Signs of Life (CD - 1996)

Personnel: Steven Curtis Chapman (vocals, acoustic, 12-string acoustic, acoustic slide & electric guitars, dobro, lap steel guitar, mandolin); Gordon Kennedy, Kenny Greenberg (acoustic & electric guitars); Phil Madeira (dobro, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Jerry Douglas (lap steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); The Nashville String Machine (strings); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Shane Keister (piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ); Blair Masters (Wurlitzer electric piano, keyboards); Leland Sklar (bass); Chris McHugh, Steve Brewster, Chad Cromwell (drums); Eric Darken, Sam Bacco (percussion).

Producers: Brown Bannister, Steven Curtis Chapman.

Recorded at The Castle, Franklin, Tennessee and Ocean Way, Hollywood, California.

SIGNS OF LIFE was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.

Christian Rock sensation Steven Curtis Chapman has a very personal take on the Good News. Combining bible-oriented messages with a burly rock and roll sound, the 12 songs on SIGNS OF LIFE present the fully-realized chronicle of a Christian struggling to reconcile his beliefs with the trials and tribulations of the postmodern world.

Toward this end, Chapman calls upon his knack for forceful, bluesy melodies and in-your-face arrangements bristling with bright keyboards and thick guitars. Top-shelf musicians including bassist Leland Sklar and keyboardist Shane Keister provide a solid accompaniment for multi-instrumentalist Chapman, who seems to be proficient on anything with strings.

Chapman's lyrics eschew happy-face gospel cliches in favor of a more balanced approach that emphasizes the conflicts and difficulties inherent in keeping a faith as strong as his. Songs like "Let Us Pray" and "Hold On To Jesus" exemplify this mature, realistic approach. Chapman made SIGNS OF LIFE with one ear on the Sunday sermon and one on contemporary pop radio, and it's one of the rare Christian albums to have broken into the Billboard top 20.

Personnel: Steven Curtis Chapman (guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin, background vocals); Gordon Kennedy, Kenny Greenberg (electric guitar); Jerry Douglas (lap steel guitar); Phil Madeira (dobro, organ); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Nashville String Machine (strings); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Shane Keister (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Blair Masters (Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Chris McHugh, Steve Brewster, Chad Cromwell (drums); Eric Darken, Sam Bacco (percussion).

Audio Mixer: Jack Joseph Puig.

Recording information: Castle Recording Studios, Franklin, TN; Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA.

Photographer: Jon Ragel.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Pete York ; Steven Curtis Chapman.

In 1996, Sparrow Records released Steven Curtis Chapman's album Signs of Life. The guitar-driven, acoustic CCM project is a strong effort both musically and lyrically. From this album alone, Chapman garnered multiple chart-climbing radio singles including the folk-rock "Lord of the Dance" and the upbeat pop of "Let Us Pray." Also included are "Free," a song inspired by Chapman's work with Prison Fellowship Ministries, and the bluegrass-flavored track "The Walk." ~ Ashleigh Kittle minimize