By Nicol Smith Sponberg Her smoky vocals and emotion-packed delivery have breathed new life into traditional hymns for years. Now Nicol Sponberg, one third of the modern hymn trio Selah, has “resurrected” her artistry as a pop/R&B solo artist. Titled Resurrection , Nicol's solo detour has been two years in the making and shows a fresh side of this talented artist. Renowned producer Mark Heimermann (Stacie Orrico, dcTalk, Jaci Velasquez) helmed the project, placing Nicol's distinctive vocals atop lush pop strains and funky dance beats. It's a musical left-turn from Selah's inspirational approach— more Annie Lennox than “Amazing Grace.” But the change has proved both fun for Nicol and an unexpected return to her roots. “I was a soloist long before Selah,” Nicol explains, “But I just put that whole solo thing on the back-burner and decided, ‘okay, Selah is what God wants me to do now.'” Nicol initially resisted forming Selah because it wasn't the music career she had envisioned for herself. “Doing hymns with my brother? I feel totally different about it now, but at the time I thought, this is so uncool,” she laughs. Hindsight, of course, is perfect. As Selah racked up the Dove Awards, Nicol matured as a performer and learned first-hand the power of music to bring comfort. With that in mind, Heimermann pushed Nicol to explore her talents as a lyricist; on Resurrection , Nicol co-wrote half of the album's 10 tracks. As a result, Resurrection is aptly named, in that it's not only a rebirth of Nicol's original artistic goals, it's a theme that runs throughout the album. Playlist 01. Jacob's Well 02. Not You Again 03. Resurrection 04. Anything And Everything 05. Safe 06. Crazy In Love 07. All That I Believe In 08. The Spirit In Me 09. Better Place 10. Hallelujah 11. Resurrection (Piper Radio Mix) - BONUS TRACK 12. Love Will Bring You Home (Piano Version) - BONUS TRACK This item will be available on October 14, 2007. |