Jimmy Needham’s 4th Release For Inpop Records Being Heralded As Needham’s Most Vulnerable And Personal Record To Date
Clear The Stage Releases March 27, 2012, Produced By Ed Cash and Jimmy Needham, First Single “If I Ever Needed Grace”
Clear the Stage, the fourth album from Inpop artist Jimmy Needham releasing on March 27, 2012, sees Needham paired with award-winning producer Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, Laura Story, Dave Barnes, Aaron Shust) for his most compelling and vulnerable collection of songs to date. As the title cut implies, Clear the Stage is a call to absolute dependence on God. From the lead single, “If I Ever Needed Grace,” to the anthemic “My Victory,” the idea of acknowledging our need for God’s mercy and grace is woven like a thread throughout the album. Musically the album visits much that is familiar to fans of Needham’s previous albums, but also pushes the envelope with songs like the funk-infused, “I Will Find You,” featuring guest vocals from Lecrae.
“There’s a nuance I try to capture in every record, but this one was a lot more eclectic, thematically,” Jimmy says. “All of the facets of my personal life keep leading me to an expanding view of Christ; marriage to my wife Kelly, our daughter’s birth, and the miscarriages we experienced before our daughter’s birth. In all of these things, and in every way I attempt to navigate life, my only satisfaction—the only true answers—will be found in Christ. I’ve come to understand obedience as more than simply not doing bad things, but running to God to drink deeply in Him so that I don’t want to run to any other source.”
If I Ever Needed Grace, the first single, is currently at radio. “The fact that ‘If I Ever Needed Grace’ came at the eleventh hour, when it seemed like I had nothing—and resulted in one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever written—is such a testament of God’s grace. I felt so inadequate going into the studio to make this album,” Jimmy reflects. “Not all of the songs were written yet, I was working with a new producer, and on top of all that, I had just become a father. Nothing has proven to demonstrate my inadequacy like fatherhood and leading a family. I remember praying, ‘If I ever needed grace, God, it’s now.”
Daddy’s Baby Girl, a playful tune written for Jimmy’s daughter, is a standout track and one that every parent can relate to: Now you’ve got me doing these silly dance moves, I hope this don’t make it on to YouTube.
The powerful title track, Clear The Stage, written by Ross King, was a life-changing song for Jimmy. “The first time I heard this song as a high school student, it wrecked me,” explains Jimmy. “I don’t think anyone can be the same person after hearing this song. I’ll never forget hearing those words and immediately getting on my face before God. It’s a heavy way to close, but my hope is that by the end, every listener will say ‘I want more of Jesus and less of everything else.’”
