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Revelation (Third Day album)

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Revelation is the tenth studio album by the Christian rock band Third Day, released on July 29, 2008. The album has an overall heavier sound than Third Day's more recent, adult contemporary-leaning albums. Revelation was produced by mainstream producer Howard Benson and features guest appearances from Chris Daughtry of the rock band Daughtry, Lacey Mosley of the alternative metal band Flyleaf, and pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph. It debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on the Rock Albums chart, and No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart, with first-week sales totaling 75,000 copies, a career high sales week for Third Day. Revelation was the sixth-best selling Christian album in 2008 and 2009 and the fiftieth best-selling Christian album of 2010, as well as the 151st best-selling album of 2009. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in September 2010, signifying shipments of over 500,000 copies.

Revelation met with positive reception from critics, many of whom praised it as among the best Third Day albums. Critics also praised the guest appearances by Chris Daughtry, Lacey Mosley, and Robert Randolph. The album won two GMA Dove Awards at the 40th GMA Dove Awards; Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year. The song "Born Again" from Revelation was nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 52nd Grammy Awards – the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song and the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance.

Three singles were released from Revelation, all of them peaking atop at least one chart format. Lead single "Call My Name" peaked atop the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart for thirteen weeks and the Hot Christian AC chart for eleven weeks, also topping the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored, Christian AC Indicator, and Christian CHR charts. The second single, the title track, peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart and No. 1 on the Hot Christian AC chart, spending six weeks atop the latter – it was also the band's eighth number-one single on that chart, tying the record held by MercyMe. It also peaked atop the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored chart. The third and final single from Revelation, "Born Again", peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, No. 4 on the Hot Christian AC chart, and at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian AC Indicator chart, becoming Third Day's twenty-seventh number-one single.

Background and recording

Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf makes appearances on the songs "Run to You" and "Born Again".

Third Day made some significant changes to its management prior to the production of Revelation. Third Day left Creative Trust Management and signed with Red Light, which represented such artists as Dave Matthews Band, Switchfoot, and Rodney Atkins. Additionally, guitarist Brad Avery left the band after the recording of Wherever You Are, and Third Day opted not to replace him. They also opted to work with mainstream producer Howard Benson, who had worked on projects with other bands that Third Day had enjoyed; Benson wanted to work with Third Day because he liked the quality of Mac Powell's vocals. Chris Daughtry, who had had albums by his band Daughtry produced by Benson, had told Benson that Powell had a great voice. Benson, who is Jewish, did not mind working with Christian artists such as Third Day as they "believe in something". The different religious beliefs of Third Day and Benson led to conversations that Benson said "comes out in the record because of the way I challenge them and they challenge me".[1] Third Day themselves were uncomfortable at first working with Benson, as all the band's achievements in the Christian music realm meant nothing in the world of mainstream record production. However, they appreciated the experience in the end, with bassist Tai Anderson commenting that "I feel like we started more insecure than ever and we left more confident than ever".[1] The decision to use Benson led to the band recording the album in Los Angeles instead of Atlanta.

Benson felt one recording session with Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf transcended an ordinary recording session; he said he "just had to leave the room, and I said to Mac, 'You have to go out there, and you and her do this because you're coming to God right now in front of my eyes. You guys handle it.' It was one of those moments where, as a producer, I just stepped back and watched it happen. She broke down and cried, and I was crying. It was really amazing, and you don't get that in the studio very often".[1] In another session with Mosley, Tai Anderson notes that "She was singing, and at the very end of the song 'Run to You,' Mac had encouraged her to go for it and ad-lib—to just worship and sing whatever ... "Afterward, we went up just to say, 'That was amazing,' and you could just tell that it was a real emotional kind of thing ... "She said, 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' And we thought, 'Oh no, maybe she was pressured from her management. She doesn't want to be here.' So we said, 'Hey, if you don't want to be here, that's totally cool.' And she responds with, 'No, you don't understand. When I was a teenager, I was going through some really hard stuff, and I went to one of your shows; and you guys had a huge impact. I can't believe I'm getting to sing on your record".[2]

Revelation was produced by Howard Benson. Recording was handled by Mike Plontikoff at Bay 7 Studios in Valley Village and at Sparky Dark Studio in Calabasas, California; it was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge at Resonate Music in Burbank, California. Pre-production was handled at Haunted Hollow Studio in Charlottesville, Virginia by Rob Evans and Steve Miller, at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross, Georgia by Don McCollister, and at Sonica Recording in Atlanta, Georgia by Jon Briglevich. Mastering was handled by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine. Digital editing was handled by Paul Decarli, and audio engineering was handled by Ashburn Miller, with additional engineering handled by Hatsukazu Inagaki.[3]

Chris Daughtry provided backing vocals on "Slow Down". Lacey Mosley provided backing vocals on "Run to You" and a duet on "Born Again". Robert Randolph provided pedal steel work on "Otherside". Scotty Wilbanks provided piano on "Revelation". Debbie Lurie created the string arrangement on "Let Me Love You"; the string track was recorded at Entourage Studios. Brad Avery provided additional guitar work.[3]

Composition

Chris Daughtry makes a guest appearance on "Slow Down".

Revelation possesses a heavier, edgier sound than Third Day's more recent adult contemporary-leaning albums, particularly as compared to 2005's Wherever You Are.[4] "This Is Who I Am" is of the southern rock genre,[5] and lyrically finds Third Day secure in where they have been as a band.[6][7] "Slow Down" is a rock song which features backing vocals from Chris Daughtry of the rock band Daughtry.[5][6][7][8][9][10] lyrically, it is a request for God to "pace our lives".[10] "Call My Name" is a pop rock song,[7] while "Run to You" is a mid-tempo ballad set in 6/8 time[6][10] it features backing vocals by Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf.[6][7][10] The title track lyrically addresses the uncertainty many Christians face in their walk with God.[7] "Otherside" features pedal steel guitar played by Robert Randolph and has a "bluesy" and southern rock sound.[5][7][8][10]

"Let Me Love You is a a love song written from the perspective of God.[7] "I Will Always Be True" has a "jangly pop/rock style",[10] while "Born Again" is a duet with Lacey Mosley.[7][9][10] "Give Love" has influence from folk music,[10] while "Ready" is a ballad with a sound similar to other ballads made by Third Day.[10] "Take It All" is of the adult contemporary genre, and lyrically is a song of spiritual surrender.[10][9]

Packaging

According to the liner notes for Revelation, the album art is "an artistic interpretation"[3] of Salvation Mountain, a location created by Leonard Knight as "a public art project designed to send the message that 'God Loves Everyone'".[3] Located in Calipatria, California, the location is entered in the Congressional Record as a 'national treasure'. The album cover is of that location with the song titles of Revelation composed on it, "to send [Third Day's] own message of God's love to the world".[3]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Billboard(positive)[8]
CCM Magazine[9]
The Christian Manifesto[6]
Christianity Today(positive)[10]
Cross Rhythms[11]
Jesus Freak Hideout[7]
Gospel Music Channel(positive)[5]

Reception to Revelation was positive, with some critics regarding the album as among the best of Third Day's albums.[4][6][7][9][10] Andree Farias of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars and commented that "Revelation finds Third Day trying new things, but not to the extent that they sound like a different band. If anything, it seems like the change of setting and the added star power intimidated them for the better, inciting them to not settle for the middle of the road or the pat-answer anthems that dogged them post-Offerings ... It's a muscular, anthemic sound – unquestionably populist, yet the closest Third Day has come to replicating the Southern-fried goodness of Time, their master opus", also describing Revelation as "the best album Third Day has released this decade"[4] and "a long overdue return to the unbridled fervor that characterized [Third Day] in their early years".[4] Deborah Evans-Price of Billboard magazine described the album as "one of the best of the year"[8] and praised Mac Powell's vocals as "possessing just the right amount of gritty intensity combined with sweet Southern charm"[8] and as "equally effective on tender ballads like "Let Me Love You" and such hard-charging rockers as "This Is Who I Am".[8] Matt Conner of CCM Magazine gave Revelation four-and-a-half out of five stars, opining that "The production on Revelation showcases a seasoned band working with a new-yet-veteran producer in Howard Benson ... And the results are perhaps the band's best work to date"[9] and praising the guest appearances by Chris Daughtry and Lacey Mosley.[9] C. E. Moore of The Christian Manifesto gave the album five out of five stars and praised the album as "[Third Day's] best yet"[6] and suggested the album might be the magnum opus of Third Day's career.[6]

Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today commented that "I've heard lead singer Mac Powell and the others say that they put more blood and sweat into their tenth studio album than any previous effort. It's not just hyperbole, it's a Revelation, and it ranks with their best albums so far",[10] but noted that the album is "briskly paced with 13 songs in just 43 minutes; only the radio single "Call My Name" runs over 4 minutes. That's a good thing in that the album easily holds your attention from one lean song to another, but it deprives Third Day the opportunity to delve into longer instrumental jams or deeper lyrics about the conversations we share with God during the darker times in life".[10] Graeme Crawford of Cross Rhythms gave the album nine out of ten stars and opined that "the newly slimmed down band deliver a quality record that all Third Day fans will enjoy"[11] and that it "should be investigated by anyone with even a passing interest in rock music".[11] John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout gave Revelation four-and-a-half out of five stars and commented that "If the album doesn't grab the listener from Powell's soulful southern drawl and an accompanying acoustic before "This Is Who I Am" breaks wide open, closer attention to the words and themes that permeate the album should bring to light what is actually one of the strongest records so far this year" and stated that "Revelation is an honest, emotional, vulnerable, beautiful, and delicious southern rock record";[7] however, he also stated that "only fault [of Revelation] may be that its greatest strengths double as a minor weakness. Because of the raw energy and some of the more edgier, livelier material (especially in contrast to their last effort), some of the latter half of the record feels a bit like things drop off after such a bold start... While the record itself is rather a triumph from beginning to end, the album can tend to feel like it offers its best tracks up front making some of the tracks later in the record pale - even if just slightly - in comparison. This is unfortunate, too, because these songs are wonderful by themselves and with the record clocking in at thirteen tracks in just under forty five minutes, there isn't a song in the bunch you'd think to leave out".[7] Debra Akins of Gospel Music Channel described Revelation as "a solid exclamation of who Third Day is musically, while underscoring the cultural relevancy they've continued to display over the years" and also praised the album as a whole, commenting that "there are no throw-away tracks on this CD, and that's a rarity in today's fast-paced, song-driven music industry".[5]

Awards and accolades

At the 40th GMA Dove Awards, Revelation won the awards for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.[12] "Born Again" was nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 52nd Grammy Awards – the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song and the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance.[13]

Singles

Three official singles were released from Revelation. The lead single, "Call My Name", topped the Billboard Hot Christian Songs for thirteen weeks[14] and the Hot Christian AC chart for eleven weeks.[15] It also topped the Radio & Records Christian AC Indicator and Christian AC Monitored charts for eleven weeks, and the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart for six weeks.[16] "Call My Name" ranked second on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart[17] and third on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian AC chart[18] as well at twenty-seventh on the decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart[19] and thirty-sixth on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart.[20]

The second single, the title track "Revelation", peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart[21] and at No. 1 on the Hot Christian AC chart; it became Third Day's eighth chart-topper on the latter, tying the record held by MercyMe.[22] It spent a total of six weeks atop that chart,[23] and also peaked atop the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored chart.[16] "Revelation" ranked fourteenth on the 2009 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart[24] and seventh on the 2009 year-end Hot Christian AC chart,[25] as well as thirty-second on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart.[20]

The third and final single from the album, "Born Again", peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart[26] and at No. 4 on the Hot Christian AC chart.[27] It peaked atop the Billboard Christian AC Indicator chart, the band's third No. 1 single from Revelation and 27th overall,[28] and at No. 10 on the Billboard Christian CHR chart.[27] "Born Again" ranked ninth on the 2009 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart[24] and fourteenth on the 2009 year-end Hot Christian AC chart.[25] An album cut, "Run to You", also appeared on the Hot Christian Songs chart – it appeared for one frame on that chart, debuting and peaking at No. 30.[29]

Release and sales

Revelation was released on July 29, 2008 and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, selling at total of 75,000 copies in its first week of sales. It was their best week to date in both sales and chart position; their previous career high was when their 2005 album Wherever You Are debuted and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, selling a total of 63,000 copies. Revelation also debuted atop the Christian Albums chart, their fourth career number-one album on that chart,[30] at No. 2 on the Rock Albums chart, and at No. 6 on the Digital Albums chart.[31] In 2011, the album also peaked at No. 3 on the Top Catalog Albums chart.[31]

Billboard magazine ranked Revelation as the sixth best-selling Christian album of 2008 and 2009, and the 50th best-selling Christian album of 2010.[32][33][34] It also ranked as the 151st best-selling album of 2009.[35] In August 2010, Revelation was certified Gold by the RIAA, signifying shipments of over 500,000 copies.[36][37]

Track listing

All songs written by Mac Powell except where noted; all tracks composed by Third Day

No.TitleLength
1."This Is Who I Am"2:29
2."Slow Down (feat. Chris Daughtry)"3:08
3."Call My Name"4:04
4."Run to You (feat. Lacey Mosley)"3:24
5."Revelation"3:33
6."Otherside (feat. Robert Randolph)" (Anderson, Powell)3:12
7."Let Me Love You"3:03
8."I Will Always Be True"3:09
9."Born Again (feat. Lacey Mosley)"3:36
10."Give Love"3:18
11."Caught Up In Yourself"3:28
12."Ready"3:17
13."Take It All" (Lee)3:58

Personnel

(Credits lifted from the album liner notes)[3]

Charts and certifications

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