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Cheri Keaggy

Track List

If the eyes are the windows of the soul, than perhaps music is the door to the heart. The melody and lyrics speak the truth, treasure, and tragedy that lie within. Sometimes the music is gentle, a light tapping on the shoulder. ...

If the eyes are the windows of the soul, than perhaps music is the door to the heart. The melody and lyrics speak the truth, treasure, and tragedy that lie within. Sometimes the music is gentle, a light tapping on the shoulder. Other times, it’s more direct, with power and conviction. Much like life, there are themes of exuberant celebration, quiet introspection, searing anguish, and humble gratitude. But, when the music is especially sweet, it comes like soothing balm to the weary soul, renewing the mind, refreshing the spirit, and rendering the heart forever changed. If music is the door to the heart, than there’s no secret to Whom Cheri Keaggy’s heart belongs. Beginning as a worship leader at a small church in Southern California, Cheri has ministered through music and testimony for twenty years. Her debut album, Child of the Father, was released to rave reviews in 1994 earning her a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year. Eight albums, nine Number One songs, three Dove Award nominations and a Dove Award win later, Cheri Keaggy is recognized as a mainstay in the adult contemporary and inspirational genres, and songs like “There is Joy in the Lord’ and “In Remembrance of Me” are sung in churches worldwide. Likewise, the songs she’s written for her children have made her a favorite at women’s events. Often with her Bible and journal close at hand, Cheri takes a teachable approach to life, looking for the lesson in every experience. “If God can use our challenges and heartaches to build character that makes us more effective for the Kingdom, than that’s what I want. He can use me however He sees fit.” With songs penned following the end of her nearly twenty-three year marriage to her high school sweetheart, Cheri’s eighth release, SO I CAN TELL, is perhaps her most vulnerable recording to date. Like a modern day psalmist, her lyrics express grief, loneliness, and God’s comfort in “There Will Be One Day”, “When You Were Jesus to Me”, and “Hello, God.” She echoes the apostle Paul in the memorable piano ballad, “To Live is Christ” and celebrates Christ’s provision in the ukulele-based tune, “Air, Food, and Water.” The album is a testimony of God’s goodness in the midst of pain and suffering. The music leaves the listener with a renewed sense that God is with us, no matter what. The perfect ending to a worshipful journey is the Scripture inspired “Romans 15:13 (Benediction Song)” and a beautiful acoustic piece performed by Phil Keaggy called, “Postlude: Invitation to Hope.” “I feel like God has given me some gold,” Cheri explains, “and now is the season of pouring out everything He’s poured into me.” Perhaps a lyric from the title track encapsulates it best . . . I was shown grace so I will be gracious I was shown mercy so I can be merciful and kind I have been loved, to be lovely, yes, but that I might love well I have heard the Truth so I can tell I have known pain and though it was painful I have been healed and now I am speaking healing words You gave me strength to be strong enough to carry someone else I have heard the Truth so I can tell Tell it to my neighbor, tell it to my brother Tell it to the woman down the street Tell it to the children, tell it to the broken Live it so that everyone can see My Jesus, the Love that came to dwell inside of me So that others might believe I have known joy so I can be joyful Been broken down, but now I’m breaking free You gave me faith to be faithful, yes, no matter how I felt I have heard the Truth so I can tell I have heard the Truth, it’s the least I can do I have heard the Truth so I can tell -SO I CAN TELL (2012), written by Cheri Keaggy Whether through writing, singing, or speaking, that’s exactly what she does. In spite of life’s difficulties, she chooses God’s truths over and over again and inspires others to do the same. Pointing us toward what matters most, an encounter with Cheri Keaggy is an encounter with the God of Hope. Cheri’s son, Cameron is now married, while her daughter, Sarah, still lives at home in Franklin, TN. Cheri enjoys reading, writing, and walking her beloved shih-tzu, Daisy Doo.

7/10/2012 - Dove Award Winner Cheri Keaggy Releases New CD Today

Dove Award-winning artist Cheri Keaggy releases her new CD, So I Can Tell, today on the singer/songwriter's Psalm 91 record label. The first CD since her independent 2007 release, Because He First Loved Us, Keaggy draws on the encouragement of Scripture and her utter reliance on the comforting power of God to create an honest, engaging recording that is reflective of her emergence from a difficult season in life.

"Out of the trials of the last few years, I feel like God has given me some gold," Keaggy says of the new songs. "Now it's time for me to pour it out."

So I Can Tell is being released on the 18-year anniversary of the 1994 Sparrow Records release of Keaggy's Dove Award-nominated debut CD, Child of the Father.

In conjunction with today's CD release, multiple media outlets will be featuring the new project, including HearItFirst.com, CCMMagazine.com, Parent Talk Radio, Christian Television Network's Bridges, Cornerstone TV's Focus 4, LeSea Broadcasting's The Harvest Show, Atlanta Live and NewReleaseTuesday.com, which is offering a free download of the title track, as well as promoting the single to more than 240 affiliated radio stations.??"So I Can Tell is a breath of fresh air — simple, honest, and pure… This album is a treasure!" says NewReleaseTuesday.com.

Under the guidance of Gospel Music Hall of Famer and legendary guitarist Phil Keaggy, Cheri Keaggy called on the combined talents of Scott Dente and Ken Lewis from Global Genius Productions to produce the new record. The combination of rich, acoustic sounds with Cheri Keaggy's signature plaintive vocals and searingly honest lyrics results in a project that confronts life's realities, even when filled with despair, and offers listeners the way to navigate through the challenges to a place of hope through Christ.

"Cheri's new CD is a real blessing on many levels and these songs are among my favorite Cheri songs," says Phil Keaggy. "They are brimming with heart and truth. There is a deep passion in her lyrics that truly touches the soul of the listener. Cheri really shines on this masterful collection of her original material. This CD will touch you and lift you with hope."

"Cheri is at a really special time in her life…a lot of these songs represent a fresh start," Dente says. "(Working on the project has) been a complete joy."??"Cheri brought some beautiful songs, some amazing songs to the project," says Lewis.

Penned following the end of her nearly 23-year marriage to her high school sweetheart, So I Can Tell is a testimony of God's goodness in the midst of pain and suffering. Like a modern day psalmist, Keaggy's lyrics express grief, loneliness, and God's comfort in the contemporary hymns "Bind Me To You," "There Will Be One Day" and the arresting "Hello, God." She echoes the apostle Paul in the memorable piano ballad "To Live is Christ" and celebrates Christ's provision in the ukulele-based crowd favorite "Air, Food, and Water."

Through an accessible folk-pop presentation, the album leaves listeners with a renewed sense that God is with us, no matter what. So I Can Tell is filled with the radio-ready songs for which Keaggy is known and loved. Her lush vocals lovingly caress piano ballads like the title cut and the haunting "When You Were Jesus To Me." Her voice takes on a lilting quality in the hope-infused "Starting a New Year Today," written on the one-year anniversary of her divorce. As an added bonus, guitar maestro Phil Keaggy closes the album with the peace-evoking benediction "Postlude: Invitation to Hope."

Cheri Keaggy partnered with her fans to raise the capital for the new project through the innovative Kickstarter "crowd-funding" business model. Keaggy joins Christian musicians such as Shaun Groves and John Schlitt, and Christian filmmaker Steve Taylor (Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz), who also used the service to fund their most recent projects.

"I never would have had the courage to launch Kickstarter if I hadn't already experienced God working so mightily on my behalf through the body of Christ," says Keaggy. "Somehow I knew if God was in this music, then it would be no trouble at all for Him to supply the resources to make it happen. He truly is bringing 'beauty from ashes' with this project."