B.Reith returns with a highly anticipated full-length album, “How the Story Ends”, on 11-1-11, following his 2009 hit “Now is Not Forever”. Reith is a one-man music juggernaut – he writes, raps, sings, and produces – but this new album finds him teaming up with an all-star supporting cast featuring hip-hop phenomenon Lecrae, Grammy™-nominated songwriter Lisa Gungor, indie-pop sensation Dave Barnes, and PJ Morton, an R&B star who is a touring member of Maroon 5. If all that wasn’t enough, four new songs feature mixes by Grammy™ winner Craig Bauer (Kanye West).

It speaks to Reith’s versatility that his collaborators hail from such a multitude of musical genres. This is music that defies a neat label from an artist who long ago broke down any walls of expectation built around him by an industry that didn’t quite know what to make of his many talents. His silky-smooth pop vocals complement his effortless rhymes in songs that are somehow accessible to the masses. “I do music because it burns in me,” Reith declares. “There’s something in me that is wired in such a way that I must do it.”  In efforts to better tell Reith’s story, watch his brand new mini-documentary:  HTTP://BIT.LY/ONOVCR

“B.Reith’s new record is great! I don’t know anyone who can so seamlessly move between musical genres like Pop, Hip-Hop, Rap, WHATEVER and not sound like he’s trying too hard. The first single “Simple Days” is going to be a sure fire hit for us here at NGEN Radio and I can’t wait to see where this record will take him next.”
-Carlos Aguiar, Program Director, NGEN Radio/KSBJ (Houston, TX)

It was Reith’s musical passion that was recognized by accomplished artist and artist manager, Calvin Nowell (Gungor, B.Reith), whose Nside Entertainment has once again partnered with Reith to launch the new album. Nowell couldn’t be more excited about the project. “I believe B.Reith has delivered his best music to date. It is very relevant to the current pop/hip-hop music culture.  Most people struggle to produce a diverse sound, but B.Reith is an artist that does it naturally.  Therefore, it was very easy to step to the plate and support a project that I firmly believe many people will love.”

With “How the Story Ends”, Reith has expanded his sound just as he expands his audience. Already a concert veteran touring with the likes of TobyMac, Jars of Clay, and Relient K, Reith has recently been a part of the Misfit Tour featuring Da’ T.R.U.T.H. and BET regular, Mali Music. The response of these new urban audiences has been overwhelming, and it’s sure to grow when the new album drops.

Lastly, Reith is as honest and real as ever in his lyrics, but he offers something missing in so much of hip hop and pop music: hope. Reith offers not just sympathy but recognition, affirmation, and most of all, an answer. See, B.Reith knows how the story ends.

With a ‘who’s who’ line-up, one might expect nothing less than five-star reviews for the monumental project (Music Inspired By) The Story available nationwide . Such is the case as it released this week debuting at No. 1 on iTunes® Christian & Gospel Album Chart with critics nationwide singing its praises:
 
“This is the most inspiring and emotionally stirring collection of songs I’ve ever heard. There’s something for everyone: Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Mandisa, Francesca Battistelli, Lecrae and eighteen other artists all brilliantly bring us to the throne room by passionately performing these soul-piercing songs perfectly orchestrated by Nichole Nordeman and Bernie Herms.  This is a five star compilation that needs to be heard and experienced.”--NewReleaseTuesday.com
 
“Nordeman's songwriting is top-notch, as she handles her storytelling delicately, expounding enough to give dimension without embellishing to fit an agenda. Human struggle with feelings of entitlement, questions of destiny, hope in God's promises, and the desire to be part of a meaningful framework make these characters accessible even to listeners unfamiliar with the stories.”-Christianitytoday.com.
 
“Featuring the most beautiful voices in music (Brandon Heath, Francesca Battistelli, Matthew West, Leigh Nash and many more), each and every track paints a sweeping picture of scripture from the perspective of its characters."-CCM Magazine
 
“Music Inspired By The Story is an extremely creative idea, …what Nordeman and Herms have created is truly remarkable. One of the better compilations of the year, The Story is well worth diving into.”-Jesusfreakhideout.com
 
Furthermore, in-depth interviews with the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Nichole Nordeman, who penned all 18 tracks on the musically diverse album, can be found at Yahoo.com , in CCM Magazine  and Christianity Today.

This was an experience that Nordeman will never forget: “As a songwriter, being involved in The Story has been, without a doubt, the most fulfilled I've ever felt creatively,” says Nordeman. “To be charged with giving Biblical icons a modern voice and then to get a front row seat as those songs are brought to life by such gifted artists, was an honor I could never have imagined. As Bernie and I wrestled with these songs, I was reminded daily, sometimes hourly, that Scripture was meant to live and breathe in our lives. Not as mere history or cultural context, but as bold evidence that God really does long to be the Author of our own pages. This experience has deeply changed my own story, both as an artist and a Christian.”
 
(Music Inspired By) The Story is the first release from the revolutionary partnership between EMI CMG, Provident Label Group, Word Entertainment, Zondervan, World Vision, Proper Management and CAA. The 2-disc album was built on the foundation of Zondervan's best-selling Bible, The Story, Randy Frazee's book The Heart Of The Story and Max Lucado's Book God's Story Your Story, and features a top-notch cast Matthew West, Leigh Nash, Mark Hall & Megan Garrett (Casting Crowns), Brandon Heath, Bart Millard (MercyMe), Michael Tait (Newsboys), Blanca Callahan (Group 1 Crew), Lecrae, Nichole Nordeman, Amy Grant, Chris Tomlin, Peter Furler, Mandisa, Todd Smith (Selah), Francesca Battistelli, Mac Powell (Third Day), Steven Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay), Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real), Jeremy Camp, Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech. See full track/artist listing below.
 
Produced by the esteemed Brown Bannister and acclaimed Bernie Herms, all of the 18 new songs Nordeman wrote from a first-person perspective based on principle biblical characters and accounts telling God's story from Creation to The Second Coming.
 
"When I first started working on The Story, I made a ‘dream list’ of 24 artists who I wanted to be part of this project,” says Executive Producer Norman Miller. “God showed us tremendous favor, because we ended up with 22 of these 24 artists singing on the record. I believe that Nichole wrote the best lyrics of her life and Bernie matched her every step of the way with wonderful melodies. Brown Bannister and Bernie Herms were the ultimate production team and this has resulted in The Story being my favorite record of all time".
 
In support of the album, a new website has launched, www.thestorycd.com where fans can access exclusive video content, the latest breaking news and more.
 
Additionally, fans can see The Story come to life this December as Lucado and Frazee join multi-platinum selling artist Steven Curtis Chapman, award-winning band Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant and other artists featured on the album will travel around the country on “The Story Tour." Sponsored by World Vision "The Story Tour" will be a fully produced multi-media experience with the artists performing the album in its entirety and will include stunning visuals to accompany every song projected on a massive screen encompassing the entire stage.  See full list of tour dates below.
 
For more information on (Music Inspired By) The Story, please visit www.thestorycd.com.
 
(Music Inspired By) The Story Track Listing:
Disc 1
1)    CREATION (“I Am”) - Overture
2)    ADAM/EVE (“Good”) - Matthew West & Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer)
3)    ABRAHAM/SARAH (“Who But You”) - Mark Hall & Megan Garrett (Casting Crowns)
4)    JOSEPH (“Bend”) - Brandon Heath
5)    MOSES (“It Must Be You”) - Bart Millard (MercyMe)
6)    JOSHUA (“Bring Us Home”) - Michael Tait, Blanca Callahan (Group1Crew), Lecrae
7)    RUTH/NAOMI (“I'm With You”) - Nichole Nordeman & Amy Grant
8)    DAVID (“Your Heart”) - Chris Tomlin
9)    DANIEL (“No Compromise”) - Peter Furler
10)  ESTHER (“Born For This”) - Mandisa
11)  JOB (“Broken Praise”) - Todd Smith (Selah)
Disc 2
1)    MARY (“Be Born In Me”) - Francesca Battistelli
2)    JESUS (“When Love Sees You”) - Mac Powell (Third Day)
3)    THIEF (“How Love Wins”) - Steven Curtis Chapman
4)    MARY MAGDALENE (“Alive”) - Natalie Grant
5)    DISCIPLES (“Empty”) - Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay) & Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real)
6)    PAUL (“Move In Me”) - Jeremy Camp
7)    SECOND COMING (“The Great Day”) - Michael W. Smith & Darlene Zschech
 
"The Story Tour" Dates:
* all dates subject to change
December 1 – Wichita, KS
December 2 – Dallas, TX
December 3 – Tulsa, OK
December 7 – Orlando, FL
December 8 – Atlanta, GA
December 9 – Winston-Salem, NC
December 10 – Va Beach, VA
December 11 – Woodbridge, VA (Washington DC area)
December 15 – Grand Rapids, MI
December 16 – Chicago, IL
December 17 – Minneapolis, MN
December 18 – Kansas City, MO

After selling out the majority of spring dates across the country, “The Story of Your Life Tour” with headliner Matthew West joined by Jonny Diaz will embark on a limited run of the popular tour this October. The string of shows will hit over a dozen markets including stops in Tennessee, New Hampshire, Maine, Illinois and Texas.
 
The tour’s namesake comes from West’s latest and best-selling album as well as his newest book The Story of Your Life: Inspiring Stories of God at Work in People Just Like You. West partnered with best selling women’s author Angela Thomas for the book which will release in September with Harvest House Publishers. Both projects were inspired from 10,000 real-life stories that West received ranging in topics of bullying, divorce, adoption and more.
 
West’s latest radio single “Strong Enough” has landed in the top 5 on both the AC-Indicator and National Christian Audience charts, and in the top 10 at AC-Monitored. He will release his first, full-length Christmas album, The Heart of Christmas, this October with Sparrow Records/EMI CMG.

In an unprecedented partnership between EMI CMG, Provident Label Group, Word Entertainment, Zondervan, World Vision, Proper Management and CAA, comes a new project entitled (Music Inspired By) THE STORY releasing September 27.  Built on the foundation of Zondervan's best-selling Bible, The Story, Randy Frazee's book The Heart Of The Story and Max Lucado's Book God's Story Your Story, the new 2-CD set and DVD contains 18 new songs written by GMA Dove Award-Winners Nichole Nordeman and Bernie Herms based on principle biblical characters and stories telling God's story from Creation to The Second Coming.  The complete artist-line up is nothing short of stellar featuring 24 artists altogether with Brown Bannister and Bernie Herms at the production helm. Serving as Executive Producer and visionary for the entire project is industry leader Norman Miller who developed similar productions such as The Young Messiah, Emmanuel, Child Of The Promise, and more. Miller comments, "When I was asked by Zondervan to put together a musical element to THE STORY project, I was very excited because I saw endless opportunities to create something very special.  Nichole Nordeman is my favorite lyricist of all time and having watched Bernie Herms’ amazing talents develop over the years, I knew he was the perfect writing partner for Nichole. I was thrilled when they both accepted my invitation to write THE STORY. We then put together a list of artists we wanted to sing on the project and were thrilled when they agreed to be part of THE STORY.”
 
Lyrically, Nordeman wrote the songs from a first-person perspective using timeless biblical stories providing a completely new context into how God's story of love and redemption intersects with our story of brokenness and failures resulting in a new story of hope and rescue.  "I think for me one of the goals was to be able to listen to these songs and feel more connected to these people that walked before us and learned lessons that we're still learning," explains Nordeman.  "There's such a tendency to turn them into superheroes and have these big, takeaway, moral-of-the-story moments.  For me it was all about the humanity. These were broken people who were desperate and needed God.  They were just like us.  I really believe that, and I think sometimes forget."
 
Musically, the album is quite diverse in style and song structure covering pop, epic and cinematic moments complete with London Strings, stunning ballads, hip-hop and even bluesy-rock.  Herm's well-crafted songs take us on a journey of introspection, celebration and after writing 18 varying songs Herms confesses he wasn’t prepared for how all-consuming the project would become.  “I think that there are unique moments that we’re afforded in life when you’re being offered something amazing. I felt like I couldn’t pass it up even though it would be such a mammoth task,” explains Herms.  Adding to the uniqueness of the project, Herms and Nordeman wrote their songs collaborating via email, text, phone, never writing in the same location.  “Most of the time, 90 percent of co-writing is being in the same room and playing off each other’s momentum but by the time Nichole sent me lyrics they were already pieces of literature," adds Herms.
 
To kick off the project, Nordeman, Herms, Miller, Frazee and Lucado all met in San Antonio to vision-cast and cull down the numerous stories into what would be the final 18 songs for the project.  Upon hearing the songs  Lucado said, “This is not an album, it is an event.  Moving, powerful, unlike anything I’ve ever heard.  Prepare yourself to be swept in the gulf-stream of God’s story.”  Frazee was equally excited upon hearing the songs as they were developing.  “There is a movement afoot to return people back to God’s Word, called THE STORY.  The masterful writing of Nichole, the overwhelming composition and arranging by Bernie, and the stellar cast of artists performing the songs are the divine dream team. If folks are only half as moved as I have been listening to these songs, we will have a true revival on our hands” comments Frazee.
 
In addition to writing all of the lyrics, Nordeman joined Amy Grant in the studio to tell Ruth and Naomi’s story in the song “I’m With You,” the project’s first radio single. Other noteworthy pairings include Matthew West and Leigh Nash on “Good” (Adam & Eve), Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall and Megan Garrett covering “Who But You” (Abraham & Sarah), Michael W. Smith and Darlene Zschech tackling “The Great Day,” Dan Haseltine and Sanctus Real’s Matt Hammitt as the disciples with the track “Empty” and Newsboys’ Michael Tait, Group1Crew’s Blanca Callahan, and Lecrae telling the story of Joshua with “Bring Us Home.” Bart Millard, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Steven Curtis Chapman, Francesca Battistelli, Brandon Heath, Peter Furler, Todd Smith, Mac Powell, Natalie Grant and Jeremy Camp round out the compilation’s overflowing talent pool.
 
Alongside the music, the companion DVD will have all 18 songs set to new cinematic video footage shot all over Europe and Africa as well as stunning and innovative approaches from artisans all over the world.  Each video is a work of art in itself and is specifically edited to visually communicate the story of each song and character on the album.
 
Additionally, "The Story Tour" will commence in December with Max Lucado and Randy Frazee along with a stellar musical cast including Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Selah, Anthem Lights and will visit 13 major markets.  "The Story Tour" will be a fully produced multi-media experience with the artists performing the album in its entirety and will include stunning visuals to accompany every song projected on a massive screen encompassing the entire stage.  World Vision will be a tour sponsor but also is a major partner in the production of THE STORY CD.  “The Story of Jesus offers life in all its fullness to all who hear it.  This one-of-a-kind project also reminds us that there are thousands of children around the world who long for this fullness.  With this project, we have the opportunity to change their life story,” comments Jenny Lockwald (World Vision).

 
CD & DVD Track Listing
 
OLD TESTAMENT – CD Disc 1
1.    I Am – Overture
2.    Good  (ADAM & EVE) – Matthew West/Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer)
3.    Who But You (ABRAHAM & SARAH) - Mark Hall & Megan Garrett (Casting Crowns)
4.    Bend (JOSEPH) - Brandon Heath
5.    It Must Be You (MOSES) Bart Millard (MercyMe)
6.    Bring Us Home (JOSHUA) – Michael Tait (Newsboys), Blanca Callahan (Group1Crew), & Lecrae
7.    I’m With You (RUTH & NAOMI) - Nichole Nordeman & Amy Grant
8.    Your Heart (DAVID) – Chris Tomlin
9.    No Compromise (DANIEL) – Peter Furler
10.    Born For This (ESTHER) – Mandisa
11.    Broken Praise (JOB) – Todd Smith (Selah)
 
NEW TESTAMENT – CD Disc 2

1.    Be Born In Me (MARY) – Francesca Battistelli
2.    When Love Sees You (JESUS) – Mac Powell (Third Day)
3.    How Love Wins (THIEF) – Steven Curtis Chapman
4.    Alive (MARY MAGDALENE) – Natalie Grant
5.    Empty (DISCIPLES) – Dan Haseltine (Jars Of Clay) & Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real)
6.    Move In Me (APOSTLE PAUL) – Jeremy Camp
7.    The Great Day (SECOND COMING) – Michael W. Smith & Darlene Zschech

"The Story Tour" Dates:
* all dates subject to change
December 1 – Wichita, KS
December 2 – Dallas, TX
December 3 – Tulsa, OK
December 7 – Orlando, FL
December 8 – Atlanta, GA
December 9 – Winston-Salem, NC
December 10 – Va Beach, VA
December 11 – Woodbridge, VA (Washington DC area)
December 15 – Grand Rapids, MI
December 16 – Chicago, IL
December 17 – Minneapolis, MN
December 18 – Kansas City, MO