Feeling Very Grateful Today ...I'm A Blessed Mann!

                             Happy Thanksgiving!
                                                           Pray on... 

Feeling Very Grateful Today ...I'm a Blessed Mann!

               Happy Thanksgiving!

                                  Pray on...

We Are the Body of Christ

As the passing of my mother establishes a new norm in my life, I've become enveloped in a new season of servanthood. Now I'd be lying if I said that it's been a completely easy transition.

It's not that the act of serving is foreign to me, far from it, but I've never been so consumed with the needs of others.

What I'm finding is that there's this constant sense of awareness of those around me... and my ability and availability to intercede.


I admit that it's left me a little weary, and at times a bit drained, but it's also shed a new light concerning fulfillment. Not to mentioned how easy I sleep these days.

The fact that this season seems to be running parallel to the season of lent has only deepened my walk.

This season, like all seasons, will come to an end at some time. And when it does I suspect that the habits I'm forming now will continue. That's usually the case.

What's now a hectic and sometimes chaotic time will no doubt settled down in the days to come. But my guess it that tomorrow will forever be changed by the little things that I do today... and that I'll continue to have a clearer understanding of how We Are the Body of Christ.

Pray on,
Eddy

Thanksgiving

I encourage you to sing a verse with me on this Thanksgiving day.

Draped in Your love, in Your peaceful arms
Lord know my grateful heart
Shadowed in calm, by Your watchful eye
Lord know my grateful heart
There's no hiding how I feel
All my praise and worship's real
Strengthened to serve, by Your guiding hand
Lord know my grateful heart

Sheltered by strength, beyond this world's grasp

Lord know my grateful heart
Shielded in trust, faithfully sure
Lord know my grateful heart
There's no hiding how I feel
All my praise and worship's real
Donned in great joy, in glorious praise
Lord know my grateful heart

Veiled in Your grace, abundantly lover 

Lord know my grateful heart
Painted in hope, eternally marked
Lord know my grateful heart
There's no hiding how I feel
All my praise and worship's real
Swathed in pure love, devotedly Yours
Lord know my grateful heart
 

Beautiful Day

...from the Who We Are CD

The project opens up with Beautiful Day – a simple acoustic guitar driven song of praise with lyrics declaring: “O Lord, it’s a beautiful day/All of creation is singing Your praise/The heavens are swaying in a joyful way/O Lord, it’s a beautiful day.” I love that this is a stripped down version of this song, because at it’s most basic essence, the song works. Add to it any arrangement you like and this song will work in just about any environment of worship you can think of... Russ Hutto (TheWorshipCommunity.com)

Available on itunes.com
www.eddymann.com

My Grateful Heart - Live

Drawing some very nice accents from Bob Solarz’s mandolin plucking and Kelly Graber’s perfectly fitting guest vocal, this track stands on its own. The arrangement recalls something from the canon of modern day hymn-writers Keith and Kristyn Getty and that’s high praise indeed... Andrew Geenhalgh (Relevant Magazine, Stereo Subversion, CCM, and Soul-Audio.com)

“My Grateful Heart” has a folk-y, nearly Renaissance Fair feel to it... Dan MacIntosh (CCM, Christian Retailing, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, and Spin.com)

Listening to Mann’s voice evokes a sense of profound peace and wonder to the listener.  He reassures us with his enthralling voice with such lines as the ones in the track “My Grateful Heart”:  ‘Draped in Your Love, in Your peaceful arms/ Lord know my grateful heart/Shadowed in calm, by Your watchful eye/Lord know my grateful heart’... My Nuygen (Performer Magazine, MVRemix)
 

Another favorite is My Grateful Heart. I’m a sucker for anything in 3 or 6 so this one draws me in from the get-go! ...Russ Hutto (TheWorship Community.com)

Recorded October 20, 2012 at Gloria Dei Church, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Available on itunes
www.eddymann.com
 

My Grateful Heart

Drawing some very nice accents from Bob Solarz’s mandolin plucking and Kelly Graber’s perfectly fitting guest vocal, this track stands on its own.  The arrangement recalls something from the canon of modern day hymn-writers Keith and Kristyn Getty and that’s high praise indeed... Andrew Geenhalgh (Relevant Magazine, Stereo Subversion, CCM, and Soul-Audio.com)



 

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 8

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next  project. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, disappointment by disappointment, joy by joy... you get the idea. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing.)

WEEK 8

Wrapped up and sent off to be manufactured, what a great feeling. The timing of this project was right on... almost to the day.

The release date will be October 23, 2012 with a release party planned as part of a night of worship on October 20.

Watch for some free fan/member downloads and promotions as the release date gets closer.

Here's hoping that this spirit inspired creation finds a place to rest in your heart.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 7

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next  project. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, disappointment by disappointment, joy by joy... you get the idea. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing.)

WEEK 7

It's been a week full of mixing and mastering. There's always lots of little things to clean-up or redo.

The artwork appears to be finished and that's always a blessing. The pace has really slowed down as the track by track recording has come to an end.

Time now to get some feedback from the accountability team. There are a number of people I've got lined up who will share their thoughts and opinions freely. I'll be wearing my tough skinned suit. Without honest responses it'd be a wasted effort.

He's another short clip of  a song that I've been having some fun with during my morning fellowship with God. Ever Mindful.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 6

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next  project. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, disappointment by disappointment, joy by joy... you get the idea. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing.)

WEEK 6

Wow! Week six already, this project is just zooming along. Lots of inspiring moments this week.

As things continue to move along I've started to get into some editing for the final mix downs. There are times when it's quick and easy and others when it's painstakingly slow and tedious. Though I've never been one to turn and run from hard work, guess what I prefer.

It's also been a week where I've attempted to gather the largest box of crayons I' could find to start adding the final colors to each song. This I always enjoy. I love the creation challenge of morphing a new sound to finish off a song's personality.

One of those moments occurred during the editing process of Your Will Be Done In Me. I heard a flute textured part that after it was created was just a blast to put down. Check out the clip and share your thoughts.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 5

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next  project. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, disappointment by disappointment, joy by joy... you get the idea. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing.)

WEEK 5

This week I've tried to approach each song with the season of mindfulness that I'm living. All the basic rhythm tracks and vocal tracks are finished so my mindset is changing more to that of production.

What I mean is really listening for what needs to be played. What notes enhance and what notes clutter. I came into this project thinking of recording a much simpler performance of each piece.

For the most part I've stayed true to that philosophy. Which means there's a few tracks that warrant a closer look to find the core of what moves the song, what makes it breath and create emotion.

I've been blessed by The Way for all the gifts they've offered. But this week's song features a worship leader friend Joe McArdle on keys and vocals. Joe always brings his own style and energy, and he really gave this song a lift.

Check out this week's clip Livin' My Life.

As always please continue to share your thoughts and prayers.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 4

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next  project. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, disappointment by disappointment, joy by joy... you get the idea. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing.)

WEEK 4

This week the pace has slowed down dramatically. It was actually something I needed to do. I needed a momentary time of separation to clean my palette.

That being said, some awesome tracks were still laid down this week. My favorite might be a nostalgic mellotron type bit that really caught my ear when it was played the first time.

I'm really at ease with the arrangements this time around. Each song has continued to grow in surprisingly positive ways. Currently there are no troubling tracks.

Check out this week's clip I Will Sing.

Next week we'll get down to some serious percussion.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 3

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my nextproject. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, blessing by blessing, joy by joy... you get the idea.)

WEEK 3

As the hours in the studio begin to mount, the joy of maturation can be heard from song to song. As the lyrics change and the melodies and harmony search for places to rest, my heart continues to be humbled by the results.

This week there were a lot of padding tracks. Strings, organ and piano gave many of the compositions some body. Sort of rounded them out a bit.

I have a penchant for jangly guitars. I love the high end energy they provide. Though this is a relatively warm project there was room this week for one jangly guitar part and it was captured perfectly.

My short clip this week is from a song called My Grateful Heart. One of the younger songs, it's been an early favorite and a pleasant surprise. The addition of a couple of mandolins just enhance an already wonderful cut. Check it out. As always feel free to share your thoughts.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 2

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next project. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, blessing by blessing, joy by joy... you get the idea.)

WEEK 2

Wow! What an awesome week. So many inspiring moments. Seven different guests poured out their gifts and for that I'm humbly thankful.

The added input from everyone really helped the songs start to take on their own personality. I often thank God for being surrounded with so many spiritually creative friends... what a blessing.

Last week I mentioned that He's Coming was an issue. Well after three more shots at it I finally got the tempo right. Now everything seems to be falling into place. All the pieces are fitting together.

Thirty hours of session time have produced some beautiful and exciting vocal tracks. One of my favorite's is We Stand In God's Grace. Click the link to take a listen to a short clip.

My expectations are high for the coming week as four more guests are scheduled to visit. I'm a blessed Mann.

Pray on,
Eddy

The Who We Are Sessions: Week 1

(I was challenged earlier this year to blog through the recording process of my next  project. The scheduled release date is in October. God willing. So here we go, week by week, song by song, problem by problem, blessing by blessing, joy by joy... you get the idea.)

WEEK 1

The week one sessions were focused at getting acoustic rhythm guitar tracks down and then adding lead vocal tracks. This is the first project that I've attempted to record without a full rhythm section first. The idea is that working with only the guitar rhythm and vocal will inspire me to create from a different place.

This approach has already made me much more focused on lyrical and melodic ideas. Fourteen tracks were recorded and all but one feel and sound great. It has become clear very early on that this will be a warm project.

The problem track is called He's Coming. It's a song that has proven itself in our church many times. So it's not the compositional structure that's the problem. I'm starting to believe that it's more of a tempo issue.

The standout track for me this week was We Are The Body of Christ. Click the link to hear a sample cut. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Pray on,

Eddy