Jeremy Camp: I Was Overcome Recording New Album

He had to stop when he got to these words:  

Camp said he was overcome by what he said was God's presence in the studio. In the booth, he could see his producer and his father with hands raised.  

"I just started breaking down," he said by phone recently. "I couldn't sing any more, and we were all just like, 'Did you feel that?'"  

"I started really thinking about what I was singing, and thinking of scripture. ... And I was just like, man, this is a God that we serve. We will, through him, by what he's done, and through his blood, overcome."  

He said that what you hear on the new CD, "We Cry Out," (BEC Recordings) is largely that take, and that he had to return later to record the chorus.  

During concerts, Camp still takes the time to speak to the audience. He recently did a show after Colorado Rockies game in which many of the 30,000 fans stayed to hear him play.  

He told the crowd, "We're in this together. Let's walk this together encouraged by what Christ has done."  

The new album, his second worship CD, was released last week. The songs are a mix of originals and well-known praise songs that spoke to him, he said, including "Overcome."

He took the opportunity to play with his road band, something he has not done on a studio album before. It gave the songs more of a spontaneous feel. When he struggled with a song, having the group together brought more ideas into the creative process. 

Camp worked with several co-writers on the originals, including Jon Egan, who helped pen "Not Ashamed." (Egan also wrote "Overcome.")  

That song is one that stands out among critics, not all of whom loved the album, though his previous effort, "Speaking Louder Than Before," was nominated for a Grammy.  

Jesus freak Hideout gives "We Cry Out" just 2 and half stars out of 5, saying it is "nothing more than a generic, canned 'worship project' that will serve as filler until his next full-length album releases" and calling "Not Ashamed" the "lone highlight." 

Other reviews are kinder. GMClife says: "Kudos to Camp for not making a "filler" project, but rather recording an album of authentic substance that is a nice addition to his already impressive discography."  

If you're a die-hard Camp fan, you'll probably enjoy the CD.  

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