Keith Elgin
Washington, Washington DC, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | SELF | AFM
Music
Press
Worship Pastor, Keith Elgin, has released his award-winning single, "Made For More" from his self-titled EP to Christian radio. Keith was named 9th Annual Songwriter of the Year by CCM Network International just a year ago and has gained momentum in the Christian music industry. His recent EP was produced by Jason Hoard (Fee, Shane and Shane, Third Day).
In addition to being produced by Jason Hoard, this new EP includes production from prolific worship songwriter, Steve Fee (All Because of Jesus, Glory to God Forever). The six-song record includes two cover songs (Stronger, Remain), three written by Keith (Dance Dance Dance, Made for More, Prodigal Song), and one (Our Hope is in You) co-written by Keith, Hoard, Brandon Coker, and legendary Third Day lead singer/songwriter, Mac Powell. - Breathecast/ChristianPost
"Live" albums are an advertising misnomer these days. Some live records are so manicured with overdubs that they are merely another over-produced studio album with the clapping of the audience tagged. They remind us of those TV sitcoms where the "fake" gregarious laughter was artificially engineered at key points of the show. In so doing many of these "live" albums take away something very precious that happens when God's people gather to worship: the presence of the Almighty God. Scripture specifically promises that God makes his presence peculiarly felt when His people gather in a live setting to worship (Psalm 22:3). And the greatest complement one can say about a worship record is that the presence of God exudes powerfully, such is the case with Keith Elgin's "Our Hope (live)." Elgin is the worship pastor at The Vine, a church plant in the Washington, D.C. area. Over the last few years, he has released two full length albums and one EP. "Our Hope (Live)" is this worship leader's first live worship recording funded through the Kickstarter program with Jason Hoard on the producer's chair.
The song list of this recording is most telling: while many artists who have taken the arduous task of raising their own funding for their recording would maximize their financial returns by stuffing it with their own compositions. This is not case with Elgin. To Elgin, royalty checks are secondary relative to facilitating people to truly worship God. Thus, he is not afraid of mixing up his own copyrights with more familiar worship staples that give his audience greater familiarity in worship. And the recording starts off with Chris Tomlin's "Our God." Though many have often surrounded this celebratory anthem with a fortress of noise, Elgin wisely scales back on the usual pounding drums and buzzing electric guitars. Rather, adding a contrapuntal bassline, the spotlight here is on Elgin's vocals, making us listen to the words afresh again: "Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there's no one like you, none like You!/Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You!"
It doesn't take a genius to know that Elgin is a fan of Hillsong Live. Two of their worship favorites are included here including "Forever Reign" and "Stronger." "Stronger," which was incidentally also revived by Newsboys on the deluxe version of their latest album, is one of Hillsong's lyrically best. In just a matter of a few minutes, "Stronger" has captured gorgeously the paradox of the Cross: this symbol of weakness and ignominy is also our strength and pride. Elgin's admiration for Hillsong also shows with his self-composed "Dance Dance Dance" which lyrically echoes the Australian mega church's "Freedom We Know." "Our Hope is in You," from which the album derives its title, starts off slow crescendoing to a climatic chorus that makes us want to sing at the top of our voices. Part of this magic is birthed by the input of Elgin's co-writers: Third Day's lead singer Mac Powell and Aaron Shust's drummer Brandon Coker. Maybe it's because Elgin's wife has been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis two weeks after they got married, Elgin brings a sensitivity to "Made for More." This mid-tempo Elgin original is a powerful reminder to each of us that despite our infirmities, God made us for much more than we could ever imagined.
The album closes with a pleasant surprise. Despite the rock edged sound of the record, "Medley" goes back to Elgin's country roots. With some rustic acoustic guitar strumming, "Medley" deals with our blessed hope in Jesus Christ starting off with the old hymn "Power in the Blood." This is followed by Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light" before closing off with a Southern favorite "I'll Fly Away." Those who have grown up with these Southern gems will have much to reminisce about. Nevertheless, "Our Hope (Live)" presents to us a night of dynamic worship where God's presence is celebrated, enjoyed and honored. For worship leaders, "Our Hope (Live)" serves as a pedagogical paradigm of how Godly worship is administered. And for the worshipper, this will provide us with an experience with the Father that we can repeat again and again. - Breathecast/ChristianPost
The first time I heard about Keith Elgin, was maybe in 2011 or 2012, through one of the New Release Tuesday emails I received every week; that was offering one of his songs as a few download, as I was, and still am a member of the site. I downloaded the song (I think it was “Made For More”), and since then I’ve been an avid fan of Keith’s, and his heartfelt, personal and relatable music. Particularly impressed by Keith’s covers of “Remain” (Ben Cantelon) and “Stronger (Hillsong) on his self-titled EP, Keith’s original material such as “Dance, Dance, Dance”, “Our Hope Is In You”, and “Prodigal Song” are of top notch quality too. With a voice similar to Steve Fee and a great enthusiasm as any other worship artist today, Keith’s brand new album (his 4th), titled Our Hope, releasing this week, is a live CD/DVD project, and was funded through kickstarter recently. Containing 13 tracks, inclusive of 7 covers, this unique project that highlights Keith’s prowess as a writer and worship leader, is worth the listen and viewing. Though it’s not as high profile or well done in production as for KING & COUNTRY’s live DVD, nor Matthew West’s live CD/DVD, which both released this year; Keith Elgin’s indie project scores very well on passion and authenticity. It’s a great experience nonetheless, and one which I can truly admire the heart for Jesus that Keith has! - ChristianMusicZine
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Worship is a way of life, and Keith tries his best to make that evident through music. After recording two full-length albums and sharing the stage with artists ranging from Chris Tomlin, Jars of Clay, and P.O.D., Keith recently finished recording his fourth album, a live CD/DVD, together with Jason Hoard (Fee, Shane and Shane, Third Day).
Keith was recently named 2014 KCCM Songwriter of the Year, and won the WAMMIE (Washington DC Area Music Awards) for Gospel Vocalist of the Year.
On the heels of this years successful radio release of his song Made for More, Keith Elgin, contemporary Christian singer/songwriter, recently unveiled his most recent project, the Our Hope [Live] CD/DVD to positive reviews, including:
the greatest complement (sic) one can say about a worship record is that the presence of God exudes powerfully, such is the case with Keith Elgins Our Hope (Live) (BREATHEcast/Christian Post).
[Made for More] is one of the strongest moments on the record, with great production, complementary backing instruments and CCM radio-friendly melodies. Lyrically, the excellent songwriting talks about the brokenness around us, which illustrates our need to share the love of Jesus (New Release Tuesday).
Keith Elgins Our Hope CD/DVD is an album to buy, if youre a fan of worship music similar to Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Kristian Stanfill (Christian Music Zine).
The Our Hope [Live] CD/DVD features 13 tracks recorded at a sold-out performance earlier this year, and includes songs from his previous album Keith Elgin EP, as well as several well-known worship standards. We wanted to create some different arrangements of popular worship songs, in addition to some songs Ive written, to create something that wasnt exactly a worship record and wasnt exactly a rock record. I think we captured that. We also went against the grain a little bit in terms of the mix. Instead of creating a live record in the studio, we wanted it to be more organic. I was willing to sacrifice some of the perfection for authenticity. Keith wrote the title track, Our Hope is in You, with Jason Hoard of Black Cat Studios, who also produced Our Hope [Live] and played lead guitar; Mac Powell, legendary lead singer of Third Day; and Brandon Coker, drummer for Aaron Shust.
For Keith and his wife, their hope in Christ in the midst of uncertainty after Emilys diagnosis of multiple sclerosis has not only carried them through the greatest challenge of their lives, but also strongly impacted the vision behind Our Hope [Live]. My song Our Hope is in You is a proclamation of who God is and how He is our foundation in the troubles of the world, says Keith. The Our Hope [Live] project also comes out of this theme and my current season of ministry and life. If my wife and I didnt have complete faith in Jesus, this journey were in would surely break us.
Our Hope [Live] is available on iTunes and Keiths web site. For more information, visit www.keithelgin.com
Keith and his band are available for worship services, conferences, retreats, or any other event that may need a solo artist, band, or even a speaker. Whether its a pastors conference with 4000 people or a 25-person youth event, Keiths desire is to serve wherever needed. His heart is for ministry first, and music second. He is also a Compassion International artist and would love to come speak and/or play on behalf of Compassion and share what they are doing in the world.
Band Members
Links
