Reading the Musical Compass

Recently, I’ve been trying to write some new songs. It will probably be a little while before I release another album – however, it feels good to experiment with some new music. I thought I’d try to get some writing in before the baby comes in April.

I try to take a slightly different approach with every project I create. Sometimes, I find direction by considering what worked and what didn’t work on the last album. Snapshots of the Shattered Soul has only been out for several months, but I’m already trying to analyze its strongest and weakest points. It’s been interesting to see what songs on the album are the most popular. On Backstage Pass, Hurricane definitely took the cake. A number of people also liked Pull Through, A Thousand Gods and By Now, but Hurricane was the common denominator. Snapshots of the Shattered Soul, on the other hand, seems to have a little something for everyone. My “rock” friends like Surfacing, Shadows & Sunlight and Missing. My “acoustic folksy” friends like More Than Broken and Wherever Love Would Go. My “CCM” friends like Worshipping You and Portrait of Me. Other people like Keeping Time and Canyon’s Edge. I have one friend who likes A World Without and Today. Another friend likes Bed of Strangers. At this point, it’s hard to tell what worked because it seems like the album has worked as a whole.

I have had a couple friends tell me I should zero in on making a rock record, something that builds on the mood and energy of Surfacing and Shadows & Sunlight. What do you think?