Anthony Evans

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By Deborah Evans Price, senior music editor, gmc.com

It’s no secret that sometimes the most powerful art is the product of a difficult time in an artist’s life. A combination of creativity and angst can lead to vulnerability and a deeper connection to an audience. In the case of Anthony Evans, it fuels his new CD Undisguised.

A broken engagement became a catalyst that prompted the gifted singer/songwriter to re-evaluate his life and music.

“I think I have always been truthful,” he tells gmc.com. “But over the years, I’ve faced some stuff that I couldn’t hide. I went out in front of an audience and told them, ‘I don’t want to do this tonight.’ It was after my broken engagement. Through that awkward moment of honesty came one of the most connected nights of worship. I told them my story and I sang songs anyway and it was a night of healing. So from this point on, no matter what’s happening and what’s going on, no matter how hard it is – and it’s hard at times – I’m just going to tell the truth to my audience, knowing that that is my job. I’m a Christian musician. It’s about people leaving [saying more than] ‘oh, that was cool.’ I want them to leave with something bigger.”

It’s obvious Evans is in a very different place, and he readily admits it wasn’t easy to get through some of the changes that have taken place.

“It was a mutual break,” he says of his six-month engagement. “It was very hard. I saw my true reflection in her and it wasn’t her fault. I think a lot of it was me seeing things I needed to work on and it was just overwhelming for me because I’m such a performer and want everybody to think everything is great.”

On Undisguised, Evans wrote nine of the 12 tracks and is confident he’s delivered his most personal collection.

“It was a fruitful time. You wouldn’t think that during heartbreak you would want to write worship, but that’s what came out,” he says. “I was very intrigued by that – out of my heartache I wrote worshipful songs that ultimately I get to put on a record and communicate with audiences. [If] my pain brings thousands of people over the course of this year into a deeper worship experience, I would go through it again.”

Among those powerful new worship songs is “Wait,” a song inspired by Isaiah 40:31 that Evans wrote with a friend. On “Rejoice,” he enlisted Kari Jobe to sing with him. “I met Kari years ago at Gateway Church [in Southlake, Texas] and I remember thinking the first time I heard her ‘that girl can lead worship!’ She’s great at that and I had no idea that a few years later she’d be the top worship leader in America,” he says. “I was at her church when I started writing that song and she walked in and I asked ‘what do you have to do tomorrow?’ She didn’t have anything, so I flew her to Nashville and we worked on the song.”

After they finished writing it, Evans invited her to sing it with him. “It’s a great reminder to all of us as we face life’s hardships – even if we’re not going through anything personally, you turn on TV and we’re seeing life’s hard for a lot of people – and for those of us who believe we’ve been promised that great is our reward and kingdom of heaven is ours. I just wanted to remind people through that song.”

In order to capture the feel of a live performance on CD, Evans enlisted some of his favorite musicians in the recording process.

“I translated the songs by having some of my favorite live players come play the album in the studio,” he says. “I can tend to lose some of my feelings if I just use a session player that’s not connected to me. The people who played on this record, they knew me, they knew what I was going through, they know what happened and where the song is coming from. I’m real big on relationship with my players and the people around me who are close to me. I’m into that more than I am everything being musically perfect. I just want there to be an authenticity.”

Undisguised is the first project to be released on Evans’ own label. “With the relationships that I’ve made over the years I thought, I could really do this,” says Evans, who partnered with his former record company home, INO Records, for distribution. “Given the way the industry is changing, I feel like this is the time to start your own thing and create something substantial.”

These days Evans is relaxed and happy.

“I was uncomfortable because of what was going on emotionally inside of me but now I’m more comfortable in my skin and I’m excited about what is going on in my life. I’m very content.”

GMCLife.com

I’m on my way home from NYC, my first official performance for the new record “Undisguised”. I’m so looking forward to what God is going to do with this new music. I sang “Could It Be” for the first time and was speechless when the song was over. I felt an amazing connection to the audience there in Brooklyn. I never knew that my heartache would allow me to connect to audiences better than I ever have. I can’t wait for what God is going to do through this. I’m excited to hear what you think about the new music and can’t wait to meet you on the road. Please leave your reviews right here or on Itunes. I’d love to hear what you think. Thanks so much for the encouragement and I’ll be talking to you soon..

Style: Urban-tinged pop/worship; compare to Anointed, Israel Houghton, Mandisa

Top tracks: “Wait,” “Healer,” “All That Matters”

A recent season of personal confrontation and confession prompted singer Anthony Evans to rethink his professional course, ultimately trading his powerhouse persona for the more humble posture of leading worship. Utilizing the tutelage he received from his father, famed pastor/author Tony Evans, his own corporate experience, and co-writes with the likes of Jason Ingram, Undisguised is designed for personal and collective worship times. But “signature Evans” still abounds, as the R&B-leaning vocalist infuses gospel riffs and soulful background vocals throughout corporate anthems “Amazing God” and “Mighty to Save.” But it is his self-penned yearnings like “Rejoice,” delicately written and performed with Kari Jobe, which typify Evans’ worshipful re-focus.

-Christianity Today

I’m so excited about today and the release of my new record Undisguised. I’m also thrilled with the responses to that you’ve given me to the blog I posted about being Undisguised in your walk with the Lord and with others. Your stories are encouraging and uplifting. During the course of this week I’m going to try and read/respond to all of you. I hope that you guys love the record and please feel free to pass the link to the blog/new record on to your friends I’d love to hear their stories also.

When it comes to the new music, please leave your reviews on iTunes or wherever you purchased the record. I love reading your comments it encourages me and helps me to get better at what I do.

Thanks soooo much for your support,

Sincerely,
Anthony Evans

Two and a half weeks before I release my new album “Undisguised”!! I’m excited about it! We’re going to get some of the new single up for you on the site so you can leave your feed back. I’m also going to start blogging regularly and would love to hear back from you on what you think about the different subjects we’ll cover. Everything from the challenges of being a Christian Single to how we can encourage each other through our personal testimonies of God’s healing in our lives. Can’t wait to start this journey of being honest with each other and with the Lord.

We worked hard on “Undisguised”. Here’s a couple clips of two of the songs.

“Wait”

I wrote “Wait” with one of my best friends. We went into the sanctuary of a church here in Nashville, opened the word to Is 40:31 and this is what we came up with.

“Rejoice”

“Rejoice” was initially written in the green room of Gateway Church in Southlake, TX. I was backstage waiting to go out and started singing the chorus. Kari Jobe was leading worship that day and I asked her if she wanted to come to Nashville and help finish it. So long story short she ended up co-writing it with me along with Michael Boggs and she also sang it as a duet on the record.

These two songs are turning out to be two of my favorites on the record. I hope you enjoy these little clips. Leave you’re comments right here!! Would love to know what you think!

Anthony has just put the finishing touches on his forthcoming project “Undisguised,” which is scheduled to release on January 26th 2010. Writing a great deal of the music, Anthony partnered with worship leaders Michael Boggs, Kari Jobe and Jason Cox, as well as award winning and Grammy nominated songwriter Jason Ingram to bring you his most personal, worshipful and transparent record to date.

You can pre-order you autographed copy now on the AE webstore.

With every album we release we try to think of something exciting that will connect us with the fans… Well for “Undisguised” I think that we’ve come up with the best idea yet!!!  Be sure to enter today right here to win a trip to NYC!!

You will be part of the band for our weekend at The Brooklyn Tabernacle!   You’ll get to hang out with us and you’ll have front a front row seat when we debut the new songs at one of my favorite churches.  Looking forward to seeing who wins this one!!  We’ll talk to you soon.

ENTER HERE

Anthony

If the Christmas record is not enough, Anthony is currently working towards completing his 4th major release, Undisguised. Set to release January 26th, 2010, Undisguised is a kind of sequel to The Bridge (2008), where Evans shares his personal brokenness and removes his mask, allowing him to worship from a new perspective.

“As Christian artists, we think we can’t be perceived as broken. We have to put up a façade that says we’ve ‘got it.’ But opening up, revealing the truth of who we are and what we’re experiencing, allows God to do what He does best…” -Anthony Evans