form a unique sound that only JJ Heller could produce. Heller’s most popular album, Painted Red, includes her hit song, “Your Hands”, which hit top rankings on many radio stations across the nation. She has several other albums that are certainly worth listening to, including her newest album, When I’m With You, released October 19th.
Her new album, though it includes more spunk than usual, still remains true to her un-produced, acoustic sound. “Tell It Again” kicks off the album with an upbeat, catchy tone. Heller’s lyrics for each song, with ones like “Boat Song” and “Olivianna”, all provide a time for listeners to sit back and realize the joy there is in simplicity.
“For some reason, Christians (including myself) sometimes think, ‘if I’m following the Lord and doing the best I can, that life will be easy,’ and it’s not. That’s where grace comes in, and that’s where we grow.” “We have the choice to live in fear, or to live in the hope that God is in every moment with us,” JJ says. “That’s one of the major themes of this season in my life.”
That theme is very apparent in her new album. The song from which the album gets its name, “When I’m With You” is written from JJ’s new mother perspective to her daughter Lucy. “You make me believe in love. I could never count all the ways that you change me…baby, every day the sky is a deeper shade of blue…when I’m with you.”
“This is by far my favorite record I’ve made,” JJ commented in an interview with newreleasetuesday.com. “As the title implies, the theme of the record is relationships, and how they affect our lives.”
In writing material for the new release, JJ poured her every day observations into her songbook: stories she heard while traveling, and those nearer to her heart.
“This album is all about redemption,” observes JJ. “Looking back on the songs, there’s a lot of struggle written into them because that’s life. Everyone has different problems to face, but in the end, the outcome hinges on how you deal with those struggles– if you allow them to destroy you or make you stronger.”
The album’s track listing is below:
- Tell It Again
- When I’m With You
- What Love Really Means
- Kingdom Come
- Boat Song
- Control
- Love Can Make You New
- Olivianna
- No Fight Left
- Until You Came Along
JJ’s Background
In the spring of 2003, JJ Heller decided to make a living as a full-time musician. In the midst of her hectic life, balancing touring, blogging, songwriting, home decorating, and sewing projects, Heller developed a faithful fan-base.
In the fall of 2009 however, this fan-base grew from several thousand to several million listeners across the United States. Diana Drexler, a contestant on the FOX TV show, “So You Think You Can Dance?”, decided to use “Your Hands” for her audition.
A member of the audience, Jon Hull, station manager of Houston-based FM station KSBJ, heard this performance and later played “Your Hands” on the air for KSBJ.
After the song was played, there was no going back. The studio was flooded with e-mails and phone calls from listers describing how much “Your Hands” connected with them.
Before long, JJ’s music was resonating over 60 reporting Christian adult contemporary FM stations.
“I’m amazed to see the ways that God has used my music over the past year,” Heller said. “All this publicity wasn’t something I was intentionally pursuing, so it makes it that much more obvious to me that it’s something the Lord wanted. It’s been fun to watch Him work in my life and through my music.”
Today, JJ performs several times throughout the year and has three full-length records and a Christmas EP out.
Any of her music is worth taking time out of our busy lives to listen to. It reminds us of how essential it is to experience the peace of God and the serenity his creation offers us.
JJ Heller’s Tour Dates
http://www.jjheller.com/tour.asp
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